Merco: Davao’s Culinary Gem

Davao boasts of having many culinary destinations unique to the city, thus helping shape its culinary landscape. Many of these home-bred restaurants have come and gone but one has remained steadfast for many years now and continue to strengthen its foothold among the local patrons – Merco.

There are plenty of reasons to love Merco, whether you are a local or tourist. The simplicity and coziness of the interiors is one. Plus, you add the heart-warming service offered by their staff, which makes for a good dining experience. The affordability of their food offerings is also another factor that’ll make you want to consider dining here. This is a great compliment to the fact that they serve their customers home-cooked style meals great for snacks or full meal.

One  night, I got to visit Merco in their Quirino branch and sampled a light meal. E & I ordered the Chicken Sandwich (PhP 51) and German Hotdog, respectively. I also added Molo Soup (PhP 55) because I really enjoyed it last time I tried ordering one.

Molo Soup

This was a truly filling meal yet we paid no more than PhP 200 for a dinner for two. Well, basically, this was a light meal, but it was nothing sort of the home cooked goodness that you’d come to expect from Merco. For this reason, I expect to see them last for another decade or two.

Peri Peri Charcoal Chicken at SM Annex Davao

I don’t frequent SM City Davao that much especially since I live in the opposite part of the city. But on my recent trip there, I knew I had to sample one of the new restos that have opened for business at the SM Annex. Peri Peri Charcoal Chicken was my choice, and E agreed, because we’ve heard not-so-glaring reviews about Bon Chon, if I may put it politely. But we’d still get around to trying Bon Chon, just not for this particular visit.

First things first, I liked the ambiance and the colors at Peri Peri Charcoal Chicken. The color motif was easy to the eyes. The chairs were pretty comfy, too. And I’ve got to note the courtesy of the wait staff, they were quite friendly and the food was served faster than I had expected.

Ambiance

Menu cover

Both E and I skipped on the rice for dinner and we each opted for their platter meals. E opted for the Combo E meal (PhP 185), which consisted of ¼ Peri Peri Chicken with 2 side dishes. He chose the Mixed Vegetables in Butter and Garlic Breadstick for his side dishes. As for me, I went with the Light Platter Meal A (PhP 285) that comes with ¼ Peri Peri Chicken, 2 pieces quesadilla, and a salad.

Combo E meal

Light Platter Meal A

Light Platter Meal A

Unlimited Soup (Corn Soup!)

One other unique thing about Peri Peri Charcoal Chicken is their unli drinks and soup offer. For PhP 49, you can get unlimited drinks and soup! Pretty good steal! So, we started off this meal with corn and chicken soup each for the both of us.

Overall, this was a pretty satisfying meal. I noted how the chicken was really good – subtle flavor and not too much seasoning. My only qualm is that the chicken tends to be a little too oily that I couldn’t finish my entire chicken serving because I felt slightly grossed out. Also, the salad was really good – I would order it solo, if I had to!

I will surely be back to Peri Peri Charcoal Chicken if I get to visit SM Davao Annex soon. Great dining experience and excellent service!

New at KFC: Tiramisu Krushers

The KFC Krushers is one of my fave ways to end the meal at KFC, along with their spoonfuls (yes, I'm big on desserts!). I love how they continually introduce new variations to their products and on my recent visit at a local branch, I found out about the new Krushers Coffee.

There are two Krushers flavors to choose from: Coffee Jelly and Tiramisu. I’m big on tiramisu, so it was a natural pick for me. If you love Tiramisu, too, there is no doubt in my mind that you will love it!

The average price for the Krushers at KFC is PhP 65 (if my memory serves me right) but since we ordered this as an “add-on”, it only cost me PhP 40. If you want to cool off, order this at any KFC branch. Maybe next time I’ll get around to trying the Coffee Jelly.

image courtesy of kfc.com.ph

Have you tried the new KFC Krushers Coffee? Did you like it? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Gusteau’s Fud Haus

My first time to try dining at Gusteau’s Fud Haus at The Peak was during my nephew’s birthday. I took my family there for us to have a simple celebration and this was what I believed a perfect place to take them. And I was pleased to know that my choice of restaurant did not disappoint. Just like me, most members of the family were seafood lovers and so we picked one order each of nearly every available item on their menu.

I appreciate the fresh ingredients used for each dish and each serving is reasonable in size. Hence, my family enjoyed this dining experience and I can’t wait to go back there and try out their specialty – the king crabs!

Meanwhile, check out the photos of the dishes we ordered there:

Corn & Crab soup

specialty - Spicy Prawns!

What do you think about Gusteau’s Fud Haus? I’d love to hear your thoughts and/or experiences if you’ve dined here before. Share them at the comments section below.