Comfort Food at Grub Resto Cafe

What is your idea of comfort food? Mine is anything that reminds me of home with mom's home style cooking. Even though I am guilty of dining out to experience gourmet dishes, or the ones you don't normally eat at home, it is also nice to get a taste of home from your favorite restaurants. Thus, I order the occasional soup to warm up the tummy, especially when the weather is chilly.

You might have read my previous posts on Grub Resto Cafe and how I was all praises about their reasonably priced yet excellent dishes! However, they also have a huge selection of vegetarian and comfort food items if you are seeking variety.

One example is this Chicken Macaroni Soup. It is one of my favorite soups that my mother used to prepare for us, especially during rainy seasons. The use of milk and cream helps to add a rich flavor to this dish while the combination of vegetables and chicken makes it a healthy fare, too. Love that this soup tasted just like my mom used to make. The aroma from the ginger also help to liven up the flavor of the soup! I can eat this everyday!

For the veggie lovers or those watching their carb intake closely, this Veggie Wrap dish at Grub Resto Cafe is a must-try! This wheat wrap is a healthy alternative to pita bread without sacrificing flavor. Meanwhile, the combination of crunch and subtle flavor from the curly lettuce, carrots, and different kinds of vegetables as filling is bound to make any vegetarian go gaga over this dish! Each order comes with its own garlic and mayo dip. It is a very simple recipe that is delicious and quite healthy, too.

Have you had your taste of these dishes at Grub Resto Cafe?

Grub Resto Cafe is located at Duterte St., Davao City right across Shakey's.

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Claude's Le Cafe De Ville: Fine Dining at Its Best

When I hear people ask, "what is the best fine dining restaurant in Davao?", there is one name that almost always comes up in the conversation - Claude's. This is the first and most popular French cuisine restaurant in Davao and continues to draw patrons with its unparalleled food quality and excellent service befitting a fine dining restaurant.

However, there is more to Claude's than meets the eye. I have heard a few people recommend the place for its food and excellent service, but you have to dine here to experience how well they've extended their efforts at maintaining this place to satisfy customers. Even though the price tag might be higher than what you'd expect, or most would be willing to pay for (particularly noting those with a tight budget), it's the kind of dining experience that make you look back and note how every bit of what you've experienced is worth the penny you spent.

The customer service is notable with the owner himself greeting you by the door and accommodating you at one of their tables. Then, waiters and waitresses gather to prep up your table for the meal ahead. In most cases, a live trio band will also come to your table to serenade you with music. It is a nice touch, which helps to add to the romantic vibe of this restaurant.

Speaking of the romantic vibe, the ambiance is part of what makes this restaurant unique. It is situated on the second floor of the Oboza Ancestral House (the first floor is occupied by Cellar de Oboza). The dim lighting and candlelit tables contribute to making each dine an intimate experience.

For the food, you can check out our orders below:

• Complementary treat: A basket of Focaccia bread served with French butter and salsa. The salsa is sure to liven up your taste buds with the fresh flavors coming from various herbs (tomato, basil, onion, garlic and a bit of chili) but when you bite into a bread that has been coated with the butter, all that flavor is neutralized from your palate. 

• French onion soup (195): When picking our soup, we were quick to pick this one. Being in a French cuisine restaurant, we wanted to sample dishes that were authentically French and this one did not disappoint. The flavor and aroma from the onion is definitely there, yet it was subtle too. 

• Guindara Fillet of Fish (295): This is my first time to try guindara and I was blown away. There are two choices for you to have the fish cooked: poached or grilled. We opted for the grilled method and it proved to be an excellent choice. The meat is juicy and soft, while the grill marks gave a smoky layer to the flavor. The fish fillet is served with vegetables and mashed potato (although you can also go for rice, if you wanted). Check out that blue cheese slice on top!

• Piquante (400): Always on the lookout for seafood, we also tried this shrimp dish wherein large pieces of shrimps were sauteed in a fresh spicy tomato sauce, garlic, onions, and topped with fresh herbs. 

 

• Chocolate Treat Crepe ala Mode (115): This light dessert was the perfect way to cap off the meal. The warm crepe against the cold ice cream is such an exciting burst of flavor in your mouth.

• For our drinks, we had Mango Juice (95) and Four Seasons Juice (165). Both are freshly made and they serve you with sugar syrup so you can add the sugar according to your preference. 

After we almost finished our crepe, the waitress served us another dessert compliments from the owner. It was such a nice surprise, no doubt. We even took the time to have our photo taken with no less than Claude himself and he willingly obliged.

Claude's Le Cafe De Ville is located at the Oboza Ancestral House, Rizal St, Davao City. To place reservations online or check their menu, you can visit their website here.  

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Mandarin Tea Garden's Ma Chang and Fried Seafood Rolls

Finding new items to try at restaurants you frequent is always an exciting prospect. It almost feels like discovering a new foodie spot altogether. Hence, E and I make it a point to explore new items or old items that we haven't tried before on the menu whenever dining out. Such is the case with Mandarin Tea Garden when we dined recently.

Ma Chang is a recipe that traces its roots to China. However, this dish might appeal to Filipinos because this is a rice-base delicacy, which quickly reminded me of Pastil. The distinctive difference with Pastil, though, is that the rice is sticky and chunky in texture. There is also a subtle salty flavor coming from the rice itself, as well as the chunks of pork, tofu, mushroom, and garlic. It is a rich flavor in a small package, indeed.

Meanwhile, this Fried Seafood Roll is another pleasantly surprising dish. On my previous trips, I've sampled the Steamed Seafood Roll version but decided to give the fried version a try. The roll of seafoods consisting of crab sticks, fish, and shrimps are coated with a light batter that is deep fried to make the exterior turn brown and crunchy. It also comes with its own garlic mayo dip.

If you are looking for something new to try at Mandarin Tea Garden or up for an Asian Fusion cuisine experiment, you need to take note of these two dishes.

Have you tried these dishes at Mandarin Tea Garden? Check this link to find a branch near you.

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Beef Shawarma from Zabadani Cafe

Shawarma might not be that all too alien for most of us, Davaoenos. It's primarily because there are several of these food stalls offering shawarma and shawarma rice dishes that give us the opportunity to sample what is probably the most popular dish to come out of the Middle Eastern cuisine. Thus, I was pleased to sample this dish at Zabadani Cafe on my most recent trip there. And like most of the other dishes I've tried at this popular resto, I became a big fan.

Beef Shawarma from Zabadani Cafe is a pita roll of breast fillet or beef slices laid with fresh cucumber, tomatoes, white onion and lettuce. The meat is then drizzled with generous amount of garlic and shawarma sauces. The sagheer (or small) serving costs PhP 95, kabeer (large) serving costs PhP 180.

The combination of flavor from the beef slices (savory and salty), tomatoes (slightly tangy), and cucumber (neutralizer) helps to achieve balance in flavor. Hence, it is neither too overwhelming nor too spicy.

If you are looking to get a good appetizer to start off your meal, the Beef Shawarma is highly recommended. But if you don't feel like going for a rice meal, it is also a good choice - just don't forget to go for the larger serving.

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Visit Zabadani Cafe at The Peak Gaisano Mall (beside Kublai Khan), JP Laurel Avenue, Davao City. 

Contact #: (082) 301-6065

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