Starting the year with good food

Posted by Blogie on 25 January 2009  •  3094 views, 9 today   [link]  

On the first of the year, I was at Eden Nature Park to celebrate the new year. The folks at Eden Nature Park sure know how to throw a party! And the buffet spread was an impressive smörgåsbord of meats, fish, salads and pasta. Starting 2009 with good food was a sure sign of wonderful palate-inspiring encounters to come.

Already, my food-tripping friends and I have been to several new places in Davao: Mamu’s Resto•Bar and the newest branch of Tadakuma. In between, we’ve also dined heartily at Gerry’s Grill, which was a very satisfying first-time experience for me, Spirale, and several others.

The latest new place that I’ve been to was Turquoise, a Turkish restaurant in SM City (in front of National Bookstore). It’s not really new anymore, but that was my first time. I was there the other day with two Egyptian friends. Prior to that, I had heard not-so-good things about Turquoise. But, these Middle Easterners swear by it. After that treat of authentic Turkish fare — my friends say that the food there is indeed authentic — I must say I don’t know what those nay-sayers were talking about. The food was good!

Too bad, though, I wasn’t able to take photos of the food when we ate at Turquoise. Next time I eat there, I will blog about it again. The hummus, a staple for me when dining at Mediterranean restaurants, tasted differently from those served by Taj Minar and Café Mediterranean. I enjoyed it and will definitely be back for more! Oh and their pita bread is huge.

The restaurants that I’ve been frequenting lately are Bryan’s Grill, which my friend Bob Martin declares is his favorite in Davao, Picobello Ristorante Italiano, and Salutti. What I love about these places is that they are pretty much consistent with their food. So is Café Andessa, where my father, siblings and I threw a surprise party for Mom. Should you find yourself at Café Andessa, make sure to order their beef mechado — it is heavenly! And then finish your meal with their Suman de Luho.

The Davao bloggers have other restaurants lined up for the coming weeks — new ones as well as those we’d like to try again. I’m looking forward to a year of pure gastronomic delights!

Davao Delicious now has a fan page over at Facebook. You can become a fan of this blog! Please click here to view the page.

Category: Roundup
Tags: desserts, fine dining, Mediterranean