Hungry and curious on finding awesome restaurants in Davao, me and a friend Ar. Pen Tancio decided to check the P 499.00 payday buffet of Helen’s Kitchen, located along Buhangin Road, Davao City. Much to our expectation, what we had was a lavish heavy dinner, of more than 10 specialty dishes, tasty and worth every peso. =)
Serving buffet every 15th and 30th/31st of the month , Helens Kitchen offers a sumptuous dinner which includes Lechon Baboy ( Roasted Pork ) , plus 10 of their staple house specialties such as Patatim , Chili Crab , Iberian Chicken , grills, BBQ’s to name a few. The buffet also comes with a generous serving of appetizers, salads, desserts and bottomless iced tea/lemonade.
As a certified foodie infact, I find this restaurant the most ” Sulit ” among Davao Buffet restaurants below five hundred pesos, for serving that much food choices, and are prepared with quality and standard. As Such, Helen’s Kitchen payday buffet is worthy of a high recommendation. =)
Enjoying dinner with Ar. Pen Tancio
Here are some of Helen’s House Specialties which I personally enjoyed,
Chili Crab in Big Sizes , This dish alone made the P 499.00 buffet super sulit ! Crabs are really big, as the plate can attest to it. Garlic Shrimp. Shrimp is fresh , as you can easily peel the shell off. Freshly Grilled Tuna Belly ! Sauteed Mushroom and Asparagus in Oyster Sauce for the VegetariansTasty Kare Kare. Meat is tender and well cooked !Lumpiang Shanghai. This one is really good !Unlimited Lechon Baboy as included in the buffet ! Helen’s Buffet of more than 10 specialty dishes with Lechon BaboyBeef Morcon. Helen’s version of embutido, wrapped with thin and tenderized beef slicesPork Patatim ! A proud house specialty .Perfectly baked Iberian ChickenUnlimited Pork BBQ , as included in the BuffetHelen’s Specialty garden Salad with grilled chicken and parmesan cheese.Helen’s Macaroni Salad, a House specialty as well.
For almost a decade now in the food business, Helen’s Kitchen has earned its reputation for excellent taste and service in Davao’s catering industry. And with the business’ prosperous years, Helen’s has opened its kitchen doors to the public, with their spacious dine- in restaurant along Buhangin, DC.
Apart from the payday buffet engagement, Helen’s is also open every lunch and dinner for ala carte meals and grills .
Helen’s Al Fresco Dining Area , with acoustic performances every buffet dinnerHelen’s Function Hall to accommodate 50 to 80 pax . Photo Credits to the owner
Helen’s Kitchen also boasts a modest , air conditioned function hall for various occasions, that can accommodate 50 to 80 pax . Packages start at P 395/pax . For Inquiries on functions and catering services, contact the restaurant Manager , Sir Joel Dorado with the following numbers,
Telephone Number : 305-8894 / 305-5214
Mobile Number : 0917-7056161 / 0922-8663294 / 0918-9073707
Last friday, a few Davao Blogger members were invited for food tasting and menu update of Bulgogi Brothers Phils. at SM Lanang, Davao City.
Famous in South Korea, Bulgogi Brothers is a casual dining restaurant chain specialized in Korean dishes and bulgogi ( marinated Korean barbecue ). As an added knowledge for everyone, The word “bul” means fire and “gogi” means meat, in Korean.
Bulgogi Brothers Philippines is the first franchise outside South Korea , which gained popularity on Filipino food enthusiasts with branches at Greenbelt 5, Alabang Town Center, Mall of Asia, Glorietta 2 in Manila, and SM Lanang in Davao. Thats five aggressive branches in just a short span of time.
Bulgogi Brothers’ traditional KimChi.Korean Side dishes. Always refillable =)The recently launched Bulgogi Brothers Phils. Three way Shabu Shabu Set
As an addition to the restaurant menu, Bulgogi Brothers Phils. introduces its Three-way Shabu shabu – Korean Style. Originated from East Asia ( Korea, Mongolia , China , Japan ) , Shabu-shabu is a traditional way of tabletop hot pot cooking where meat and vegetables are boiled in bubbling hot broth , seasoned with oriental flavors and spices. Hot pots are always a fun dining experience with family and friends.
Bulgogi Brothers Phils.’ version of Shabu-shabu
Twisting from the traditional way of hot pots, Bulgogi Brother’s Three way Shabu-shabu is more than just the usual hot pot soup. The feast begins with the server pouring a tasty broth onto the pot, bringing it to a brisk simmer by cranking up the heat on the metal hot plate. Guests can savor the stew with an additional order of rice.
Fresh mixed seafood Hot Spot : a plate of fresh and plump clams, blue crab, mussels and squid cooked over a spicy broth. A sureball winner among all Bulgogi Brothers Hot pot Set .
Next, a plate of Ramyun noodles arrives on the table. Because shabu-shabu encourages guests to be their own cook, they can toss the noodles together with the meat and other vegetables for a distinctly flavorful pot of Ramyun noodles.
Towards the end of the meal the server creates tasty rice porridge (juk) from the same shabu-shabu broth with Korean rice topped with seaweed, vegetables and egg for a truly filling meal.
Plated Rice before it is made into a porridgerice mixed with the remaining broth
For a unique flavor that’s suited to their liking, diners have the option to choose what meat goes into their hotpot. There’s Beef and Veggies, beef bulgogi on a garden of leeks, peppers, cabbage, bean sprouts and mushroom; Ham and Sausage, a marriage of American and Korean flavors with ham, sausage, cabbage, bean sprouts, mushroom and gochujang (Korean hot chili paste); and Mixed Seafood, a plate of fresh and plump clams, blue crab, mussels and squid cooked over a spicy broth.
Ham and Sausage, a marriage of American and Korean flavors with ham, sausage, cabbage, bean sprouts, mushroom and gochujang (Korean hot chili paste)Beef and Veggies, beef bulgogi on a garden of leeks, peppers, cabbage, bean sprouts and mushroomFour Mushroom set for the Vegetarians. Also very Delicious !Chili – Vegetable Salad . A personal Fave ! =)
Open for Lunch, Dinner and cocktails , Bulgogi Brothers Davao Branch is located at the 2nd Level, Fountain Court, SM Lanang Premier.
Contact Number for inquiries and dining reservations : (082) 285 2593
A Valentine date , some late night group studies , casual meet ups , business meet ups , probably everyone in my generation has one or two Basti’s Brew Coffee experience to share .
I Still recall back in 2001 when we were asked to pen sketch Basti’s facade for our manual drawing subject in Architecture. Funny how time flies so fast, and it is such a delight to imagine how Basti’s Brew has been serving Davao for 15 years already. 15 years , and still a staple in Davao’s Coffee Experience till this day.
As part of Basti’s 15th year anniversary, the cafe invited Davao Bloggers for a hefty lunch treat and sampling of their home style dishes. More than just serving coffee, Basti’s serves pizza , pasta and full course meals in big portions , aside from their staple pastry specials.
Here are some of my personal Favorites , which are no doubt worthy to recommend.
Grilled Pork Chop Power Meal . 239 pesos . a hefty portion of grilled lean meat with Vege salad and soup.Chicken Cordon Bleu Power Meal at 239 pesos . Hefty sized ham and cheese , sandwiched in perfectly coated and fried lean chicken breast meat. served with potato salad and soupBeef Stew at 239 pesos . just delicious and tender beef cutsPesto Pasta !Tuna PastaChicken Garlic Pesto Pizza at 185 pesosCheesy Carroza Sandwich with special tomato sauce dip at 145 pesos
Best of Basti’s Brew’s Pastry
Basti’s Blueberry Cheesecake 130 pesosRound Carrot Cake 119 pesosBanana Mackintosh Pie at 119 pesos
Basti’s Brew serves coffee and all other comforting food at the Ground Floor of Victoria Plaza, JP Laurel Ave. DC .
For function room inquiries , contact 082 222-6168 , or get in touch with them through https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bastis-Brew/
Cute Interiors at Bastis Brew . taken from Basti’s facebook page . Photo Credits to the OwnerBasti’s Main Dining Area , taken from Basti’s facebook page . Photo Credits to the Owner
Celebrating another bountiful year in Davao dining experience last October 8, 2014 , Trellis ‘N Vines Restaurant has invited Davao Bloggers for a savory dinner and sampling of the restaurant’s best selling menu entries.
Trellis ‘N Vines Restaurant has been serving savory comfort food here in Davao for quite a few years already , and known for its simple, home-style dishes, inspired by flavors from around the globe. The restaurant is known to serve specialty international dishes such as their noted Chicken Biryani Rice ( A twist of Indian chicken and yellow rice meal ) , Chap Chae ( Korean Glass noodle ) , Pad Thai ( Thai noodle ), Nasi Goreng ( Spicy Malaysian noodle ) and Baby Back Ribs to name a few. What’s good about Trellis ‘N Vines is that specialty dishes are served in Big Portions to share , and are priced just right .
Trellis and Vines has one of the Best Tasting Kinilaw I had in Davao! Here are more of the restaurant’s specialties which I personally liked.
Kinilaw na Malasugue at 185 pesos . spiced and flavored just right! One of the Best Kinilaw I had in Davao!Pomelo – Green Salad at 165 pesos . Light and Hearty ! Chicken Biryani Rice at 235 pesos. A Best Seller and I am definitely coming back for this ! Serves 3 to 4Pan Fried Boneless Bangus with Adobong Kangkong and Tomato Salad at 210 pesos — Just Delicious !
Other Entries from the restaurant …
Chap Chae -Korean Glass Noodle with Beef and Sesame at 195 pesosSizzling Liempo at 175 pesosA Hefty Serving of Oxtail Kare Kare at 245 pesosCrispy Canton at 195 pesosCalamari with Mango Salsa at 185 pesosThai Beef Salad at 220 pesosMango Pandan with Sago to top a heartful meal. at 75 pesos
The restaurant also offers catering services and exclusive parties with its 50-seater function room.
And also in line with their anniversary celebration , Trellis ‘N Vines launched its Loyalty Card Promo. For inquiries, you may get in touch with them at (082) 221 5566 , or email at trellisnvines@gmail.com. The restaurant is located at Door # 4 Autoville Compound , Torres Street , DC . ( Walkable from Davao Convention Center )
Visiting Northern Borneo was not originally part of my backpacking route last March- April 2014 . After spending more than two weeks in India and Nepal , my route supposedly was to head back to Kuala Lumpur , then Manila ( which was the cheapest option by the way if you think of travelling to central Asia. ) But apparently at the time of booking my tickets online, my lust for wander brought me to find super cheap promo tickets from Kuala Lumpur , to other key cities in Malaysia . Still having a few days left , I then decided to take the long way back to the Philippines, and see more of the south by passing through Miri ( Sarawak State in Malaysia ), the Kingdom of Brunei , and Kota-Kinabalu (State of Sabah).
My promo tickets were quite cheap with “Airasia” . Got a morning flight from Kuala Lumpur to Miri ( Sarawak State ) at 731 pesos (around 15 usd All in ), And Kota Kinabalu ( State of Sabah ) to Manila at 947 pesos ( around 22 usd All in ). Bookings were made around 3 months in advance. Apparently, low cost intercity flights within Malaysia are more flexi and affordable ( as compared to local Philippine flights ). More so when they are on sale, like what I got! =) In between the two Malaysian States , I hopped on local buses , which were a bit consuming , but still worthy to do!
Easy-practical route ? not quite. Up for another travel adventure ? Totally !
Travelling between cities in Borneo is heaven for Passport Stamps Collector
Heres why .
Travelling within Malaysia is quite interesting. Malaysia is composed of several states , and it is a policy of the country for foreign travellers to have their passport stamped approved when crossing between certain states, which is actually ideal to monitor foreign individuals roaming around the Malaysian peninsula. As such , travelling within Malaysia alone, would gain you quite a number of stamps , plus the stamps you get when crossing boundaries with Brunei. The lands of Sarawak and Brunei are interlocked , so If you are on your way to Sabah from Miri/Sarawak , public buses would most likely pass through the capital of Brunei , then through Tendungan/Limbang towns of Sarawak , then enter Brunei once again through Puni/Labu eastmost provinces, then enter Sarawak once again through Lawas, before reaching the State of Sabah. Just to give a simpler picture, here is how my 6 days travel from Miri to Brunei and to Kota Kinabalu by LAND/BUS went on..
Fly from Kuala Lumpur and Enter Miri, Sarawak — 1 stamp at the airport
Stayed one night in Miri
Exit Sarawak State at Sungai Tujuh ( Malaysia side ) — 1 Stamp
Enter Brunei at Sungai Tujoh ( Brunei Side ) — 1 stamp
Stayed 2 nights in Bandar Seri Bengawan, Brunei
Exit Brunei at Kuala Lurah — 1 Stamp
Enter Sarawak State at Tedungan — 1 Stamp
Exit Sarawak State at Dermaga Kastam Limbang — 1 Stamp
Enter East Brunei at Puni — 1 Stamp
Exit East Brunei at Labu — 1 Stamp
Enter East Sarawak at Lawas — 1 Stamp
Exit East Sarawak at Merapok — 1 Stamp
Enter Sabah State at Sindumin — 1 Stamp
Stayed 2 nights in Kota Kinabalu , Sabah
Fly out from Kota Kinabalu to Manila — 1 Stamp at the airport
Thats 12 stamps in Total =)
Bus Travel Details : Miri — Bandar Seri Bengawan — Kota Kinabalu
Miri to Bandar Seri Bengawan (BSB) — PHLS Express runs a direct bus between BSB and Miri for 45 MYR/18 Brunei Dollars . The bus leaves Miri at 7AM and 1PM and takes about 4 hours to BSB . Bus leaves Miri at Pujut Intercity Terminal and stops at the Riverside Promenade in downtown BSB.
Bandar Seri Bengawan to Kota Kinabalu — Jesselton Express offers direct bus from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu at B$ 45 / 114 MYR, which runs only once a day at 7 am . A bit pricey, but it is a direct ride so you wont have to change buses at the border. The total travel time is about 8 and 1/2 hours. Jesselton Express leaves BSB at the riverside promenade fronting Maybank Building, and stops at Kota Kinabalu City Center bus terminal.
Option to ride a ferry to Kota Kinabalu is also available. But I prefer bus ride to see more of the countryside. =)
Daily Expense Tip : Food is relatively inexpensive In Miri and Kota Kinabalu . 10 USD would be more than enough for a day’s allowance, as there are a lot of hawkers and street side cafeterias for budget conscious travelers. with price ranging at 2 USD for a full meal. Dormitories are much available for 5-8 USD per night, with breakfast.
Brunei however, might require you additional budget, especially with accommodation and getting around with public transportation. Brunei Dollars (BSD) is around the same Value as Singapore Dollars ( 35 pesos per 1 BSD ). An accommodation worth 20 BSD/pax was the cheapest that I came across in Brunei. But on a brighter picture , food in Brunei is relatively affordable , if you buy from Gadong night market and grocery stores. 20 – 25 USD per day per pax would probably be a safe budget when travelling in brunei , that includes accommodation, food and getting around. More of Brunei at https://iamjosemanuel.com/2014/09/14/weekend-itinerary-around-brunei-darussalam/
Miri, Sarawak Malaysia Miri is a relatively small , but wealthy city of the northern part of Sarawak State. ( The more famous city in Sarawak is Kuching at the south ) . Miri may not talked about by usual Pinoy tourists like us , but this city is quite famous to westerners, as well as Australians , as the gateway to the nature reserved mountains of inner Borneo , which is valued for its biodiversity and protected tropical wildlife sanctuary. Aside from that, Miri is also known as the oil producing province of southern Malaysia. Miri was just a transit city for me because I only stayed for one night. Aside from the nature parks and reserve (which I did not get to visit) , theres nothing much to do within the city of Miri . But I did have a good rest though, the dorm and the people were nice.
Downtown MiriMiri Public Park . very quietGovernment office of MiriThere are no buses Miri Airport to City enter. I was forced to take a taxi at 23 MYR (around +300 pesos, 8 usd) for a 15 minute ride. =(Downtown Miri.
Sarawak Tourism
Where I Stayed In Miri : Coco Guesthouse ( Dormitory of 8 capsule type beds per room ) at 35 MYR per Bed (+400 pesos)
Good places to eat : A lot of Hawkers around, serving Chinese food. There are a lot of Chinese in Miri , and even more chinese restaurants than Malay . But they do have malls and fastfood like pizza hut and Mcdonalds
Hawkers food just along the streets of MiriCoco Guesthouse where I stayed. Just tell the taxi driver to bring you to this place beside the Grand Hotel.My bed for a nightAuntie Rita , whom i met at the guesthouse . She helped me find a local bus to Pujut inter city terminal ,where I got my bus to Brunei .Humble ticket kiosk at Pujut inter city bus terminalPHLS Express runs a direct bus between Bandar Seri Begawan and Miri for 45 MYR/18 Brunei Dollars . The bus leaves Miri at 7AM and 1PM and takes about 4 hours to BSB
Bandar Seri Bengawan , Brunei . The peaceful Islamic Kingdom
Refer to this for more of Brunei –> https://iamjosemanuel.com/2014/09/14/weekend-itinerary-around-brunei-darussalam/
Sarawak – Brunei Immigration Border CrossingBandar Seri Bengawan does not have a formal Bus Station . Inter city Bus stops at this riverside promenade , opposite MayBank Building.among the nice government offices you’ll pass by when entering BSB city center.Sultan’s Mosque at BSB , among the first sites you’ll see upon the arrival of the bus at the city center.
Direct Bus Ticket Brunei to Kota Kinabalu at B$ 45 / 114 MYR by Jesselton Express , which runs only once a day at 7 am . A bit pricey, but it is a direct ride so you wont have to change buses at the border.Jesselton Bus, The only direct bus from BSB Brunei to Kota Kinabalu , which travels daily at 7 am . It is an 8 and 1/2 hours ride.
Where I Stayed In Kota Kinabalu : Travellers’ Light Backpackers’ Lodge , #19, Lorong Dewan, Pusat Bandar, 88000 Kota Kinabalu , at 25 to 30 MYR/Night . Joy, the owner’s wife, is a Filipina and is very comforting to have a chitchat with. I Definitely recommend this place. You may get in touch with them through Agoda.com and https://www.facebook.com/travellerslight
Photo credits – Joy of Travellers’ LightPhoto credits – Joy of Travellers’ LightFellow guests at Traveller’s Light Backpackers’ Lodge https://www.facebook.com/travellerslightTerrace and Dining Area at Traveller’s Light , just around the perimeter of Kota Kinabalu’s mountain park . The Lodge occasional ets monkey visitors at this area, especially during breakfast. =)
Around Kota Kinabalu . Will upload more of this soon. =)
Jesselton Ferry Terminal In Kota KinabaluBeach of Pulau Manukan IslandSeafood Market in KKLovely Sunset at KKMount Kinabalu
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