meal Archives ⋆ Leia Khu

Davao-Gensan Trip Part 15: Bon Appetit La Boutique

Posted on November 10, 2013January 22, 2019 by Leia Bartolome

It’s Day Five and we’re back in Davao once again.

In my quest to explore new gustatory territories, I already had my radar on Bon Appetit La Boutique weeks before our trip. They serve authentic French cuisine in a public square located at Plaza del Carmen, Loyola Street.

I never had a legit French meal in my life so I figured it would be a good place to start.

Sophisticated, elegant and charming, the interior of Bon Appetit La Boutique is a beautiful reflection of France. It is a perfect setting for romantic dinner dates, anniversaries and other special occasions.

Displayed on their walls are artworks and some French products for sale.

Sketches

Foie Gras
Fat Duck Liver

Canned French Delicacies

Fragrance Pillows

Fragrant soaps in Pomme (apple), Lavande (lavender) and Cannelle Orange (cinnamon orange) scents.

You know they’re the real deal because the menu is written in French. It’s okay, I can’t read French too. Hehe 🙂

Okay, nuff jabbering. Food. Now.

Baguette et Tapenade
Homemade French Baguette with Tapenade

Made with ingredients imported from France, this baguette can’t get anymore authentic in taste.

I’m very picky and hard to please when it comes to bread. You can ask my boyfriend. So when I say that I actually enjoyed eating this means a whole lot.

The baguette didn’t have that awful starchy aftertaste that breads made in local bakeries here in the Philippines tend to have.

Upon closer inspection, you can tell that the baguette has a light and airy texture with a thin, crispy golden crust.

Tapenade was something I never heard of before. It is a gourmet condiment usually used as spread for bread and is made out of black olives blended with herbs and olive oil until it forms into a thick paste. Its robust and distinct taste adds a unique flavor to the baguette.

The baguette and tapenade were actually on the house. Yey for free bread basket!

Crêpe Sarrasin, Oeuf, Jambon et Gruyère
Buckwheat Crepe with Fried Egg, Ham & Gruyère Cheese

While normal people would have this for breakfast or brunch, we had it as an appetizer simply because we can (fit lotsa food in our bellies). 🙂

Folded inside the crepe is a sunny-side up egg with slices of ham and melted Gruyère cheese.

Gruyère cheese has a rich, creamy texture and tastes sweet and salty at the same time. There is really nothing like it.

This is something I can have everyday! Light, savory and decadent. That’s what it is. It’s one of those things you have to try!

And yes, the salad did go very well with it too.

More free hot bread. They won’t stop serving free bread until you get to the main course or until you say so.

Penne Sauce Roquefort et Noix
Penne Pasta with Roquefort Cheese & Walnut Sauce

Roquefort is a type of blue cheese characterized by its blue veins of (edible) mold. It has a strong characteristic odor and taste that may put a lot of people off. But if you happen to like blue cheese, you will surely enjoy this dish like we did!

Served al dente, the penne was pasta perfection.

Steak de Gindara Grillé Sauce Beurre Blanc
Grilled Butterfish with White Butter Sauce and Potato Gratin

Tender and moist, the grilled butterfish was a delight to eat. The beurre blanc sauce was rich and buttery and it helped elevate this seemingly simple dish.

And the potato gratin was AHMEYZING. I could eat a casserole of that all by myself. It’s rich, creamy and tender. It’s so good that I’d rather have it over pizza any day! And yes, I still can’t believe I actually said that.

Bon Appetit La Boutique is a restaurant one should not pass up. I will not hesitate to recommend this place. Warm service, outstanding meals and fantastic dining experience.

Open Mondays thru Saturdays, 11AM to 11PM. Prices usually range between 300 and 500 pesos.

Davao-Gensan Trip Part 11: Tong Yang Shabu-Shabu & Barbeque Restaurant

Posted on October 15, 2013October 7, 2018 by xerox

On the fourth day of our vacation, we took a roadtrip to Gensan…

Located at SM Gensan, Tong Yang Shabu-Shabu Barbecue Restaurant is heaven-sent for all the buffet and hotpot lovers out there.

As we came in, my jaw dropped to the floor. We were greeted with long tables filled with a wide array of fresh and delicious food selections all ready to cook and eat.

I’ve been to some eat-all-you-can buffet restaurants before but I’ve never seen anything like this.

You are given the freedom to choose your raw ingredients for cooking which can be a little overwhelming especially if you’re a first-timer like I was. They have vegetables, seafood, meat, noodles, sides, broth, sauces, condiments… You name it, they have it all – from appetizers to desserts!

One of the great things about Tong Yang is you can always come back for more food if you want to. Yes, everything is eat-all-you-can within the given three-hour time frame.

For only 299PHP/person for lunch buffets from Mon-Fri and 399PHP/person for dinner buffets from Mon-Fri and lunch+dinner buffets on holidays & weekends. Where else can you find a great deal as such this??

Too bad we were prohibited from taking close-up food photos though. Boo. Sad panda 🙁

It is also worth mentioning that they have unlimited tap beer (just add 65 PHP for beer-all-you-can), soda and fruit juices.

Please excuse our cluttered hotpot table. The left side of the table is for grilling and the right side is for stewing. I really like how you can make two stews at the same time. Really cool.

We were given sticks of butter for grilling. Don’t be shy to ask for more if needed. The butter complements the food well and makes everything taste richer. Genius.

By the way, a shoutout to our official tour guide and photographer for that day, Jed Reyes. Thanks for the treat Kuya! By the way, he’s an awesome photographer. You can check out some of his amazing shots here.

Kuya Jed observing my boyfriend as he makes sinigang for the first time. Thank God for Tong Yang’s free WiFi. None of us knew how to make sinigang so we just googled for recipes online and made it on the spot.

WADAYAKNOW. It was delicious-o!

We really had an amazing dining experience at Tong Yang. I definitely would love to come back here when I can. I suggest that you come here famished. And do bring friends and family with you because food is always better shared 🙂

Davao-Gensan Trip Part 10: Jack’s Ridge Resort

Posted on September 30, 2013October 7, 2018 by xerox

I know some of you are already aching to hear about my Waterfalling Adventure Tour but that will have to wait for now. Lemme just continue with my Davao-Gensan series so I have one less backlog to worry about (sorry guys)…

And just a little recap from where I left off last time, it was Day 3 and my boyfriend and I were at Swiss Deli enjoying everything, well, deli.

Okay, so now back to normal programming… Hehe 🙂

Perched on a hilltop, Jack’s Ridge Resort is one of the most frequented attractions in Davao. Locals and tourists all flock here to eat and relax while enjoying the breathtaking view of the city.

Did you know that Jack’s Ridge Resort used to be a part of the Japanese Imperial Army headquarters during World War II? Because I didn’t!

We had our dinner at Taklobo Restaurant, the main restaurant in Jack’s Ridge Resort. They serve delectable yet affordable traditional Filipino dishes with seafood as their house specialty.

Dining al fresco with a panoramic view over Davao’s glittering cityscape is truly breathtaking. Too bad that you can’t really see the city lights looking all pretty in the photo. I guess you just really have to be there and see it for yourself. By the way, that’s my boyfriend and his niece catching up.

Do expect a band to serenade you with classic songs as you eat.

Now let’s hop on straight to our orders, shall we?

For our appetizer, we had green mango with a dollop of bagoong on top. I know ya’ll Filipinos are salivating right now. Don’t lie!

One of our main courses: freshly fried golden brown calamares cooked to perfection. Tender and delicious!

We also had crispy and crunchy lechon kawali. I didn’t get to try this one out (I don’t like lechon if you remember) but everybody loved it. In fact, they ordered another platter of this so it really must be good!

And to go with all that, we also had soup and fried rice (no Filipino meal is ever complete without rice). Everything was gooood. And as someone who isn’t really into Filipino cuisine… that says a lot. 🙂

Other hotspots to check out at Jack’s Ridge Resort are:
Kai’s Bar and Grill
Karlo’s Gourmet and Coffee
Kool Kat’s Pool
Tap Room Piano and KTV
and more!

Too bad we didn’t get to have enough time to go around and explore the whole place though. And so I would love to go back to Jack’s Ridge Resort just because there’s so much more to see.

I also want to marvel at Davao’s cityscape during the daytime and then watch the sun set from there next time. That’ll be a spectacle for sure!

Jack’s Ridge Resort is located at Shrine Hills, Matina. For more info, you can visit their website by clicking here.

Davao-Gensan Trip Part 7: Classic Savory

Posted on August 18, 2013October 7, 2018 by xerox

Just a real quick post here while I can still sneak in some time to blog before I leave for CDO today.

For Day 3, we had our brunch at Classic Savory – SM Lanang branch.

I’m not a fan of Filipino-Chinese food at all. But after constantly being prodded by some friends to try Classic Savory’s chicken, I raised my hands as a sign of surrender and decided it was finally time to give it a try.

Behind us is a photo collage of Manila during the 1950’s. It proved to be a nice distraction as we waited for our order.

The loose top I wore here made me look 20 pounds heavier, I know. Too lazy to liquify myself on Photoshop. Also, I didn’t care to fix my hair that day. Bah. Haha.

Our order came earlier than expected. Which was a good thing because we were really hungry already.

I got myself a value meal that came with a piece of chicken thigh, slivers of fish fillet and some gravy on the side. My boyfriend had a similar order. Just with a different side dish. I forgot what he had. And I don’t know why we didn’t take a photo of his order. It totally slipped out of our minds.

Anyway, the fish fillet was tender and delicious. I like the sauce that it came with. It was creamy and it complemented the fish fillet really well. I just wish there was more of it though.

The chicken proved to be the star of the meal. Marinated with their special secret sauce, it was delicious to the bones. Although the chicken wasn’t done perfectly (it was dry and a tad overcooked), I still enjoyed it for its timeless taste nonetheless.

Would I go back? Yes, because I would like to give their chicken another try but most likely from another branch. Hopefully, it’ll be juicy and tender as they claim it should be. Also, I need to have a platter of their fish fillet all to myself!

Click here to check out other food items from their menu. Prices usually range between 150 to 250 pesos.

Davao-Gensan Trip Part 5: Nonki Japanese Restaurant

Posted on July 28, 2013October 7, 2018 by xerox

We started Day Two by munching on a popular Thai snack by Tao Kae Noi.

It’s crispy, fried seaweed that comes in different flavors. My boyfriend and I prefer the wasabi-flavored one above all else. Yup, that was pretty much our breakfast for that day. No complains here at all.

We spent much of our morning just rolling on the bed and watching TV in our hotel room. Getting ready for lunch was actually just an afterthought.

Since we enjoyed our Japanese dinner so much, we decided to have some more Japanese food for lunch because… Why not?

Here’s a little sneaky “outfit of the day” by the way…

I know I could do better… Should I do a better one next time? What do you readers think? Let. Me. Know.

MOVING ON… Nonki Japanese Restaurant serves authentic Japanese cuisine and is located along F. Torres Street, right beside Davao Trade and Convention Center.

Upon entering, we were warmly welcomed and greeted with the phrase “Irasshaimase” by ladies in their matching kimono uniforms.

We came in a little bit too late for lunch… But normally, this place would be full of people (particularly Japanese nationals) and buzzing with activity.

The awesome sushi bar. I’m still haunted as to why we didn’t eat our lunch here.

Or here. More reasons to come back I suppose?

Aside from the fact that the wait staff are very courteous… Service here is very prompt and efficient!

Also, I would like to point out that they gave me a cold mug for my beer! Also, do you see that white tube thing next to my mug? That’s a wet towel for wiping hands. AMAZING! Little things like these make such a huge impact. At least to me that is. All restaurants should follow their example.

Itadakimasu!

Doesn’t it look like some piece of art? But it’s not just some piece of art, it’s edible too! This is a platter of mixed sashimi with shredded radish, sea grapes (locally called “lato”) and sliced cucumber for garnish.

Definitely top quality seafood! So fresh like it was just plucked right out from the ocean! Really, really delicious! It went down very well with my ice-cold beer.

This one is called okonomiyaki. It’s a savory pancake filled with shredded cabbage and green onion and then topped with okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise and katsuobushi (bonito flakes). Just think of it as Japanese pizza.

Their okonomiyaki left a lot to be desired… But it was something that I’ve always wanted to try and I’m glad that I finally did.

Lastly, because we love uni (sea urchin) so much… We ordered a hefty serving of it! The uni was really fresh and creamy… Melts-in-your-mouth kind of creamy. And I love how the cucumber added that sort of “fresh flavor” which I found really refreshing. I miss it so much already it hurts.

I can’t stress enough just how much I enjoyed eating at Nonki. My dining experience there is definitely a memorable one; I felt like I was transported to Japan (even for just a little while)!

Food here is really pricey, I won’t lie. Price range between 300~500 pesos. But I still recommend this restaurant to all sushi and sashimi aficionados because it’s absolutely worth it.

Nonki Japanese Restaurant is open at all days of the week from 11:30AM to 2:00PM and from 5:30PM to 11:00PM.

Davao-Gensan Trip Part 4: Dinner at Tsuru Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar

Posted on July 22, 2013October 7, 2018 by xerox

Tsuru Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar is the longest running Japanese Restaurant in Davao. It is actually named after Japan’s sacred bird which is revered as a symbol of happiness, longevity, loyalty and good luck.

Luckily for us, Tsuru’s literally just a few steps away from where we were staying… And without even thinking, we just walked ourselves right in for dinner.

I don’t know about you but my boyfriend and I LOOOVE Japanese cuisine. If you’ve been following me for quite awhile already, I think that should be very obvious by now.

Located along J. Camus street, it’s just right across the entrance of People’s Park so it’s pretty hard to miss. It shares the same building with a Vietnamese restaurant named Hanoi.

Oh look, a minion! I kid. The interior design of the restaurant is traditional Japanese with a contemporary flair.

The cozy ambiance of the restaurant makes it so hard to not feel at home. And I must mention that the wait staff here are courteous and attentive and the service is very good and prompt.

Okay, food porn abruptly starts now.

For our appetizer we had Beef Ramen which was topped with nori (seaweed) shreds, slivers of green onion, naruto fish cake (the one with the pink swirl) and a few slices of beef.

Though I was slightly disappointed because I did not find soft-boiled eggs in our ramen (come on eggs don’t cost much and we paid good money for this) and the beef slices were a bit tough… But the soup itself was rich and flavorful that I completely forgot about all that. This probably has to be the best ramen I’ve tried to date (flavor wise)!

As for our main dish…

I believe we had what’s called Chirashi (I’m sorry we lost our receipt so I’m not really sure). But basically it’s an assortment of sashimi arranged artistically on top of a bowl of sushi rice.

It has ebi (shrimp), tamagoyaki (omelette), kamaboko kani (imitation crab meat), maguro (tuna), ika (squid) and some other fish meat (that I can no longer identify) as well.

All I can say is… It is DIVINE! I could eat bowls of this in one sitting. Sweet and fresh… Oh, I wish I can fully describe in words just how delicious this dish is! Two thumbs up! That’s all I can say.

And to end this dinner with a bang, we had Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream for dessert. Creamy and succulent… UGH. I wish I have gallons of this sitting in my freezer. I hope I won’t have nightmares about this ice cream tonight.

I highly recommend everyone to check this restaurant out. Price ranges from 200~300 pesos. And just so you know… Every 15th and 30th of the month, Tsuru offers an eat-all-you-can grand buffet. I’m having a headache just thinking about it. *sigh*

Oh well, I gotta go. Writing this post has made me hungry. Bye for now!

Davao-Gensan Trip Part 3: Lunch at Chicken BonChon

Posted on July 10, 2013October 7, 2018 by xerox

After that not-so-good breakfast, we booked ourselves at D’ Counter Pensione (we got our bags back of course), freshened up and took some much needed rest… And before we knew it, it was already 2 o’clock in the afternoon and we should go out to have lunch already.

We didn’t know where to grab our lunch so we thought to just to go to Abreeza and decide when we get there. But one thing’s for sure though, we wanted something fast, convenient, affordable and preferably something we never had before…

And Chicken BonChon just fits the bill.

Chicken BonChon is a fast food chain that originates from South Korea. And as the name suggests, they primarily serve chicken but they do have other food items on their menu as well. Such as salads and rice meals that have nothing to do with chicken at all.

Chicken BonChon has a global cult following on their crispy, less greasy (I won’t say non-greasy) double-fried chicken.

Let’s see if they get us to join the bandwagon…

My pink hair has faded into this ombre color. I digress. Waiting for our chicken thighs and kimchi.

Jalmukesumneda! Learning some Korean table manners won’t hurt anyone.

We got the 3-piece chicken thigh ensemble for 185 pesos (exclusive of the rice and kimchi). It is a tad pricey for a fast food meal… But since my boyfriend and I shared it, I think it’s not bad considering that a 1-piece chicken meal from Jollibee is around 70~80 pesos minimum.

The thighs were paper thin crisp and glazed with their signature soy garlic sauce (we had the spicy version) that everyone seems to go bananas about. And truly, the sauce itself is delicious. But the chicken, hmmm not so. It was bland to the bones. And just to counter the lack of flavor, I was hoping they’d have some gravy or dipping to go with it… But there is none. In all fairness though, the chicken was moist and juicy.

I guess I just had my expectations so high up that I got really disappointed.

But frankly, we came for the chicken and not the sauce. So I don’t think we’d come back here anytime soon. Sorry guys. Not jumping on this bandwagon.

24 & 2 Part 5: Sumo Sam

Posted on June 24, 2013October 7, 2018 by xerox

To cap off this 24 & 2 series, my boyfriend and I had our lunch at Sumo Sam (Centrio).

Sumo Sam is a restaurant chain that specializes in Japanese-American food and is owned by Marvin Agustin. Hence, the life size photo of him standing right outside the door beckoning for you to come in. Hehe.

One of the things I like about Sumo Sam is that they serve complimentary tea. Please excuse my messy hair and sleep deprived face (I left my comb back at the hotel where we stayed and I was really sick that day) by the way.

Food here is a little bit pricey but their servings are pretty ginormous so you can just share a meal with another person.

Someone looks excited to eat!

I’m not sure what this is… My boyfriend ordered this one. I think this is Smoked Salmon Roll. I remember not being too happy with this dish. The salmon was dry and pale. Though the flavors are somehow there but this is not something I would recommend.

I ordered the oh-so-glorious Beef Gyudon with a raw egg on top. Now, I know this sounds very disgusting for others. Believe me… The first time I had this, I had mental debates about whether or not to skip the raw egg (you are actually given the option) but I’m soooo glad I didn’t! This is just heaven in a bowl! Trust me on this! This rice bowl may be already good on its own but the raw egg just adds that extra creamy texture like no other. THIS I recommend!

Anyway, I just got home from my Davao-GenSan trip with my boyfriend. Expect TONS of blog posts about it soon!

Oyster Bay Seafood Restaurant

Posted on December 31, 2012October 7, 2018 by xerox

I never realized how much I missed blogging till now. Please excuse my month-long absence. It’s been the holidays. A belated Merry Christmas by the way to you my dear readers (if you don’t celebrate it, Happy Holidays) and have a Wonderful and Prosperous New Year ahead of you!

Anyway, I have been to Cebu twice this year actually but I never really got around to blog about it. Why? I really don’t know.

Now, since I haven’t been posting a lot of food stuff lately (in fact, I haven’t even blogged about some of the food that we had in Manila)… I think it’s about time to share to you again some of my food adventures.

Without further ado, as the title of this post suggests, I’ll be talking about Oyster Bay Seafood Restaurant.

This Cebu-based restaurant serves you the freshest selection of seafood. And when I say fresh I mean swimming-in-front-of-your-face kind of fresh.

You can just point at what you want to have for dinner and they’ll prepare it for you. That easy.

Normally when I look at any live creature I don’t think of them as food but these crabs… HO HO HO *tents fingers*

Kids will love it here! My two nieces were gawking, smiling ear-to-ear as they were pointing at all the food, urm, fishes…

This is one of my two nieces, ‘Lienne. This was her first encounter with eels. You can definitely sense the amazement in her eyes.

Also, you can feed sharks. Pretty amazing right?

That’s my cousin Gen on the left and my sister Anna on the right by the way.

Feeding is free of charge. Without even asking, we were given a bowl full of fish to feed the sharks with.

Look at me! I’m feeding! Those two tiny “shadows” you see in the water are the sharks. Oh, I’m sorry. Were you expecting this?

Dinner time with family, relatives and the boyfriend! Click here if you want to find out what’s on their menu.

We had two servings of nicely seasoned steamed oysters served with a slice of lemon and topped with a sprig of parsley. The texture of the oysters were very soft and almost creamy. I could never have had enough of it. Really, really good!

Here’s is a small tray of crunchy Chicharon Bulaklak. Basically, it’s pork rind that has been cleaned, salted, dried and then fried. I don’t think it was the best chicharon bulaklak that I had but it was also good nonetheless.

This is a dish of fried soft-shelled crabs. Both delicate and crunchy. I enjoyed it very much. From the photo above, you can tell that at this point the table was getting crowded (you can see a piece of cutlery peeking at the left hand corner). And since everybody was getting hungry (me included), getting “artistic” food shots was the least of our concerns.

Delectably fluffy crab omelette. I was never a fan of omelettes but this has made me a convert.

And finally, “Kinilaw na Tangigue”. That’s Mackerel Ceviche in English (I think). I love how it had a refreshing twist on the traditional kinilaw. The freshness of the fish, sweet notes of the vinegar and citrus flavor of the calamansi blended perfectly together with the other ingredients. I’ve never had kinilaw like this before and I think, by far, this has got to be my favorite!

Oyster Bay Seafood Restaurant isn’t only a great place to enjoy a great meal but it’s also a perfect place to just hang out and chill.

Três Marias reunited once again.

Please don’t mind the photobomber behind me.

Same spot. And yes, that is sand.

I invite everybody to come and try the food here at Oyster Bay Seafood Restaurant! Located at Bridges Townsquare, Plaridel St., Alang-alang, Mandaue City, Cebu. Great dining experience is definitely guaranteed!

Double date at BBQ Chicken

Posted on September 13, 2012October 7, 2018 by xerox

Upon arriving in Manila on the 31st of August, my boyfriend and I were able to meet up with two of my friends (a couple) for lunch.

They recommended us this place called BBQ Chicken. Funny how it’s a really straightforward, right-in-your-face and no nonsense name. It’s like they completely ran out of ideas on what to call the restaurant and just settled with something that couldn’t be any more obvious.

BBQ Chicken is a Korean restaurant located at Unit A 2/F Pearl Plaza, Pearl Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

One of the first things I noticed as I entered the restaurant was the upbeat KPop music playing in the background. Which I love! Really, there’s no use in denying I like listening to KPop because I do.

The ambiance (I like the cutesy chalk art touch) and service is good. By the way, I have to point out that the photos were actually taken way past lunch time. This restaurant has regular customers and is usually full. It’s not empty as it appears to be in the photos.

This is my boyfriend’s lunch, Spicy Chicken Barbeque Set. It’s a dish of grilled spicy chicken served with a lump of rice and mixed vegetables at the side. I like how they managed to not let all the spices outshine the flavor of the tender and moist chicken. It’s pretty good.

And here’s my lunch, Grilled Chicken Salad. I love this salad. The chicken tidbits were very flavorful and I can tell that they used fresh vegetables because it had that crunch to it. It’s also worth noting that the dressing was very good as well.

The prices here average around 200 bucks which is not really bad considering that it’s justified by the good food, good service, good place and the lovely sound of KPop music ringing in your ears. I’d definitely go back here whenever I can.