Majid's Kabab's Ox Brain

Ox brain. The thought of it alone might make you cringe, but what about eating one? If you have been to Majid's Kabab more than once before, you probably know by now that they do have Ox Brain on the menu. And I might surprise a few people by proclaiming that it's one of my favorites at Majid's. But let me reassure you that that is about as daring as I can get when it comes to food. 

The first time I tried Ox Brain was borne out of curiosity. But since tasting it for the first time, I had been hooked. And almost every visit at Majid's Kabab, you will find this dish on my table. I even surprised myself at how I've come to love this dish. First off, the texture is rather squishy and very soft. I am normally very particular about texture in my food and squishy stuffs are a no-no in my book. But I guess the flavor won me over because it comes with a savory taste to it yet subtle too. It does have its pungent smell, though, so I make sure to never forget to drizzle it with the lemon juice before eating to dilute the smell and flavor a bit.

That is not the best part about Majid Kabab's Ox Brain. It is also very affordable at about less than P50 a serving. 

Are you daring enough to try the Ox Brain?

Majid's Kabab is located at Rizal St., Davao City.

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Last Visit to Mang Inasal

If you're wondering about the title above, it's my personal conviction to never return to any Mang Inasal branch after a terrible experience on my latest visit. It took place at their Duterte branch, something of which is the culmination of several other equally bad experiences. As much as I want to utilize this space to promote foodie destinations that I enjoyed or highly recommend, I also felt compelled to bring to anyone's attention any poor experience so I can 1) help others avoid them, and 2) use this blog as a medium to raise awareness on management to make appropriate changes.

We placed our orders for the following items: SM 1 or 1-piece chicken thigh with rice (P 59), SM 2 or two-piece pork BBQ with rice (P 59) and one serving of Pinakbet (P45). The cashier informed us that our orders will be served within 15-20 minutes. Even though I was hungry at that time, I nodded in agreement because there is nothing much I can do, right?

Within the first minute of settling in our table, the waiter served us the serving of Pinakbet we ordered. I was feeling a bit excited as I thought that the rest of our orders will be arriving soon. But when 20 minutes passed and our orders were still nowhere in sight, and when E pointed out that the other group of customers who were behind us on the line got theirs, I called out one of the waiters to follow up on the rest of orders.

A few minutes later, and when I felt my tummy grumble, that's when I decided to check my watch. To my surprise, it had been 15 minutes since I last asked the waiter to follow up on our order. I stood up and saw their staff busily preparing a bunch of take out orders. Then, I looked at the counter to find about three staffs and signaled to them to go and get our order. The cashier simply nodded but did nothing about it.

That is when I burst! I went to the counter and demanded that they serve our orders or we are leaving! Frantically, the lady behind the cash register called out to one of the waiters to bring our orders that were waiting on queue to our table. I was flabbergasted! Our orders were waiting there all along in the counter while we suffer in waiting! I also told her about the Pinakbet that they served way too early, which is now cold and unappetizing, but it seemed as though she did not hear a thing. I would have demanded to have the Pinakbet replaced or heated but I was too hungry to care at that time.

But even after about 45 minutes of waiting, it was then that I realized the food leaves me wanting and totally not worth the wait and hassle. Lesson learned? Well, I should've learned my lesson last time. Not going back to Mang Inasal Duterte branch again. And even with other branches, I am a bit skeptical. This is just one of several similar bad experiences, the others were undocumented.

What's your take on dining at Mang Inasal?

Disclaimer: I came into the restaurant as a paying customer and voicing out my opinion as one, like I do with most other entries in this blog. My goal is not to tarnish the reputation or brand of Mang Inasal but to give my honest review about the quality of their service.

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Swirls Ice Cream at SM City Davao

Frozen desserts always bring back memories of childhood. There is something about ice cream and sundaes that makes me feel like a child. Hence, I can't deny that there are times that I give into my cravings and treat myself to a scoop of my favorite ice cream or gelato whenever I get the chance. And as a self-confessed foodie, I make it my mission to explore new offerings like Swirls Ice Cream in SM City Davao.

Image via SM City Davao Twitter

A few weeks ago, I saw a tweet from SM City Davao's official Twitter account making a mention of a new ice cream shop opening business to all visitors of the said mall. When I went to SM last weekend, I was determined to give it a try.

Swirls Ice Cream in SM City Davao is the latest in over 30 branches of the franchise nationwide. They opened their business to the public last July. Hence, Davaoenos who have frequent cravings for frozen treats will surely have their fill without spending too much.

Indeed, you can get your own Swirls Ice Cream for as low as P49 (for each 8 oz. serving). But they do have plenty of choices available on the menu, depending on how you'd like to enjoy your ice cream. Their ice cream, for instance, is available in three cup sizes and prices vary according to the size selected. Aside from the 8 oz., you can get the 12 oz. cups (P 69) and 16 oz. cups (P 85).

They also use real vanilla beans in producing their ice cream mixture that results in a very thick and creamy ice cream, and never too sweet. However, I was slightly disappointed when I got my order for Very Rocky Road. It was nothing at all like pictured on their menu. Yes, I hear that they are priced affordably, so I can't complain if there aren't too many ingredients stuffed in there, but I would appreciate that they charge a little bit for the add-ons than be deceived by what is advertised.

Anyhow, I am looking forward to try their "Carfait". I saw it on the menu and looked tempting. Hopefully, they're as good on the actual serving because I can't wait to give it a try.

Have you tried Swirls Ice Cream yet?

Swirls Ice Cream is located at 2/F of SM City Davao, right in front of the SM Food Court.

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New on the Menu at Grub Resto Cafe

Finding a restaurant that you can rely on for quality food is a rare thing. Most of the restaurants that I've been to either go through a plateau or decline in terms of food quality and service. But I cannot say either of that of Grub Resto Cafe. They had maintained and even improved their quality of food. And for their customer service? All waiters are quick to respond to needs and are well informed about the dishes on their menu. The latter is particularly helpful when the restaurant introduces new dishes that I am not familiar with, and so the waiter can give me a sense of what a dish is about before I decide to order it.

On my recent trips to Grub, I've tried a couple of new dishes: Grilled Pork Belly and Grilled Chicken Salad.

The Grilled Chicken Salad is a fresh, new way to enjoy your salad. It comes with several slices of grilled chicken that are cooked until tender and seasoned very well. I appreciate the fact that the chicken meat is tender and juicy, not dry and overly cooked. If you are into vegetables, then you are going to enjoy this dish because there is a wide range of leafy greens tossed in here. I noticed that they added arugula as one of the ingredients, too. Loved everything else except for the arugula because it comes with a bitter aftertaste. That is simply my personal preference, though. If you don't like arugula, stick with their standard salad dishes.

Meanwhile, the Grilled Pork Belly is a sinful goodness that will surely treat your palate to quite an experience. This is a very simple dish. It got me curious how they are able to season the meat so it is neither overpowering nor too subtle, but you can certainly taste the fullness of the flavor!

If you ever find yourself near Grub Resto Cafe, I suggest you drop by and sample these new dishes.

Grub Resto Cafe is located at Duterte St. beside Barrio Bistro.

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McDaddy’s Café: My First and Last Visit

The new Santos Building along Quirino Avenue serves as home to a few establishments including salons, retail shops, KFC, and a new coffee shop called McDaddy’s Café. I work close to this area and have passed by this building several times before and this coffee shop has captured my attention because of its great spot and seemingly relaxing ambiance. Hence, I finally gave in to that curiosity and paid them a visit for the first time.

The ambiance is typical of any coffee shop with its dim lighting, cozy sofas and chairs, and small groups of 2-3 patrons enjoying their sip of cold drinks. I instantly loved the ambiance and realized it was a better choice than KFC (which is just downstairs) to have our dinner because the spot is a lot more quiet. Plus, they do have friendly staffs that were quick to hand us the menu and accommodate our orders.

However, my disappointment rushed in as soon as our first order was served. I wasn’t up for a heavy dinner and so I opted for their cheese omelette with crispy bacon. I forgot to take note of the price but I think it cost me roughly P120 for two eggs on my omelette. First off, I expected something that is more appetizing. Wait, hear me out here, I am not expecting a gourmet kind of omelette especially given the price, but I could’ve done something better than this at home. Seriously. I could let the plating slip but definitely not the lack of flavor. Yeah, I could definitely do better than this at home!

The other dish we ordered was the Salisbury Steak. It was nothing close to other similar steaks we've tried in the past. It was only roughly PhP 90 so, again, to expect more is probably unreasonable. 

If it were any consolation, their iced tea was really good. It is nothing like the packed ones that you simply have to mix in with water. I believe they mixed it with green tea, which is obvious because the green tea aroma is there when you sip on the glass for a drink! 

But besides that, I don't see any reason to visit again. Could be that I just placed my expectations too high. But visit them for yourself to find out.