Since the 90’s, Garden Oases Resort and Convention Center has always been a familiar venue for weddings and assemblies , with its accessible location, amenities and spacious lawns ideal for various occasions. And with the addition of its multi leveled Ritz Hotel just a few years back, Garden Oases has well maintained its niche as one of the top and most convenient places to stay here in Metro Davao.
Earlier today, i tagged along with a few friends for lunch and food tasting of their new food entries at Garden Oases’ Restaurant. We were catered by Garden Oases and Ritz Hotel’s PR Manager , Ms. Alice Cadao. It was quite an intimate gathering with just a few people invited, which gave us a chance to get to know the restaurant better. And indeed, there is definitely more to Garden Oases than just a Resort-Hotel , with all the sumptuous food entries served at their poolside restaurant. Here are some of the recently added menu Entries with a twist , which I personally liked:
Fried Pork – Seaweed Roll with Crabstick Filling . This appetizer is a personal favorite . at P185 .Dragonball D – A Shrimp Tempura with a twist of Durian Filling at the center. Interestingly Tasteful at 208 pesosDragonball X , Shrimp Tempura with Mangusteen filling . Another Interesting Twist in the usual menu at 208 pesos ***
Staple Entries at Garden Oases Restaurant,
Traditional Japanese SiomaiBaby Back Ribs at 290 pesos***Asian Lemon Chicken .Oases Fried Rice . Heavy on Mandarin Chorizo and Braised Pork filling . Another personal Favorite at 180 pesos***
Snack Items which are my all time favorites ; And they are on ” Oases Awesome Specials” Promo price every 9 to 11 am, 2-5 pm and 8 to 10 pm . Call(082) 224 1403 for info and reservations .
Tasty Burger at 99 pesos promo price .CarbonaraCrunchy TacoHalo HaloBuko Halo Special
Hotel-Restaurant Address: Porras St., Obrero, Davao City, Philippines
Bu’s Tapas, Bebidas Y Bodega has been serving drinks along Pelayo Street (Formerly Legaspi Street ) since 2013 , until recently I came across their All meat overload Gourmet Pizza, and it blew me off at first bite ! Heavy with toppings of meat , cheddar, Capers , spices and imported sausage , served at 12 ” , good for 3-4 and is priced at P 250 – 300. How good is that? As such , Bu’s Pizza is worthy of a recommendation; A personal favorite of mine these days =)
Bu’s Meat Overloaded PizzaBu’s Meat Overloaded Pizza up close
Bu’s is not just any other bar in downtown Davao, aside from serving imported spanish wines, Bu’s serves great menu of appetizers and meaty dishes for an overall gastronomic satisfaction. As its name goes , Tapas ( A Spanish beef specialty ) Bebidas ( Spanish for Beer and Drinks ) Y Bodega ( A Bodega for Latin Wines, cheese, and Meat ) .
My Personal Rating of this place
Price Range : Mid priced.
Taste : 10/10 for the pizza . Everything else is ok as well.
Place : 7/10 . cozy place fit for wines and small gatherings.
Service : 8/10 Nice staff. No Service Charge =)
Serves Lunch and Dinner til 1 AM =)
Place details: Walking on Pelayo Street (formerly Legaspi Street), Bu’s is 3 minute walk from Apo View Hotel, Casa Leticia and Gaisano South. Bu’s is in front of UCCP Church and next door to GJ Santos.
Contact Number : (082) 284 6364
Some other entries available at Bu’s are as shown , ( But there is so much more in their menu i am yet to try =)
Bu’s Garlic Chicken with Ranch Dip. also my FaveImported cheese Platter to pair with your wineBu’s at NightNice !Imported Tapa , among othersA sample of frozen imported sausage cuts available
Last thursday, a few members of Davao Bloggers’ Society were invited for food and dessert tasting at Saging Repablik , one of Davao’s newest , and possibly the most talked about restaurant these days. Saging Repablik is located along Tiongko Ave. corner V Mapa St., a few blocks from Bangko Central. It would be impossible not to notice this two storey glass box building, fully lighted at night. The bold lighting , matte black signages and polished concrete finish gave its contemporary industrial look , which reminds me so much of some restaurants I’ve visited in Singapore.
Saging Repablik opened its doors sometime around late June of this year. Barely three months old, people are still buzzing over this modern style restaurant serving specialty Asian/Filipino dishes , with a twist of Banana. Saging Repablik is uniquely Davao Born. The restaurant’s concept was derived from Banana ( Saging in Filipino ), which Davao region is also famous for producing. Aside from serving local dishes, the restaurant also promotes local banana products such as flavored cavendish chips, as well as locally made chocolate products.
As a curious person, I admit that it wasn’t my first time to dine at Saging Repablik the time our Bloggers group was invited. Ive been to this place three times already for coffee and their Banana-Walnut Torte , which is probably one of the best Torte I had. It is made up of layers of caramelized Banana, Chocolate, Walnut and Something like Sansrival , perfectly coated with chilled cream. I would say this Dessert alone, already makes Saging Repablik worthy of a visit. =)
Saging Repablik’s Banana-Choco-Walnut Torte . priced at P 150 per slice. Its a big slice at around 7 inches tall, I would say its good for two. (Photo credits to the owner)Flavored Cavendish Banana Chip , P 75 per serveTuron Dip with a TwistFreshly Pomelo Juice P 85 . My Fave
Here are other Appetizers and Main Entries I personally Liked . All dishes, are of big servings, which can be shared. And it comes with Rice =)
Camaron Rebusado Con Banana ( Deep fried Shrimp and Banana Slices ) P 160Beer Battered Fish and Banana Chips P 185Humbanana Cue P 195 . comes in two hefty slices of Pata meat per order !Beef Pochero con Saba P 225 .Sisag ( Sisig at Saging ) P 165 . Yummy !!!Pork spare ribs in Banana BBQ Sauce . P 220 , and comes in two hefty slices of Ribs per Serving. Super Heavy .Here’s a look at the Modern Contemporary Interiors of Saging Repablik . Mezzanine Style Layout , with glassy interiors and walls generally finished in Matte Black, red bricks and polished concrete.These Rustic Incandescent Drop lamps gave the places its contemporary industrial feelA view of the main dining from aboveBold Text Cut out is always a fun and interactive idea for store branding .And they have Saging Repablik Apparel as well . =)Some thoughts to ponder on.
My Personal Rating of this place
Price Range : Mid priced. Main Dishes at 160 – 220 , and can practically be shared by a couple.
Main Dish Taste Rate : 7/10 . Main dishes were good. Personal Pick — Humbanana Cue and Sisag
Dessert and Beverage Taste Rate : 10/10 . Banana Walnut Torte and Large Mocha Caramel Coffee is a pair to die for.
Place : 10/10 (if i rate it solely for Davao Market) Place is super Stylish, you would wanna take some selfies in it.
Service : 8/10 ( Nice staff. Gatchi , the owner is nice =)
Serves 7AM Breakfast , Lunch and Dinner til 1 AM =)
Tucked in a less crowdy corner of Plaza Del Carmen Compound along Loyola St., DC, you’ll find a quaint restaurant named ‘Little Dynasty Kitchen’ serving hearty Chinese-asian fusion dishes. What’s charming about this place is that it reminds me much of dining at modest eateries in hongkong. With around 8 tables for 4, D Little Dynasty Kitchen is appropriate for small crowd, modest, and has an open kitchen where customers can see how their dimsums are prepared ; Typical with Hongkong street restaurants. Dishes are mainly chinese and dimsum with singaporean fusion as they also serve Laksa and curry noodles. Prices are just right, at around P 100-150 per person. Here are some of the dishes I usually Order :
sweet and sour pork at around P 125/order with rice. Big serving!
pork Cuapao at around P 80/2 pcs
Braised beef at around P 130/order with rice
Meat Dumplings
Char Kway Teow Flat Noodle with mandarin sausage and shrimp at P 125/order Ratings: Food – 8.5/10 . Braised beef, Dumplings and Flat noodles are awesome! Its worth a try ! Price – affordable . 100-150/head Place – 8/10 . Nice interiors with cute bulb drop lights randomly arranged. Place is clean and less crowded . With ample parking spaces. Staff – 7/10 .
D’ Little dynasty is located at Plaza del Carmen , Loyola Street , Obrero, DC . Serving lunch and dinner daily .
As recommended by some friends, I just picked up few boxes of Carmela’s pastries , personally baked by the ‘Wency Cornejo’.
Yes guys, he resides in Davao City at the moment and co – owns Krazy Kitch Bakeshop along Cabaguio. Wency named his pastries ‘Carmela’ after his mom, the Carmela ‘Mel’ Tiangco.
May star factor ba thats why I ordered ? I admit, Yes ! Haha I am a fan of Wency Ever since . But more to that, I also came across good reviews on his pastries. And with all honesty, the ensaymada is soft and cheesy good . It is definitely love at first bite !
Carmela’s Ensaymada- P100/box of 6
Red Velvet – P 130/box of 6
Please note that his special partries are not available all the time. I suggest you follow Wency’s official account on facebook for details.
To purchase, you may place orders at http://enzayms.weebly.com/
I’ve already tasted a lot of Hopia brands with different flavors ; But just recently , I was given a box of Jopoy’s hopia from Digos City , and it blew me away at first bite. As such, this goodie foodie is worth a recommendation.
My fave would definitely be this one, filled with rich ube halaya (sweet yam) and pastillas (traditional Filipino sweet made of milk) at the center . I Purposely sliced a piece to half, to show its generous filling. Yum!! Unlike the famous eng bee tin’s smooth finished hopia pieces, Jopoy’s dough is a traditional – flaky type, which I like better. I liked this Hopia so much, it surpassed the famous eng bee tin and that hopia I had in Melacca, Malaysia.
Jopoy’s is located at Roxas Extension, Digos City.
Ask me where to enjoy a very filling and affordable Bulalo in Davao… Sana’s Kabawan will always come first in my mind. Sure jud ko!
Tucked in the modest side of downtown Davao, Sana’s Carinderia has been serving locals for around three decades already. Though it may not be the most popular food destination today, foodies must have found something special on this humble eatery, that kept the business going for many years. One of Sana’s loyal diner is our current president PDDR. Saya, diba?
Me with Ian Ray Garcia and Sana Valles at Sana’s.
Specialties :
Sana’s Special Bulalo ( stewed beef shanks and marrow in bone). Without any dapig dapig, this dish is one of the best tasting meat soup I know here in Davao. Meat is of good quality , tender and cooked just right; and that fatty marrow we love is perfectly tucked in. A big bowl of this is fairly priced at P 165.00 , good for 2.
Kalabaw (Ox) Meat Tapa . Shredded and very tasteful . A serving of this costs 80.00 per platito. You can also order frozen packs of this for take away.
Ox Meat Tapa
Stewed Ox Brain for the adventurous ! around 100.00 per serving.
Ox Brain Stew
Other Dishes that are also worthy to try : Kalabaw Hinalang. Chicken Adobo. Paksiw Tuna. Sana’s generally serve Filipino dishes.
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Price Range : Affordable and worth every peso. Dishes are priced at P 40 to P 100 per serve. Bulalo soup is at P 165, good for sharing.
Taste : 10/10 . The Shedded Tapa is something I can eat everyday ! Really Tasty. And their bulalo is one of the best tasting there is in Davao.
Place : Just an ordinary eatery. Don’t expect anything fancy. It’s a Carinderia anyways. Cleanliness,however, has always been observed. Utensils are sterilised.
Best time to go: The place is usually packed during lunch break. As tourists, breakfast or early lunch is a good idea.
Service : 10/10 ( Nice staff. Owner came to have a short chat. )
Opens at 7 AM until late lunch. Mondays to Saturdays, except holidays.=)
Location :
Sana’s Kabawan along J. Luna Street , corner Quezon Blvd. Near Luz Kinilaw. Piapi Area. just ask the locals for help.
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