I was having a terrific lunch of Pesto Cream Spaghetti and Grilled Porkchops the other day when my cousin raved about her friend’s cupcakes. I asked her what was special about it. She said they were soft, creamy, rich and downright sinful. I said ok I’m sold, what do I order? She recommended the Red Velvet cupcakes by Johnny Cupcakes.

Johnny Cupcakes is owned by CCA-trained Davaoeno John Ramirez. For now, he takes orders from his home but will soon set up shop on Jacinto Extension where his new store is being built.

I was so excited when I received my box of cupcakes. As soon as I took a bite, I was in cupcake heaven (if there is one). The cupcakes were nice and moist and not too sweet. The frosting was really creamy too. I’ve tasted high-end cupcakes such as Sonja’s in Manila, but I found their cupcakes somewhat dry. Johnny’s, on the other hand, are super moist (yes I have to say it again), and I could tell he doesn’t scrimp on ingredients.

Because of that, his cupcakes are a little on the expensive side. He sells them by the box of 6 pieces at P500, about P80 per piece. But I assure you, it’s worth it! These are perfect as Christmas giveaways and holiday treats for your kids. Other flavors include Chocolate Torte, Vanilla Torte, Carrot Cake and Tiramisu.

Johnny Cupcakes
Price Range: P100
Address: Ecoland Subdivision, Matina, Davao City
For Orders Call: 09088606925

The last leg of the Davao Food Appreciation Tour (DFAT) was done at the Italian Restaurant, Spirale, in Damosa. It would be my 5th or 6th time to eat here. In a word, Spirale food is excellent. Our group of bloggers was in high spirits when we were served a wonderful sampling of their menu, instead of the usual complete meals. But I don’t mind. After the gluttony that went on for 3 days, I didn’t mind a break at all!

When you visit Spirale, don’t forget to check out their more elaborate overhead blackboard menu. It shows their current specials and more popular dishes. I highly recommend the Roasted Garlic Chicken.

Spirale Ristorante
Cuisine: Italian
Entree Price Range: P200-P500
Address: Damosa Complex, Lanang, Davao City
For Reservations: (082) 234-6298

Caffe Firenzo – A new homegrown cafe. Its second branch on Quirino Avenue is perfect for bloggers. Has lots of tables and corresponding outlets to plug into. I’m not a coffee drinker but I heard their Lavazza brews are good. I’m in love with their iced green teas that are available in a dozen flavors. Their cakes are nice but pretty standard — most come from Lachi’s and Sugar Munch.

Wifi: Free; Electricity: Free; Outlets: Everywhere

Damosa Gateway, Lanang, Davao City and Quirino Avenue, Davao City

Fagioli Coffee Club – A cafe chain originally from General Santos City, owned by the Rebosura sisters. Their store near Damosa is spacious but outlets could be scarce. The seats near the waterfall windows tend to bump into your laptop’s charger. But try their paninis. They’re the best in town. Try the Crabstick and Chicken variations. Oh, and check out their comfort room too. It’s an experience by itself.

Wifi: Free; Electricity: Free; Outlets: Scattered in corners

Address: J.P. Laurel Avenue, Lanang, Davao City and 1/F Casabella Building, Quirino Avenue, Davao City.

Kangaroo Coffee Company – If there was a prize for Best Service Crew in a Coffee Shop, Kangaroo’s deserves it. Pleasant and professional, they remember your name after a few visits and treat you like VIP. This joint offers a charming ambiance for blogging. Also, for P300, you get to try the rare but famous Civet Cat coffee (Cafe Balos). Personally, it freaks me out but patrons love its unique taste.

Wifi: Free; Electricity: Free; Outlets: Everywhere

Address: Tionko Street, Davao City

Coffee at Yellow Hauz – Located on Mapa Street, the owners transformed the ground floor of their home into a cozy coffee place, while maintaining the second floor as their residence. It has been a while since I’ve been there, but I do recall doing some of my blogging work there. Their iced teas and mini-pizzas are great.

Wifi: Free; Electricity: P50/3 hours; Outlets: Sparse

Address: Mapa Street corner Mabini Street, Davao City

Kopi Roti – An import from Singapore, Kopi Roti is one of my favorite places to both blog and hangout with friends. We love their Kopi Bun. Usually, I pair it with a strong cup of native hot chocolate. On some days, I sip on an Iced Tea Tarik and munch on a buttery French Toast. My only complaint is their rowdy baristas who border on being palengkera (people with poor manners).

Wifi: Free; Electricity: P30; Outlets: Scattered in corners

Address: Jacinto Extension, Davao City

I was lucky enough to tag along with a bunch of bloggers for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Taj Minar. Not many people I know like Indian food. Well, that only means one thing. More Indian food for me!

On hand to smash their diets with me were Ria, Blogie, Lyle, Brendel, Chicklet and Mac. Chicklet and Mac are my good friends whom I invited because I knew they loved Taj Minar. Heck, my last time at Taj Minar before this one was with — guess who — them! Admittedly, I wasn’t able to fully appreciate the food because I was too busy taking pictures. But believe me, taking these pics were a pain because I can see the others were already busy eating. Nevertheless, there was still food on the table after I finished my business, and it was great!

The owner, Zafar Khan, was there himself to entertain us. I can tell that he is a very hands-on kind of person who sees to it that we’re receiving the best service possible. And that is the case not just because we were his guests that night, but in the last few occasions I was there, he provided us the same level of generosity and warmth.

Taj Minar Indian Restaurant and Bar
Cuisine: Indian
Entree Price Range: P60-260
Notes: Converts into a bar with belly dancers late at night. Could be noisy when nearby bars start pumping loud music.
Address: Damosa Gateway, Lanang, Davao City
For Reservations: (082) 305-5849
URL: www.tajminar.com

Mamu’s gracious manager, Luvluv Tan, made sure we were all comfortable and took us on a mini tour of an adjacent hotel owned by Ferrazzini — Anisabel Suites. I learned that Ferazzini, himself a talented architect, designed both Mamu’s and Anisabel Suites. Each room is cleverly designed and the furnitures, fixtures and upholstery befit a king (or queen ). Easily beats the suites of the Marco Polo, Apo View or Casa Leticia combined. Ms. Tan says they needed to “compete”. I share her enthusiasm. Anisabel Suites is an excellent choice for anyone visiting Davao City.

Back to the food: Ms. Tan gave us several recommendations such as the Shrimp Kinilaw, Beef Abodo (yes you read that right) Tortang Talong and the Chicken Tinuyuan.

Mamu’s
Cuisine: Filipino Fine Dining
Entree Price Range: P200-300
Notes: Free wifi is a plus. Waiters could use some training.
Hours: Mon-Sat 9AM-11PM; Sun 5PM-11PM
Address: F anc C Building, Bacaca Road, Rolling Hills, Davao City
For Reservations: Mobile – 0917.623.6724; Tel – 082.225.8114

Since when did blogger gatherings become “Plurkfiestas”? I become jealous when I hear about bloggers in Manila spontaneously organizing these so-called plurkfiestas. Thus, last week, I thought of inviting a few blogger friends here in Davao for a dinner-cum-plurkfiesta. We agreed on Tadakuma, a trendy new Japanese restaurant in Damosa.

Blogie was able to invite Chattee and Jaime over and I got Migs to come too. Tadakuma has an older branch on Jacinto Street and one near the airport. It’s gone through a couple of name changes: Ramen Tei and Mabo. If I’m not mistaken, they also had one branch near the old airport when it was still Ramen Tei but I’m not sure if they’re in any way connected to the Ramen Tei chain in Manila.

I wanted to try something out of the ordinary. Since everyone else was thinking ‘ramen’, I went for the Ebi Shitake Ramen. It looked pretty tempting on the menu and I can never go wrong with mushrooms and crustaceans. Jim ordered some California Maki and Gyoza for all of us to eat on the side. The gyoza, for me, was the star of the show. It’s by far the best I’ve tasted in Davao. The ramen was great on its own right. The big helpings of jumbo shrimp and shitake mushrooms were a nice surprise. Suffice to say that I’m coming back for more!

Tadakuma
Cuisine: Japanese
Notes: Parking is vast. Service a little slow and credit cards not yet accepted. Be wary of the seats outside as they are not properly built. Careless, you may tip over face-down onto your table (almost happened to my aunt and her husband).
Address: Damosa Business Center, Mamay Road, Lanang, Davao City

My trip to General Santos City was unforgettable not only because of the beautiful city and people, but of the sumptuous food! On the night we arrived, our friend Avel Manansala treated us to a dinner at Grab A Crab. When I heard of the name, I was thinking the restaurant was more in the lines of picking out a crab and have it cooked for you. To my pleasant surprise, everything was a la carte (ok, I’m afraid of live crabs). Michael Wee, its owner, is into construction, and it is quite apparent in the building that houses Grab A Crab. The architecture has a nice Mediterranean vibe to it, but Grab a Crab is essentially a Chinese restaurant.

For starters, we had a plate of mixed cold cuts of Hainanese chicken, century egg, seaweed and slice beef with oyster sauce.

For our meal, we had:

And the highlight of my night was:

I’ve never tasted chicken this good! Crispy, buttery and garlicky — perfection! You must not forget to order this one.

Grab A Crab
Cuisine: Chinese
Address: Laurel East Avenue, General Santos City
For Reservations: (083) 553-5430, 553-4878, 301-0555

Kangaroo Coffee Company is one of my absolute favorite coffee places in the city. I was at their cafe last week with a couple of my cousins for dessert. I got my usual order: Hot Native Chocolate (P60) and a Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin (P90). This muffin is a force to be reckoned with. Nice and crusty on the outside and soft and oozing with chocolate chips on the inside. It is perfect. Other must-trys are the Tuna Pesto and Dried Fish pastas if you’re a little adventurous and hungry. The garlic breads are excellent! The perky and friendly baristas add to the whole dining experience. I’ll be back.

Kangaroo Coffee Company
Price Range: Coffee: P100-300; Food: P100-150
Notes: Kangaroo also offers the fabled Civet Cat Coffee (P300). Free wireless Internet available.
Hours: Open Mon-Sat
Address:Mitaji Building, Tiongko Street, Davao City
For Reservations:222-2766

Hooked up with a couple of my cousins for a small dinner-cum-catch-up session at Al Fresco. I’ve heard of the place a few times but never had the time to check it out. To me though, the name “Al Fresco” didn’t jive. The three tables located outside seemed to serve as a smoking area more than anything. Eating inside is the way to go. The food was nice but took quite a bit to prepare. I got the Osso Buco (P250) and I especially liked the brown rice that came with it. Both my companions ordered the thick bacon rice bowl (P89 — cheap!), which they thoroughly enjoyed.

Al Fresco Cafe and Lounge
Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Entree Price Range: P90-P250
Notes: Laptop users take up the best seats, seating may be tough at peak hours. Restaurant is not alfresco. Service is slow.
Address: J.P. Laurel Avenue, Lanang, Davao City
For Reservations: 234-3784

FU by Hai Shin Lou
Cuisine: Chinese Fusion
Address: Ground Level, Serendra Piazza, Mc Kinley Parkway, Fort Bonifacio, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila
For Reservations: 856-0913, 909-5117