Experiencing SM Lanang Premier's Davao Gourmet Collective

The celebration of Kadayawan Festival in Davao for this year is filled with equal amount of anticipation and caution. Indeed, the looming threats of terrorism almost prompted the city mayor to postpone this year's activities for the biggest festival in the city in fear that innocent Davaoenos might be put in danger due to terror threats. Thankfully, the mayor opted to push through with the events and instead tightened security to ensure the safety of all locals and tourists joining in the fun festivities!

Personally, I am a fan of the Kadayawan Festival and the festive atmosphere it brings to the entire city. Indeed, there are several activities lined up for the entire month, whether you are seeking out food, music, live entertainment, and other showcases. I've mentioned before that I am looking forward to the food festivals because it is a great opportunity to see what foodie finds are in store for Davaoenos and to introduce the artisan food purveyors to the rest of us who did not know they even exist! Thus, I rushed to SM Lanang Premier on the last day of Kadayawan Festival to catch The Davao Gourmet Collective and sample some of the foodie treats in store.

I've previously been to the Kapuso Food Festival and indulged in gastronomic delights. But I was more impressed with the lineup at The Davao Gourmet Collective that I knew I can't afford to miss it. Here are a few of the items we sampled during our mini food trip:

Morisco's Italian Ristorante

 

Morisco's booth at the Davao Gourmet Collective caught our attention because of this unique pizza. I forgot to take note of the name but the topping consists of slices of mango, prosciutto, and some drizzle of chocolate syrup. It's got a curious taste to it - not salty or sweet. It comes with a subtle flavor that teases your palate. Hence, it was only fitting that we got to taste this first before trying out the other food items at the event! If you're so curious, you can order this pizza at either Morisco's or Don Beppe.


Cellar de Boca

The Sun-Made Steak Rice from Cellar de Boca is clearly E's favorite. This brown rice dish is a meal in and of itself. It comes with slices of pork steak, green peas, and packed with other seasonings. Every bite is a celebration for your taste buds!


Villa Margarita

This lasagna is creamy and cheesy while the pasta is soft enough without losing that al dente quality. This was one of my favorite dishes that I have tried during the event.

Malagos Farms

I bought one bar of the Malagos Chocolate bar as a treat for myself. It is made up of 65% dark chocolate, so it can't be that bad for you, right? We were also able to sample a few of the cheeses featured on the event! Truly one of Davao's pride!

Jonathan's Cupcakery

Jonathan's Cupcakery is best known for their cupcakes and had the pleasure of sampling their delicious cupcakes in the past. However, this will be the first time that I get to taste their tarts and to say that I was excited is an understatement. The tart cost P120 each and we opted for the ones with mango, blueberry, and kiwi. Love the base and cream filling of this tart because it was rich without being too sweet.

Were you able to sample the artisan and gourmet choices at the first Davao Gourmet Collective?

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The Davao Gourmet Collective at SM Lanang

As I had mentioned in a previous post, food festivals are among my most anticipated events at the ongoing Kadayawan Festival 2013. Last weekend, I had already witnessed a glimpse of the Kapuso Food Festival and sampled some of the treats that was showcased in the event. This coming weekend, another big foodie event is in store in The Davao Gourmet Collective to be held at SM Lanang Premier atrium from August 16 to 18, 2013.

SM Lanang has branded itself as the premier destination for shopping and dining in Davao. Thus, it is only fitting that they play host to the first-ever gourmet collective experience wherein the top chefs and restaurateurs join together in one place. Davaoenos can therefore sample their favorite tasty treats from the following purveyors when they visit the said exhibit:

Blugre

Villa Margarita

Malagos Farms

Cellar de Boca

Morisco Ristorante Italiano

Crazy Cook

Bangkok Wok

Osvaldo's

Hog's Breath Cafe

Jonathan's Cupcakery

Beko's Biik

Are you joining The Davao Gourmet Collective? It is scheduled on August 16-18, 2013! Don't miss it at the SM Lanang Premier atrium.

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Murray's New Orleans Bourbon Street Ribs Steak & Oysters

Whenever I decide which restaurant to dine into, I do not just look into the food to help me decide. Dining is more than just the food, I'll tell you that. It is an experience in and of its own. Hence, I really appreciate restaurateurs who spend time to come up with a unique concept that is reflected in their dishes and ambiance. This is exactly the reason why I was drawn to Murray's New Orleans.

A few weeks ago, I stumbled onto a blog featuring this restaurant and I was so interested about the ambiance and the food that it piqued my interest enough to head to SM Lanang Premier one day to give them a try. Upon walking in, I readily feel the jolly vibe of this restaurant. Good thing, we came in early to have our dinner so we get to pick the best seat in the house. While I am in awe with the vibrantly colored bar area and the jazz allusions in many of the emblems plastered all over the restaurant, I kept my reservations because I knew the food was going to make or break it.

While waiting for our orders to be served, we were given this huge slice of bread with a dip as complimentary treat. I'm not sure if I'm the only who does this but I enthusiastically dove into the slice of bread. It has a subtle flavor and very, very soft. Before I could even finish the bread, though, our orders had arrived - indeed faster than I had anticipated!

This first dish is called Kansas City Ribs. This is the smaller version of their famous Baby Back Ribs and priced at approximately P395. The waitress told us this serving is good for one person only, but it's HUGE! We ended up sharing it because E was raving about how tender and delicious the meat was. This dish is a half slab of pork baby back ribs barbecued with their house BBQ sauce until tender and served with dirty rice (their own version of Java Rice, which I thought was superbly delicious!) and coleslaw. I loved the coleslaw with this dish. The flavor of the barbecued meat can be overwhelming to your palate after some point, and it helped to cut into that and neutralize the flavor in your mouth.

Another dish that I had the opportunity to sample is their Shrimp Ettouffe. I originally picked Baked Salmon but sadly it wasn't available on our visit (don't you just hate when that happens?). Anyhow, I ended up liking this dish. This is a pasta dish served with sauteed shrimps, ettouffe cream sauce, spinach, and parmesan cheese. This dish is highly aromatic that I could not help but spend a few seconds just savoring its aroma before finally digging in. This photo couldn't do this dish justice. By the way, you can order this for P385.

They do have a wide range of drinks to choose from ranging from alcoholic beverages, to mojitos, to fresh fruit shakes. I, of course, went for the fresh mango fruit juice. A glass will set you back at P105 but totally worth every penny.

Murray's New Orleans is a fantastic addition into the local culinary scene. Davao will be treated to quality Southwestern, Cajun, and international cuisines, among a slew of other restaurants already serving up delicious treats for the local palate. But it's always better when you have more options!

Murray's New Orleans Bourbon Street Ribs, Steaks & Oysters is located at G/F of SM Lanang Premier fronting the Fountain Court.

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The French Baker: Now Serving at SM Lanang Premier

The French Baker is a pastry shop/restaurant that has several branches in the country, but has arrived to Davao City just recently when they opened a branch at SM Lanang Premier. I've earlier featured them in a post showcasing some of the new restaurants set to open its doors to the visitors of SM Lanang and I am genuinely excited to try them out. The name itself elicits the idea of a Parisian cafe or patisserie, of which I've always dreamed of trying, but if not in Paris then this might be the next best thing.

The rave reviews I've read on The French Baker also didn't help to curb the excitement. Just last week, I finally got a chance to dine here and it was an overall good experience.

First off, since we came in a bit late for dinner, around 8:30 PM, most of our initial orders were no longer available. Bummer, I know. I would've wanted to give their pasta dishes a try, particularly the Vongole Clam Pasta and Lasagna Verde. It's a frustrating feeling when you see something on the menu and you place an order for that, only to be told that it isn't available.

I decided to go for the Grilled Veggie Sandwich instead. This dish is amazing, thankfully. I would specially recommend this to anyone who loves vegetable dishes! The presentation is unique and creative to begin with, which makes it all the more appetizing. The bread and veggies sandwich are arranged like a kebab on stick. First, the vegetable sandwich are grilled wherein they use a freshly baked ciabatta bread. Meanwhile, it also comes with some side dishes including The French Baker's own potato chips (which was surprisingly sweet and had a nice texture to it) and their honey balsamic greens. But their salad greens was my favorite as the combination of sweet and tart flavor makes this the right compliment to the sandwich.

Another dish we've tried is the Pork Chop Au Foivre. This dish consists of two pieces of herb marinated pork chop and grilled in brown peppercorn sauce. Wow! This dish is superb! I certainly did not expect much but the marinade allowed the flavor to seep deep into the meat. It also comes with a vegetable side dish consisting of corn and carrots, and rice. I would highly recommend this dish and don't forget to order it when available. Every bite is juicy yet savory!

We accompanied our meals with their Four Seasons cold drink but there was nothing special to it. We specifically asked the waitress if it is a fresh juice or canned ones and they confidently reassured that it wasn't the canned variety. But when we got the chance to sip onto our drinks, though, it was the instant juice type. Sorry, not impressed with that.

On my next visit, I plan on sampling their pastries and desserts because that is what The French Baker is all about - especially the much talked about French macaroons. 

Have you tried The French Baker? Thoughts?

The French Baker is located at Ground Floor of SM Lanang Premier, beside ChaTime and Krispy Kreme.

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J. Co Donuts Coming to Davao Soon!

Image credit: SM Lanang Premier Facebook Page

Donuts are one of few items on my list of guilty pleasures. I've a long list of favorites including Cello's Doughnuts & Dip, Krispy Kreme, and GoNuts Donuts, to name a few. But it does not mean I am not open to trying new donuts. Hey, it's always good to have more options, right? Thus, you can only imagine my excitement when I saw a photo on the Facebook page of SM Lanang Premier. This new mall has introduced a wide range of new restaurants into the city, delighting foodies like myself with more options available to us. And with a new donut shop in tow, I now have more reason to frequent this mall.

J.Co Donuts & Coffee is a cafe retailer originating in Indonesia. Over the years, they have satisfied their loyal patrons with their massive selection of donuts, yogurts, coffee, and other sweet treat offerings. They had been considered as one of the best gourmet donuts in the country, which certainly piques my interest. 

Here are some of their donut specialties I am looking forward to try (images taken from the official J.Co Donuts website): 

Choco Caviar Chocolate

Alcapone

Tiramisu

Oreology

Are you excited to try J. Co Donuts & Coffee?

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Davao Food Guide: Newly Opened Restaurants Round-Up

It's the holiday season and you know what that means - lots of food! But even when our dining table is filled with lots of food to celebrate the Christmas and New Year, I am not done yet. My appetite, even, is just whetting up! I had added quite a list of new restaurants and food spots to fulfill my unending love for food.

To help you pick the next dining destination, I have listed them down here. Most of these are new restaurants/food stalls opening up in Davao, while some others I have tried before but they have new branches opening up as well. 

French Baker is something that I am looking forward to (along with Dairy Queen) and it is now open at SM Lanang Premier. And if you are such a huge fan of desserts and sweets, wonder dropping by at Giardino Gelato. I've previously tried their Abreeza branch and their gelatos are highly recommended. If you haven't tried them yet, you can visit them on the 2nd floor of SM Lanang Premier!

And to continue on with the tea trend in Davao, ChaTime is officially open (also at SM Lanang Premier). My mom went there earlier this week. Hence, I am planning a visit one of these days. Look for them at the ground floor.

If you are up for some Filipino cooking, check out Gerry's Grill newest branch at the ground floor of GMall's The Peak. They have a special bar area for those who would love to dine in open air, or enjoy some drinks. I've been to Gerry's Grill before and haven't had the chance to visit them again (by choice, because of a terrible service) but maybe I would re-consider giving them another try.

For the coffee lovers, like me, two new options for coffee shops are available at GMall's The Peak - The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Blugre Coffee. They are located at the 2nd floor of The Peak and 2nd floor of the mall, respectively.   

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Blugre Coffee

Which of these newly opened restaurants/coffee shops are you excited to try?

*Disclaimer: All images are obtained from the Skyscrapercity Forum Threads. If you are the owner of these photos and would want to be credited, just shoot me an email. Thanks!

Hog's Breath Cafe Davao Opening Delayed

Last week, I got an official confirmation from the Hog's Breath Cafe Davao marketing manager, Roxie Macasaet, that the official date for the restaurant's soft opening at SM Lanang Premier will be on December 6, 2012. I am pretty sure that that news got a lot of people excited, especially those who were looking forward to sample their delectable and prime Aussie steaks. 

Sadly, I was informed that the soft opening and all other pre-opening events scheduled for Hog's Breath Cafe had been delayed. To learn more about the reason for the delay and what else Davaoenos should expect, here is the full press release from the marketing manager:

To all our valued guests and customers,

It is with great regret that we have to cancel our pre-taste events scheduled on December 2 and 3, as well as our soft opening on December 6, 2012.

Due to unforeseen circumstances related to the construction of our restaurant, we have no choice but to reschedule these events to a later date.

To our online activity winners and our invited bloggers, we will advise you on our new schedule – we promise that we will continue to communicate with you and stay true to our word of giving you the ‘first taste’ of the menu at our restaurant.

We are very appreciative of the support that you have extended thus far and we are hopeful that you will continue to support us despite this delay.

Our entire team has now touched down in Davao and we are truly grateful for the warm welcome and hospitality of the Dabawenyos. We are confident that we made the right decision to open the country’s first and worlds largest Hog’s Breath Café Branch here in your city.

Don’t worry dear friends! We won’t keep you waiting for long – see you this December!

Regards,

Roxie Macasaet
PR & Marketing Representative – Hog’s Breath Café Davao

For more updates, follow them on Twitter at @HBCafeDavao or check their Facebook fan page here.  

Hog's Breath Cafe Opens December 6 at SM Lanang

In an earlier post, I have listed some of the restaurants that I personally am looking forward to try out when they officially open at SM Lanang Premier. Hog's Breath Cafe quickly drew my attention primarily because it is the first branch to open in Davao and in the Philippines! The restaurant has established its reputation as “Australia's Best Steakhouse”, which should pique the curiosity of many steak lovers out there. Another reason to be excited about Hog's Breath Cafe's first ever Philippine branch? It is recognized as the largest of all 89 branches in the world!

The mere mention of Hog's Breath Cafe inspires to mind mouth-watering steaks, which is clearly the restaurant's specialty. They have also pleased Australian steak lover's taste buds with their tender prime steaks and Davao foodies will be in for a real treat when they have their soft opening on December 6, 2012.

Ms. Roxeanne Macasaet, the Marketing Manager for Hog's Breath Cafe Davao, shares the excitement of Davao food enthusiasts with the arrival of their first branch in the city. According to Ms. Macasaet, “We're thrilled to open the first Philippine branch in Davao, we're happy to share this Australian dining experience with the Dabawenyos.”

L'Restaurateur, the company responsible for bringing Hog's Breath Cafe franchise to Davao, has lined up month-long schedule of activities to whet Davaoenos' appetite for what Ms. Macasaet refers to as “Hogspitality” and, of course, their world-class steaks. The restaurant will have its soft opening on December 6, 2012 but the grand opening is expected to take place sometime January 2013. This is in order to coincide with the celebration of Australia Day.

Hog’s Breath Café Davao is located at Unit 147 – 149 Ground Floor, SM Lanang Premier, Lanang 8000, Davao, Philippines.

You can get regular updates and information about the upcoming opening and corresponding activities via their Facebook page here, or follow them at their official Twitter account - @HBCafeDavao. Also, make sure to visit this blog again as I will continue to update you with what's the latest on Hog's Breath Cafe. 
 

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Gilligan's Restaurant at SM Lanang Premier

Seafood restaurants hold a place close to my heart. I am a seafood lover at heart; so when a new seafood restaurant opens its door in the city, you can count the fact that it will be in my must-try dining places. Such is the case when Gilligan's Restaurant opened a branch in Davao for the first time, courtesy of the new SM Lanang Premier. 

Early last week, I had a chance to visit their branch for a dinner treat with E. I figured it was a great opportunity to see the Skygarden for the first time (last time I went to SM Lanang was during lunchtime) and also sample a new restaurant in the city. We already had our pick before we even got there for which restaurant to dine - Gilligan's Restaurant. I did not get to try this last time I went to Manila so this is a completely new experience for me and I was very curious as to how the dining experience would turn out.

First and foremost, I loved the ambiance at Gilligan's Restaurant in SM Lanang. There were plenty of nautical design elements that E & I were easily transported to this beach restaurant setup (in our minds). Right there and then, we got even more excited to try out items off their menu.

For appetizer, we ordered the Baked Mussel (PhP 110). When it was first served on our table, I was disappointed. I was expecting a bigger serving but instead the plate had 10 meager pieces of mussels. When I took a bite, though, I was in for a surprise. Every shell was well seasoned with garlic, olive oil, and the top was coated with a beautifully melted mozzarella cheese. I loved the idea of biting into the meat of the mussel with the gooey consistency of the cheese and its lightly salty flavor providing somewhat of a neutralizing effect on the powerful flavor of the mussel. 

While I was scanning the menu, I got really excited about the Grilled Salmon Belly but was disappointed when I found out it is not available. Same thing goes with their Gilligan's Seafood Platter. That would have been excellent. 

Instead, we ordered the Baked Pork Belly (PhP 154) and Gilligan's BBQ Platter (PhP 185). The pork belly was excellent - it was tender and not fatty at all. The flavor seeped deep into the meat that you can savor the flavor with every bite. The BBQ Platter, on the other hand, consisted of 4 sticks each of pork barbecue and yakitori. I equally enjoyed this platter because they do not scrimp on flavor. Every bite is truly packed and your taste buds will indeed be spoiled.

By the time we got the bill, we were pleased to note that they do not have a service charge. The reason I pointed this out is because of the fact that their service is excellent. In fact, way better than other restaurants we've tried that have a service charge. And for that, they deserve two thumbs up from me! I would definitely be back here and I can't wait to treat my family for a dinner - it seems to be the perfect place for that! 

Have you tried Gilligan's Restaurant at SM Lanang Premier? I'd love to hear about your dining experience!

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