Here are a few random photos that I can share which were taken during the demo workshop on baking conducted by Chef Simone De Vera (who handles the Baking & Pastry Arts at Gourmet Bites) last April 21, 2012 for those who wanted to learn how to bake classic special occasion cakes like chiffon cake and chocolate cake with marshmallow icing…

Chef Sime of Gourmet Bites

They offer these one-day demo workshops at an affordable and reasonable price. Participants also get to take home the yummy and delicious cakes, pastries and goodies that they bake too! *wink*

They also have hands-on baking workshops and cooking class. They also have classes for professional series like fundamentals for culinary arts, bread making and pastry arts. Just check the end of this post for details on where you may contact or visit them for your questions.

I have never attended a real baking class since so when I got a message from Chef Sime if I’d be interested to join Gourmet Bites baking class last April, I could not say no. She knows I had wanted to learn how to make icing which I have been craving for when we met at the school a month or so before. I had been wanting to learn how to make cake icing that time. I had long forgotten what my mommy had taught me. My mommy loved to bake chiffon, chocolate and banana cake when I was so young which would be around the late 80′s. I love baking more than cooking but obviously I love eating more right that is why I now became a part time food tripper.

I felt lucky to have attended this through the generosity of the lovely and kind couple Chef Sime and Jay! A heartfelt thank you from the bottom of my heart! I always wanted to start a new hobby and maybe baking will be that hobby I am looking for to make my leisure time more productive. It could be a business opportunity in the future for me being a work at home mom. Who knows right?

Don’t just watch MasterChef or Junior MasterChef on TV and dream being a chef. Make your dream and your kids’ dream a reality! It will be a fun and creative way to learn baking or cooking and spend the remaining time of their summer vacation or your leisure time. Who knows especially for moms like me, you may be able to start your own home based business in baking pastries and goodies that you can start selling to your friends, office mates, neighbors and other people you may know.

Attending this was like a surprise belated birthday gift actually. Thank you Lord for letting us meet genuinely kind and generous people who share their talent and time to make us learn more on baking!

This is not a paid post by the way. I am not connected to Gourmet Bites or SDSBTC. I am simply sharing this to all readers who may have the interest and hidden passion for baking (like me) and cooking (for my hubby) who are looking for short term workshops and classes. They have half day or one day baking/cooking workshops, boot camps in baking and the Weekend Chef Series. If you want to learn how to bake and cook, check out what classes and workshops they have to offer at Gourmet Bites or attend their culinary arts training at Saint Dominic Savio Business and Technical College.

I am encouraging moms even dads, or single ladies and gentlemen, and even your kids who may want to learn baking and cooking like a MasterChef to visit them at Saint Dominic Savio at the Suarez Bros. Building right in front of Limso Hospital at Ilustre Street, Davao City. You may call them at (082) 305 4237 / 295 7178 / 284 0579 /301 8056. Their mobile numbers are 0922 878 9751 (SUN) or 0908 893 3498 (SMART).

Gourmet Bites is an SDSBTC Culinary Arts Extension. Check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/gourmetbites or https://www.facebook.com/sdsbtc.

This biscotti is what CBTL says to be the perfect cookie designed to be dipped in coffee or hot chocolate, baked with their very own chocolate covered espresso beans and pistachio bits.

I preferred it be served and eaten when still hot. Try it!

Crispy Kare-Kare | Hukad sa Golden Cowrie Abreeza

We liked dining at Hukad when we want something reasonably priced and delicious Filipino food. Yesterday we decided to have an early dinner with hubby before he left for work. I wanted something new and I saw this crispy kare-kare for P195 which is already good for two (depending on one’s appetite actually).

It was crispy + delicious = crispylicious! The kare-kare sauce looks really delicious and love the color of the sauce! Though my taste buds wished somehow for a Nanay B’s kare-kare sauce taste… just kidding *wink*!

This crispy kare-kare from Hukad is a must try among their Crispy Specials!

There are other delicious dishes to try like their crispy pata which is a must, almost always found in every table as an order of dining customers there making it a best seller among their dishes.

By the way, when dining at Hukad you can ask for their free hot soup. Just ask from the waiters like our suki Rogel (congrats in advance on your promotion!) or ask from their very accommodating supervisor Rex. I really like to have soup when I have something crispy-licious such as this crispy kare-kare!

Hukad will open another branch at SM City Davao Annex this July 2012 and other one in SM Lanang Premier later this year.

Then a few days after that this new restaurant called The Bagnetian Kitchen opened during the third week of April in this new place in the city called Brick Lane Square. I have noticed this new place when it was still being constructed since we pass by the place oh so often.

Then I discovered there is this “kitchen” which will be a haven for bagnet lovers in Davao City who crave for this so-called Ilocano version of the lechon kawali and which is also known as Ilocano chicharon baboy.

The Bagnetian Kitchen is owned by Angelo who comes from Manila and makes us wonder at first why he is in Davao starting a business and not in Manila. Oh yes we know… Davao, life is here right! Anyway, we then learned his girlfriend Leah is from Davao.

We first went here on a late Friday evening – gimmick night in the city and Brick Lane Square is a new place in Davao for those who want to gimmick with friends and enjoy the night life. It was their first Friday since they opened. We rushed there as soon as hubby came home from work. I was initially disappointed because their bagnet was already out of stock. Though it was expected since they had been serving it for lunch and dinner. I only got to take a photo of their menu which I shared with my friends through Instagram and Facebook. We left and we had to find another place to dine for our late dinner on a Friday. We ended up in Abreeza that night.

I promised myself, I will be back with my boys. Nabitin ako sa bagnet ng K-Twins so the following day during lunch we went back but they had this sign outside that said, they are close for lunch that day and will open at 5PM yet. Hmmmm I think my angel of health is telling me NO… stay away from bagnet and you know what is in it! LOL! They were close during Sunday then so I thought we just have to come back next week.

A friend Dulce (who saw my photo on FB) and I ended up agreeing to go there together and try this new bagnet place in Davao the following Friday. Well guess what I could not wait for Friday, the boys and I went to have a super late lunch there on Monday after we fetched the little boy from school, came home to sleep and woke up past one in the afternoon. We were just assuming we could still go to TBK. We tried and texted the mobile number they posted in their Facebook page. We got a text reply that “Sure … ” we can still come over. This is just a few minutes away. We arrived when they were about to close. We have the place to ourselves… there were no other customers.

We had already texted them our order actually since it was just a quick lunch and food trip. We ordered their spicy Bagnet Express (P160).

It was crispylicious and with that spicy twist in the taste… hmmmm delicious and yummy! A taste of heaven for our hungry tummies then!!! You can choose from mild, spicy to super spicy.

For the little boy, we ordered their one and only chicken dish… Yun na Yun Chicken (P155). The sauce made it more delicious. Hubby and I liked it… though with the little boy, we had to remove the sauce as much as possible since he just wants the chicken plain as it is.

While we were dining, we got to chat with the chef and owner Angelo who came out and asked how our food was. Food was great and that lunch was a real treat for me who was craving for bagnet. Shhhh… don’t tell my doctor. We told Angelo we will be back by Friday to have another lunch with a friend. Then last Friday, Dulce was able to join us for another lunch for us at The Bagnetian Kitchen.

I ordered the Bagnet Platter (P450)… a choice of three bagnet dishes in their menu. You can save around P30 if you order the platter. We asked Angelo what he can suggest and these were his recommendations. It was close to being like bagnet all-you-can-eat food trip. Yummy!

We had the Bagnet Express of course, now in super spicy flavor as requested by hubby after we tried the spicy one last time.

We also like the Dinuguan na Bagnet so we ordered it again and it was also recommended by the owner.

Now last but not the least is the Binagoongan Bagnet also recommended by the owner.

The little boy would only eat chicken among the dishes in their menu and so we ordered once again their Yun na Yun Chicken. This time we requested for the sauce to be served separately and this is how it looked.

Now I tried their DND Love Affair dessert, the only one actually. It’s Oreo that is deep-fried then topped with vanilla ice cream and with chocolate syrup. I will try this again next time. I also want to try making this at home. I have heard about this from someone before and it would be nice to try making this with the little boy at home.

If you love bagnet then The Bagnetian Kitchen is a place to go in Davao. They are open whole week Monday to Sunday serving lunch at 11AM-2PM and dinner at 6PM-12MN except Friday and Saturday when they extend until 2AM to serve those who gimmick and enjoy the night life in Davao going to the weekend.

I guess we have just been bagnetized! Thank you Angelo for accommodating us on our first two visits. We hope to be back again there for another doze of bagnet.

Praying for a stronger heart in me… coz he said this is not for the faint of heart! But definitely one for the bagnet lovers out there!

They have free wifi by the way.

You may follow them on Twitter @TBagnetianK … Like their page on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TheBagnetianKitchen … or text them at 0918 264 8323 for reservations.

The Bagnetian Kitchen is located at Unit 1 Brick Lane Square at Palma Gil Street, Bo. Obrero, Davao City. That’s between Wheels and More/Autoshop/Fat Bobby’s/Starr… and the Brewery. Fronting it are the Global Art and Arpochi Seafood Restaurant. You shouldn’t get lost with all these landmarks. *wink*

Speaking of garden, I then remembered these free grounds for your garden that are being given away at the Starbucks in SM Annex. There was none on display yesterday. We may not have a garden but my mom has and my sister has been asking me to get one for them. Well next time there is, I’ll grab one bag for my mom and sis.

Turon from Island Grill Express at Abreeza Mall Davao

Discovered this when we were checking if there was anything new to eat at the Food Choices area which is the food court of Abreeza Mall Davao. This turon can be bought at Island Grill Express’ extended space which is located near Sizzling Chef. They sell four of these for P20.

This is like a cheaper alternative to the turon of Hukad which is two pieces for P32. Though this has not much filling compared to one piece of that in Hukad. If you want to eat something sweet like turon at Abreeza well I may say this may do.

This is the taro milk tea from Coffee at Yellow Hauz that hubby tried when we visited them during their first Sunday food market. Hubby liked this one while the little boy and I liked their chocolate with rock salt and cheese. Almost half cheaper than Green Coffee’s. There are more and more milk tea places coming out in the city. It has become a trend and though at first I was not enticed to try it, I had learn to appreciate it after trying the milk tea from 360.

I also noticed a new milk tea place called Tea Amo when my hubby and I made a quick trip yesterday to one of the malls that is far away from us. It seems milk tea has been the new trend after the froyo. Young people follow these trends and there is a part of some of us who likes being trendy.

On the other hand, speaking of trends and being trendy, I cannot help but notice many of my friends are pregnant. Someone I know said giving birth on the year of the Dragon is a trend? I don’t want to be pressured but I have at least around 15 mommy friends and people I personally know who gave birth and are pregnant this year. I actually notice a lot these days that I often see pregnant mommies in trendy maternity dresses that made me think how I wish before, there were more of such maternity dresses that were available locally which I had found and worn during the time that I was then working and pregnant with our little boy. Maybe I just did not know where to shop. There are now more stores online that have trendy dresses for expectant moms.

What trend will I follow? Maybe I would just go for the milk tea. In as much as the little boy is already seriously and specifically asking for a baby sister in our home, it is something that we have to seriously and responsibly think about. So better and easier to got for the milk tea trend that blogger friends Mark and Andrew are so into.

Enjoy 4 new McFloat flavors this summer: Blueberry Sprite McFloat, Four Seasons Sprite McFloat, Green Apple Sprite McFloat and Honey Banana Sprite McFloat!

Out of curiosity over these new McFloat flavors that I had been seeing, I finally tried the McDo Four Seasons Sprite McFloat Summer Medley in a combo with medium fries for P55. I enjoyed drinking it as a refreshing drink on a hot summer day.

I just wonder why compared to the photo from McDo below, it was not filled up to the rim as it was served and there was little sundae added.

Often times maybe when they try to serve us faster, the quantity given is somewhat compromised, IMO. At least the quality standard is still there! So it’s good enough (though I wish there is consistency in the quantity on what is advertised) and yet despite that I have still remained a loyal McDo customer because of the quality.

I thought about it as I was checking out the outdoor umbrellas at PatioUmbrellas.com a couple of days go. They had patio umbrellas that reminded me of those new ones installed outside the Starbucks at SM Davao Annex. We went here last during my birthday as I was looking for their mint blend tea that was not available in their Abreeza branch. These umbrellas would soon be used when they start placing tables and chairs outside for those customers who would like to have coffee in an al fresco area.

By the way, sorry for the tilted photo that is taken straight out of the camera as I just took a quick snap shot when we were leaving with a grocery bag on my other hand while the little boy was tugging at my bag.

Starbucks’ chocolate dipped doughnut as ordered by the little boy…

He said he wants this doughnut after finally giving up on their apple fritter, which happened to be a fave of the hubby, and the Belgian waffle, which used to be a fave of mine. This is the first time he tried this doughnut as far as I can remember. He tried the honey glazed one after he saw his cousin ate it at the Starbucks in SM Annex.

I am not sure if he did not like it or he was just still full when he was not able to finish this one. This one costs P50 a piece.