Loading ...
Lechon kawali
Café Andessa — a quiet, out-of-the-way little restaurant that’s perfect for sharing a good meal with friends, close business associates, family. It’s pretty far from the Davao downtown area, but the place and the food are worth taking the trip for.
At first glance, the restaurant’s design looks like a mountain cabin, what with all the wood beams and old-style shelves containing bric-a-bracs. But after you’ve settled in, you’ll feel the warmth and homeyness of the place. The setting is very cozy — it’s very easy to relax in Café Andessa’s unperturbed ambience.
With my resto-hopping pals last night, we treated a couple of British vacationers to good Filipino cuisine the other night. Western dishes are also served at Andessa, of course, but they excel in their Filipino offerings.
Tokwa't Baboy
I had the Tokwa’t Baboy, a serving of Laing, and Bagoong Rice. My main course was cooked just the way I like it: not too salty and just a bit sour and with lots of garlic! I like the way they cook the tofu in this dish — crunchy. The pork, though, had more fat than I could bear, which was just a little bothersome for me. (As what others might say, that’s where the flavor is!) Next time, I’ll make sure to ask the cook to remove the excess fat.
Buffalo Wings
The Laing was good, too. For me, Lachi’s has a better recipe for this dish; although, I like the way Andessa’s is really spicy. The problem, I think, is that it’s a tad too creamy for my taste. Too much coconut milk maybe. Still, I’m not sorry I ordered it. Laing goes so well with meat dishes, don’t you think?
The Bagoong Rice was perfect! Very tasty, but not too salty and not oily — great for those who easily feel guilty about cholesterol intake. 
Ryan @ Café Andessa
Ryan, one of our Brit friends, stuck to Western fare: ribs. I wasn’t able to sample it, but he said he enjoyed it. Our other friend, Saad, had the Chicken Andessa, which is a plate of chicken leg and thigh, or breast and wing, and rice. I had a taste of it, and I must say, the sauce is something else.
Other dishes that we had were Lechon Kawali, Hot Chicken Wings and Chicken Adobo. Very not bad at all, all of them. You could tell that the Lechon Kawali was boiled and deep-fried just right, and the special vinegar dip was fantastic! The deep-fried chicken wings are glazed, but they’re thankfully not too sweet. It’s ideal as a side dish or as a heavy snack.
Saad @ Café Andessa
The Chicken Adobo is prepared Tagalog-style: dry and devoid of the spices found in Bisaya-style adobo. It’s healthier, I guess, but less tasty than the adobo I’m used to. Still, no complaints on this one.
The first time I was at Café Andessa, it was only for dessert. And it was a very pleasurable gastronomic experience for me! So of course, this time, I had to have their desserts again. If it weren’t such a heavy meal I’d had, there would’ve been room for more dessert…
Kalingking
To round off the hearty meal, I had the Tikoy Turon, a plate of fried rolls (aka lumpia) of tikoy, that ultimate Chinese delicacy, and ube (sweet yam). It was just the ending to a perfect dinner I was hankering for. This dessert also comes in other “flavors” other than ube: jackfruit and peanuts.
We also had the Kalingking, a serving of glazed kamote (sweet potato) fries with a black, sweetish dip. They have other Filipino desserts, and all of them are highly recommended, especially the Binutong (which is served with hot native chocolate) and the Bico and Bukayo.
Friends @ Café Andessa
To get there by private car from Bajada, take the overpass to Buhangin (right turn after Davao Light and Villa Margarita Hotel). Go straight and through the intersection of Buhangin Road and the large diversion road, and turn right on the second road (where you’ll see a Mercury drug store on the corner). The restaurant is just a few meters after that. Operating hours: Monday to Sunday, 10am to 10pm.
You might also like...
-
Bryan’s Grill & Café @ Arturo’s
-
Ranchero’s Grill & Steakhouse
-
Caffe Firenzo
-
Leandro’s
-
Spirale Ristorante
waaa.. tikoy turon huhu wana try that! haha.. i’ll be in dvo next month =) hope to see u!
@isa belle — It’s really, really good. I love it to death!
hi there! i am intruiged in this cafe andessa.
is the price there expensive of so-so?
by the way,where do i go from ladislawa buhangin gate?
kahit taga dvo ko,di ko kabalo asa na.hehe thanks!
pls email me thanks!
Hi Marie Lo! I’ve already emailed you the directions to Cafe Andessa. The prices there are very reasonable.
hi Blogie…so this is the cafe in Buhangin that one of my colleagues have been talking about…hmmm…naks…i don’t know anymore where to go first next week…Bryan’s or Cafe Andessa…heheheh…btw, you said that the prices are reasonable…how reasonable is it?can you like give me a range of prices? thanks Blogie…
Hi again, cleo. If I’m not mistaken, about ₱250 at Cafe Andessa can already get you a good, satisfying meal.
I just realized I wasn’t able to put price tags on the items above. Sorry about that.
just came across this and thought it was weird because my name is andessa and i have never meet anyone named that let alone a cafe….
and it’s a beautiful name
hi! actually its a combination of the names of the owners sibling. its sue ANne, DEno and vaneSSA. that why they name Cafe ANDESSA
Thanks for the info! And thanks for visiting my blog!
hi again!
We celebrated my mom’s 50th bday in Cafe Andessa. We had a party there. They serve superb dishes. And I must agree, their prices are just okay.
Then, just last week, I went back there with my sister and my daughter. We tried the eggplant with tofu (P90) super yummy. And we also tried the bagoong rice (P100 i think), Pork Chop (not sure the name), and the calamares (130).
All are yummy!
I’ll surely go back there!
Btw, this january will be my daughter’s 2nd bday and we plan to have Cafe Andessa as our caterer.
To all, try the food in Cafe Andessa. Yumminess!
Thanks very much for your feedback, Marie! Really appreciate it.
been there recently? I want to try hehe
Not recently. Yeah, let’s eat there soon! Kelan man?
how comfy is the place? i hope it’s worth the travel!=)
beside this resto is hazel jaca’s cakes- co owned i guess! they make the finest cakes in davao too… havn’t tried Andessa yet, I just wonder how comfy the place is? I hope it’s worth the travel…=)
Hi, Nessan! Café Andessa is very comfy and homey. But more than that, their food is definitely worth the trip.
Not sure if they also own Jaca’s cakes, though…
Thanks for your various comments! And thanks for reading my blog!
Yeah, the place is a must-visit. Especially if you’re into really good food and also appreciate comfort and peaceful ambiance. Must-try are the calamares and the chicken wings.
Thanks for your comment, rainercdo! I hope you’ll also provide feedback for the other restos that I’ve reviewed.