Ponce Suite

PONCE SUITE

Corner Road 3 and 4

Doña Vincenta Village,

Bajada, Davao City

Tel#:(082) 2279070

Fax#: (082) 2241476

Once again it's monday, and another adventure with my good pal Claire.

She said she wanted to see Kublai's hotel where he is show casing his artworks. I've pass by Kubla's hotel before, a few years back while I was visiting my malaysian friends. And unfortunately it was night time when I pass by so kinda looked spooky from the outside. But I said no problem! Ponce Suite it is!

Good thing they have placed markers along the road as to where to find the place since it's tuck somewhere in Doña Vicenta Village, not easy to find if you're not familiar with the place. But you won't miss the hotel since the outside is decorated with sculptures, gigantic in size.

The place really look impressive, since the artist work peppered the place. From the outside to the inside of the hotel. Even the ceiling is not spared. It was an interesting site to see.


There is also a small souvenir shop in the ground floor, where they sell T-shirt and small accessories which are created by Kublai.

The restaurant however was on the 4th floor, and mind you no elevator, you have to use the stairs. Which was a big  oh no, for me, as I am  avoiding stairs at all cost.   So we asked if we could just order and have it delivered on the first floor. Good thing they agreed. So only Claire got to see the rest of the hotel and I stayed at the lobby waiting for our food.

As for the food, nothing special there. But it's a good place to visit and see artworks. For more pictures click on Claire's site.

As for room prices, here's a list so far:
Single                 469++
Matrimonial          590++
Twin Share          690++
Suite Room      1,490++
Extra Person      200++

1 Townhouse unit(max of 10 person)   1,790++

Their rooms are aircondition and with Cable TV.




Originally posted in Multiply on Feb 07, 2008

Boyd's, Red Moon and Verderbarr

From time to time my very good friend Claire and I, go out to have lunch together, to catch up on each other's lives, as well as enjoy good food available in Davao City area. Last year she introduced me to a good pasta place.

Boyd's Pizza House!
It's located at Dr. 1 Josie Apartment, E. Palma Gil St.,
Bo. Obrero, Davao City
Tel No: 3008877

The place has a warm cozy feeling since it's an old apartment, pasta, pizza and garlic bread are among the choices in their menu. Since Claire boasted how the cheese in the pizza really is sticky. And their pasta is different. We ordered exactly those The pizza tasted like home cooked, something different, but the pasta for me was really good.

Price so far is fair enough. Not too cheap nor too expensive. It's a good place to go when your craving for pasta, pizza and garlic bread!
Yum!!!

This year, she again informed me that there's a new Chinese Restaurant opened at the K1 compound, the Red Moon Chinese Cuisine, so as soon both of us were free on a  Monday, I headed to her office, pick her up and we gave this place a visit.

Nice thing about the K1 compound is ample space for parking,  When we arrived there, there wasn't much people around, which is fine by me. Less people easier to be served. Hehehehhe!!!

The red theme of the place, looked really nice and gives a fresh perspective to the eyes. And the menu was quite friendly, since they have pictures and names on it, so if your not familiar with Chinese food, you can at least look at the picture and take your pick from there.

Off course I ordered my favorite Chinese beefsteak, since they didn't have ma-chang, I settled for Kiampong. Which is equally good for me. I think Claire had more fun enjoying the food than me, since it was her first time to taste Kiampong.   Did she liked it? I would encourage you to read her post about it too, click here.

As for me, since it was my favorite food, off course I love the taste, I liked it since it has lots of sauce on it. Hehehehe!!!

We both share a passion for blogging and going new places to eat. So most of our post is about food, aside from what we also encounter in life. hehehehe!!!!

So what's so different about Red Moon from the other Chinese Restaurant? I haven't figure that one out yet. Hahahahaha!!! I guess this is one of those places where you can eat Dimsum in a classy manner.

Since my load at work is still light, Claire and I again met up for another lunch date! And what'dya know! She again knows of another restaurant that had just opened. Very resourceful eh? Wonder where she gets her information from? hehehehe!!!!

When she said Verdebarr, I thought she meant Gmall, since my husband has been taking me there whenever we are in Gmall. But I was surprise to be informed that they opened a restaurant at F.Torres, it's beside Zakoya Japanese Restaurant, near the Davao Convention Center.

Though I am a frequent goer to Verderbarr, I don't mind going to the same restaurant as they do server good food.

I was quite impress with the way they setup their restaurant. As we entered,  the place gave me a comfy feeling. Like being home or something. Since this branch just opened, well, not much customer around.

I had a hard time deciding which to order, as they do have good food. But I settled for a beef strips, while my friend ordered one of their sausages which I loved before, but since my husband been buying those imported sausages, I'd like to try something else.


And as I was also watching my food intake, being pregnant, had to settled for bread instead of rice. Am not to bloat myself with food, or else the baby is too big for me to push out (which I am hoping would not happen).

It was a good place to talk, and enjoy a relaxing lunch. And since Claire was annoyed from work, I only hoped that the lunch date helped her to have a good mood for the rest of the day.






Originally posted in Multiply on Jan. 22, 2008

Favorites :Lachi's, Dencias, and Karlyn's

We always have a favorite place we go to especially for eating. And here's a few of my own.

Dencia's, this is located beside JS Gaisano Ilustre. I've been eating in this place since I was a kid, my parents would bring us here every Sunday for breakfast after going to church. So I always looked forward to Sundays . I love their butter chicken, fresh lumpia, then there's the  ever famous "tokwa''t baboy and lugaw".

I've been to Manila and Cebu but I've never found a similar taste of their "lugaw" else where.

And my husband is also a fan of their lugaw, so we try to come as often as we can to get our fill.

Karlyn's, I first heard this from my officemate, sometime ago at 2004, this restaurant used to be located at the chef's home, which is somewhere along the Ma-a road going to Gem Village. It was a small karinderya, they never did advertise but relay on word of mouth of their customers. And what a success, now they have shutdown the small karinderya and open two restaurants, one is located along Ma-a road. And the other is near SM,  a few blocks away from the Petron Station. There's a big sign on the highway so you can't miss it.

The owner a chef who used to work for Ekran Berhdad(did I spell that right?), since that resort shutdown he opened his own karinderya, and turned out to be very successful indeed.

They are famous for their sizzling steak!  And the price is very affordable, less than a 100 pesos, the serving is very generous, with a minatamis na saging on the side for free. And they are open till 11pm, I think even on Sundays.

Lachi's, this is located at the corner of  Ruby and Sapphire Sts., Marfori Heights. Thanks also to my officemate, I learned about this place sometime at 2001, they are very famous for their pastries and lately with their foods.

The prices are also very affordable and the taste is unforgettable, you'd be back for more once you've tasted their meals and pastries.

Unfortunately, they are close on Sundays. And open on weekdays and Saturdays during lunchtime till 8pm.

Due to the place being small it is always jam packed during lunch time. I suggest  you call up the place before going there during the afternoon. Tel.: 224-5552.




Originally posted at Multiply on Dec 11, 2007

Fwends Diner

# 20 Metro Avenue Compound Davao City

Davao is sprouting a lot of restaurants lately, and this one opened in time for the Kadayawan festivities. But I wasn't able to visit this new place till last week, heard it was quite a hit, so I waited awhile before going there, just to make sure there wasn't such a big crowd.

So this one is very easy to locate, it's at the back of GMall, a few steps away from San Pedro Hospital. Where you'll find the Metro Building. Website is here.

Anyways, the place is like a little compound - small booths and lots of space. Only a few tenants are there. The Fwends diner is kinda tuck around a corner, look for the Fwends banner so you'll know youre in the right resto.

As we were ordering, the waitress told us that we just miss the crowd, since we got there pass 12:30pm, so some of their food in the menu was not available for the moment, good thing the baby back ribs and bulalo steak was still available.  Coz that is exactly what we wanted to try.

The serving was generous and the meat was really tender! The food? Yummy! It was worth the wait indeed. Aside from the great food they offered, the place is kinda cozy, away from the traffic and noise. Chris (the owner) told us that during friday evening they put up a movie show for free, and it's on a big screen, so if you want to hang out with entertainment, this is the place to be!

And the great news about it is - they now do delivery!  But.....it's only in bajada and downtown places, well, till they get the hang of it.  Am hoping they'll reach my location soon.

Their menu is available online, click on the links I anchor in this blog.

For further inquiries they can be reach at 3016876, or access their multiply page, click on this .

I would suggest if you don't want to run out of food in that place, you might also consider calling up the place first before going there.

I forgot to mention they also offer cooking lessons, so if you like their food, who knows, maybe you get to know how to cook it too.

Thanks to Waitwhosaidthat for the cute emoticons.



originally posted in Multiply on Sept 19, 2007

Q

I've heard about this Q resto in Damosa Gateway a few months back, but as usual - due to the busy schedule, it's hard to find the time to go and visit this place. But! Finally, we manage to squeeze in a night  and try this place out. What is different about it??? - ENDLESS CHICKEN!!!


I've heard of endless rice, but not endless chicken! Nope, that's the first so far. But I must warn you the serving of endless chicken starts at 8pm! No Sooner.  And what's so nice about it it's not heavy on the pocket, only P 95.00, that's really a great deal!!!
....Well, if you are fond of eating chicken.

And how about the taste? I find it crispy and delicious!!

If you're allergic to chicken, they have other meals in the menu, but my HS friend love their crispy tenga!  And she order one for us! So we can sample this yummy treat.

What surprised me also, is one of the owners is actually the brother of my batchmate in HS, Mavi!

People really have great ideas!  You'll just be surprise with what they can come up with.


So just how much chicken can you eat in a night?  Wanna find out?

Q resto can be found at Damosa Gateway compound, fronting Coffee Dream. You can't miss it! Look for the "Q" sign!

Happy Eating!!!

Originally posted in Multiply on Aug 17, 2007

Annie Pie! Yummy Cinnamon!

The first time I saw this sign, I was itching to go inside and try one of their products!  Since I am a big fan of Cinnamon, ever since I tasted it as a kid. So finally, after months of waiting, I got the chance to go inside and try one of their cinnamons! And my oh my!!!  The taste is totally heavenly!!! Yum! Yum!

I only wish we were not in a hurry for an appointment, since my hubby wanted to eat it with coffee, as they also offer beverages and other food products aside from the cinnamons. We however had to "take out" our order.

This store opens at 10am and closes at 8pm. But the good news is the owners are thinking of converting this to a cafe soon, so they will be open a bit longer, am hoping till 12 midnight at least, so my hubby and I can go there after doing our chores at home, which is around 9pm.

If you have tasted the Cinnabon before, this product to my opinion is almost like eating one of the cinnamons from Cinnabon, or I dare say? .....  much better.



They have 3 stores as of the moment, find this along F. Torres, Ilustre and the one I went to is near the intersection for Ecoland terminal.

This is due to my excitement, I just had to take a couple more pictures.

The menu on their selections of available cinnamon flavors.

I recommend you try the classic. Though all of it taste good so far.

Well...if you are a fond of cinnamon that is. Hehehehe!!!!

They also have different variety of chocolate cakes, I ordered one, but so far for my taste, their cinnamon taste more heavenly than the chocolate cake I ordered.


One more thing, if you want your cinnamons hot and just out of the oven, go there at around 2 or 3pm.



And this is me, ordering as much as I could of their cinnamons!

Update 2012: Stores has already scattered in the City, there's one near Davao Doctor's College and one in Obrero.

Originally posted in Multiply on July 17, 2007

All About Coffee Shops

I love coffee, but not the brewed type. I know from my previous stay in Manila, that the people there are really into coffee, but lately Davao people is into this fad. And is sprouting coffee shops all over the place.So here are a few places I visited.

Blugre, as far as I know this is the first coffee shop in Davao. They are the first one's that educated Davao residence to the "Coffee culture". But this store's main product used to be T-shirts and pants, unfortunately their coffee sold more than the clothing line, so the clothing business was changed to a souvenir items instead, and Mugs was added in the novelty as well.

Which I think was a very good move on their part.

This company was established on June, 1998 by Gatchi and Larcy Gatchalian. The couple are Manilenos.  But transferred in Davao sometime ago in the mid 1990's. The couple was looking for a business to open, and came up with a clothing line with a coffee shop as an extra service to the customer. And the rest you know.


The food and drink are recipes of the wife. And the husband was the one who came up with durian flavored coffee, thus it was named gatchpuccino.

The company has garnered a few awards: National Shopper's Choice as "Best Coffee Shop in Davao" and Philippine Marketing Excellence Award as the "Most Outstanding Coffee Shop in Davao City for 2004".

Due to the success of Blugre, they now have a sister company - Kape't Pandesal in SM City Davao.

The three stores are located in Landco bldg., at the Pryce business park, Bajada. G-mall and the next one is in Matina Town Square.

They also offer wifi connection, if that is a must to you. To me, not really. I prefer to sip my drink and have small talks with friends.

Blugre, is one of my favorite places to hang out. If ever I am in a bad mood due to my boss at work or really depressed, I should have a glass of any kind of product from this coffee shop and a cake. And that really bounce me back to my happy self again.

And here's a very nice news! They are open for franchise outside of Davao. So those who are interested! Click here!

Update 2012: Blugre has already expanded and is available in almost all Malls in Davao.

Figaro, have been around in Davao for I think about 2 or 3 years now.... not sure.

However this is not Davao's homegrown, Figaro is a franchise from Manila. Their main product line is organic coffee, this is a 100% Filipino owned company. I hear they are planning to open more stores abroad.  This company started sometime in 1993 and has a sister company - Boyd’s Coffee Co.

I've gone only once in this store, since it's not 100% Davao homegrown, hehehe!!

First location is in Sales St. near Chimes, now they can be found in the Malls.

 Coffee @ Yellow Hauz, this just opened sometime in 2006, the nice thing about this place is that, it looks exactly like a house, a yellow house that is.

Prices of their food and beverages are not so expensive, so it's a good place to go and enjoy your money's worth.

As for their sitting, there is a lot to choose from, you can sit in couches, just like in a living room and they have a few around, or if you prefer secluded nooks, they have that too. Or! There is the great outdoors, sitting under a canopy, just beside the house. It's a really cozy place.

And they are wifi ready.

This is owned by the two siblings - April Denise San Pedro and Alessandra San Pedro. You want to see more pictures? Click on this link .

This is located in V. Mapa St. near Mabini Street, it's very hard to miss, look for the house painted in yellow infront of.........I forgot the name of the church.

And this is Davao City's homegrown, so definitely, I'll be back.

Updates 2012: This is one of my favorite places to go, as the price is affordable and not too crowded.

Kasagingan, this coffee place is a treat. I totally love their outdoor sitting area, enclosed and surrounded with flowers, shrubs and what else? But a Saging tree! Great concept.

Just sitting under the canopy is such fun already. The place for me is really charming. And true to it's name, a lot of their dishes and drinks are banana inspired.

This is located along F. Torres St., fronting Davao Convention.  There's a big sign outside so you can't miss it.

And as for parking space, it's inside the entrance gate, you might miss this, since the gate is kinda small, but don't be deceive, there's a lot of space inside, or just go through the exit, there are still more parking space there.

By the way this is also Davao's homegrown. So you betcha I'll be back to this place and hang out from time to time.

And I urge you to read their posters, it will definitely give a smile on your face. They are also wifi ready.

As far as I know the owner is Mr. Lyndon Ong.



Previously posted in Multiply on July 4, 2007

Red Knight Garden

8th Street, Guadalupe Village, Lanang, Davao City
A restaurant tuck away in Guadalupe Village.

The first time I heard about it, I thought it's just a small restaurant. But when I got there, whoa! The restaurant is only a small portion, this place is actually an apartelle, it has a swimming pool, a small garden and lots of room. I thought it was a new establishment, but it's not.

After a small chit chat with the waitress, we were informed that most of the people who are occupaying the rooms are largerly foreigners. They love the place coz it's a good place to relax, and away from the noise of the city life.

Browsing in their menu was such a treat also, aside from the Filipino dishes they also have good selection of Scottish foods. As the owner is also a foreigner. The price is not so bad, they have food priced from 150 to 500, but believe me, it's worth it. The food taste so good and the serving is a lot, mind you. They also have a different kind of desserts, different kinds of pie with ice cream. That was a new one for me, so hubby and I went ahead and ordered one. Take a look:

Doesn't look quite impressive right? But if you take a slice of the pie and add the ice cream on top of it, yummy!!  You'd want a second serving of this stuff. hehehehe!

Davao really has good places to go to, tucked away in places you'd never thought. I'd recommend you visit their official webpage and get the info you want first hand -> Red Knight Garden

Or you can call them up at 2348899, they are open from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm. Enjoy!


And while browsing saw an interesting blog, so I'll try it out too, hehehehe! I dunno if this would merit a good approval from Davao Cuisine but it never hurts to try.

- previously posted in Multiply on May 3, 2007, this entry won in the Davao Cuisine blog contest.