Mandarin Tea Garden's Halo-Halo Lugaw

Rainy season has finally come around. And while I am not excited about it, there are plenty of ways to get consolation from the non-stop rain. For instance, getting this comfort food goodness at Mandarin Tea Garden has made rainy nights feel much better. Lugaw is basically rice porridge that Filipinos have come to associate with homemade cooking. I am guilty of craving for such dishes whenever the temperature drops so I made my way to the nearest Mandarin Tea Garden branch when stuck in the rain one night and ordered the Halo-Halo Lugaw.

This rice porridge is a meal in and of itself because it comes with a variety of toppings, thus the name Halo-Halo. Lugaw, or rice porridge, is a true blue comfort food for Filipinos. It is basically rice cooked in broth for several minutes and seasoned. You can customize the toppings and meat included in this dish according to your preference. But in the case of the Halo-Halo Lugaw, you can get the following toppings: pork asado, siomai, chicken, and bola bola.

Mandarin Tea Garden has branches in Malvar, Duterte St., NCCC Mall, NCCC Centro, Gaisano Mall, and SM City Davao.

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Aling Foping's Halo-Halo: My Review

Halo-halo is the ultimate Pinoy dessert. As soon as the weather starts to heat up, there is nothing more that most Filipinos crave for other than halo-halo. I, myself, am enamored by this certain level of fanaticism that Filipinos have developed towards halo-halo, especially since I have never really grown a fondness towards this dessert until recently. The combination of different flavors and textures struck me as odd at first. But when I finally decided to sample it, it wasn't so bad after all.

And in the local dining scene, there is no name more well known and talked about as Aling Foping's. Indeed, Davaoenos have equated the word "halo-halo" to Aling Foping's. I had been to Matina Town Square several times before but I was not convinced to visit their humble stall until recently (it took some convincing from the boyf to make that happen).

The main appeal of Aling Foping's halo-halo is the ability to customize. In most restaurants serving up halo-halo, they have a single recipe for all. But this one is different. You get to choose your own ingredients. You will basically fill up a form wherein you can pick from a wide range of available ingredients and then they'd prepare your halo-halo for you! No need to deal with ingredients you don't like because every bite consists of only the ingredients you picked yourself. Nice concept, huh?


The regular halo-halo is currently priced at P85 while a special halo-halo will set you back at P105. Ingredients that you can choose from include the following: gulaman, kaong, langka, macapuno, nata de coco, pinipig, red mongo, saba, sago, white beans, and a serving each of ube and leche flan. Of these, I am crazy about the pinipig and the ube! I never expected that I would love the ube as much but I did!

Long queue on a Saturday night

In comparison though, I felt that Balinsasayaw's halo-halo is better. That is not meant to take anything away from Aling Foping's halo-halo; after all, most Davaoenos seem to adore it and it's not just all hype. I just felt that it is a little too pricey for only six ingredients. This is just my opinion when these two servings are placed side by side. Balinsasayaw's had a larger serving and more ingredients for only about P85 a serving. But they're both equally good in their own respect.

Aling Foping's is located at Matina Town Square, Davao City.

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Golden Brown Offers Home Cooked Goodness

I'm rarely seen dining at Filipino cuisine restaurants, or those offering lutong bahay dishes, because my mantra for dining out is basically to try out food items I don't get to eat at home. Having been blessed to have a mom who isn't only into cooking but is actually good at it, I'd like to believe that I got it covered when it comes to enjoying quality homemade, Filipino dishes. But it does not mean that I don't appreciate when I get to eat out and uncover culinary offerings that are as good as, or even better than, mom's. Golden Brown is definitely a contender in that regard.

It's hard to miss Golden Brown when you pass by Duterte St. because your senses will surely be captivated by the aroma of the roasted chicken and pork liempo. However, this is more than just a take out counter. If you dare to go inside, there is a small restaurant that accommodates more or less 12 tables. The ambiance is unassuming - just a calm and secluded place to dine in. Thankfully, the place is clean and well kept to ensure that you can have an enjoyable and satisfying dining experience. One more thing that I appreciate about Golden Brown is the fact that they do have an extensive selection on the menu - from grilled and roasted items, to vegetables, to seafoods. Even their dessert selection is aplenty!

When dining at Golden Brown, it is a must to try either their liempo or roasted chicken. Hence, we went with the former and you can get a serving good for roughly 2-3 people. What I love about their pork liempo is that it does not scrimp on flavor. Every bite is packed with seasoning! The exterior is also crunchy to the bite so you can get a combination of crunchy and savory. 

Then, we had one of their vegetable dishes - Pinakbet. If you love veggies, you are going to enjoy this dish. Love that they were not too liberal on the shrimp paste. It was just enough so you can get a hint of the flavor but not too much to leave you feeling embarrassed of your breath thereafter. And check out those huge slices of veggies, too!

I had dined here more times than I can remember or make a note of. And the reason behind that is simple - they offer quality food within a reasonable price range. If you dine here, it is best to go with a group because their dishes come in large servings!

Golden Brown is located along Duterte St., beside Bagobo Hotel. 

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Let's Have Sushi Dito!

I have been on a Japanese food trip hiatus for a long time and it's about time I break that dry spell. Earlier this week, I had a chance to return to Sushi Dito and finally able to chronicle my dining experience. I also felt it worthy to feature them because I've heard a lot of positive reviews and I did enjoy my previous visit. And because I am the biggest advocate for Japanese cuisine, I can't be any happier that not only was Sushi Dito still operational, but that they also made a few revamps to the interior design of their restaurant (hint: more comfy chairs!).

The menu at Sushi Dito is quite extensive that you can find nearly all kinds of sushi, sashimi, and ramen dishes imaginable. Hence, I went ahead and ordered two different kinds of sushi to be able to sample more of what's on their menu.

First up is the Miami Roll (P98 for 4 pieces, P190 for 8 pieces). It is made with prawns, avocado, Philadelphia cheese and sesame seeds. I did not expect much from this but it blew me away. Love the combination of flavors: savory from the prawn, a little bit of tangy flavor from the Philadelphia cheese and the drizzled mayo on the plate, and some sweetness coming from the avocado. The sesame seeds also helped to bring forth a delectable aroma to this sushi.

Next up is the Salmon Cucumber. This one is available for P100 for 4 pieces and P185 for 8 pieces. Each roll is filled with Japanese rice, salmon and cucumber. This one comes with very subtle flavors. My only qualm though is that the salmon slices should be made bigger so that the salmon flavor would become more prominent. It is a little too subtle that the cucumber flavor overpowers the salmon. Nonetheless, I would still order this when I get the chance.

We also tried one of their rice bowl meals - Mussels Rice Bowl (P170). This dish, on the other hand, is anything but subtle. It is packed with flavor! The mussels are cooked in oyster sauce, garlic, and butter so you treat both your palate and sense of smell while eating this dish. However, again, I have to note that the serving is tad too small for its serving. I am not a big eater but even I felt like I got the raw end of the deal for the price that I paid on this one.

If you are a fan of Japanese cuisine but is intimidated with the expensive cost of dining in other authentic Japanese restaurants in the city, Sushi Dito is an affordable alternative. And if you love sushi, this is the place to be because they have plenty of options to choose from.

Sushi Dito is located along E. Quirino St., Davao City.

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