With a limited number of restaurants here in Davao City offering authentic Thai cuisine, Thai food enthusiasts know for a fact how difficult it is to satisfy one's palate. 

Marco Polo Davao opened a wonderful opportunity for Thai food enthusiasts as they bring another Southeast Asian flavor to Café Marco with its Thai Food Festival, with guest Chef Baupha from Hong Kong. Guests from various sectors including the diplomatic corps, government offices were present to celebrate the week-long festival of flavors which will run until July 6 and will showcase some of Thailand’s signature dishes.

Chef Nontra-Udon Baupha, a Thai national, brought with him his 38 years of culinary experience in Thai cuisine for the festival. He is currently with the Marco Polo Prince Hotel but has worked from various hotels and restaurants both in Thailand and Hong Kong such as Imperial Hotel (Thailand), Tip Top Thai Restaurant (Thailand) and Supapra’s Thai Restaurant (Hong Kong). 

Guest enjoyed an array of authentic Thai cuisine and fusion flavors which include Tom yam kung, Phad Thai, Chicken Satay, Thai chicken rice, Mango sticky rice and rich flavors of Thai grilled seafood items. Diners can enjoy this authentic Thai buffet every lunch and dinner at Php1500 per person from June 30 to July 06, 2017.

CAFE MARCO

Level 2, Marco Polo DavaoP.O. Box 81540 CM Recto Street, Davao City 8000, Philippines

Contact No: (63 82) 221 0888 local 7222
https://www.facebook.com/marcopolodavaohotel
Instagram: @marcopolodavao

Twitter: @marcopolodavao

Last Saturday, I was one of the foodies who got to enjoy a sumptuous seafood feast at Marco Polo Davao’s Seafood Dinner Buffet. For reasons I could not fathom, it has been years since I found out that I became hypersensitive to crustaceans and mollusks. To others who experience the same thing, every trip to a seafood buffet felt like going on a suicide mission, but for me, it’s simply what I rationalize as desensitization.  As long as I pop in an antihistamine a few minutes before the feast, I simply believe I will be just fine (and I was even until now, hence this post!)

One of the hotel’s exciting treats this summer, Marco Polo Davao’s Seafood Dinner Buffet will satisfy seafood cravings every Friday and Saturday until April 29, 2017 at Cafe Marco. This treat is a perfect alternative for guests who chose to abstain from meat during the Lenten season. Diners will get to feast on abundant fresh produce like crabs, shrimps, shells and various fish that can be enjoyed in different preparations according to the guest’s preference. The wide array of delectable seafood selection definitely stood out from the other food stations readily available on a regular Cafe Marco buffet.

Those whose palates lean more towards the carnivorous side will never go hungry as well since meat dishes are also available. But of course, one must also save room for desserts! 

For only Php 1500.00 per person, Cafe Marco's Seafood Dinner Buffet will not make you only "see" the food, but you have to "taste" the food and eat all you can in order to enjoy it. 

CAFE MARCO
Level 2, Marco Polo Davao
P.O. Box 81540 CM Recto Street, 
Davao City 8000, Philippines
Contact No: (63 82) 221 0888 local 7222
https://www.facebook.com/marcopolodavaohotel

Instagram: @marcopolodavao

Twitter: @marcopolodavao

My love for breakfast food made me always on the lookout for interesting ideas to make food more exciting. I have been really interested to try making quiches but the idea of using a doughy crust somehow influenced me to forego trying. But when I stumbled upon posts wherein traditional crusts are replaced with much more interesting ingredients such as bacon, I decided to give it a shot. 

So instead of the usual dough as a crust, I decided to replace it with bacon. It's not only packed with flavor but it's also saturated with protein that makes these quiches perfect to munch anytime of the day, and delightfully nutritious, too! 

YOU'LL BE NEEDING:

2 large eggs
6 slices honey cured bacon

Spinach leaves

Jolly Whole Kernel Corn

Quickmelt Cheese

Salt and Pepper
Butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Coat your cups (or muffin pan) with butter so that the bacon won't stick.

2. Line each cup with slices of bacon. 

3. Divide spinach, corn and cheese among cups. 

4. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Take note that the bacon can already add up to the saltiness of the egg so be careful not to add too much salt in it. 

5. Carefully and evenly pour egg mixture into cups, at least 2/3 of it, making sure it's not filled up.

6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.

7. Allow to cool before loosening edges with a knife or spatula.

8. Serve.

This recipe is very simple and easy to modify according to your preference. You can also use different vegetables according to your liking.

How do you make your quiche? Share it in the comment box below. 

I've been trying hard to lose some weight in preparation for my summer escapades that I decided to ditch some calories off by fasting from rice and thought of ways to prepare my food in more exciting ways to compensate. I noticed that in the course of a few weeks, I have been preparing the same old recipes considering that I'm still a noob when it comes to cooking. 

But lo and behold, some things just make the perfect addition to the ordinary recipes, and one of which is CORN! So to make my ordinary favorites go more nutritious, more flavorful and more exciting, I tried adding whole corn kernels to my all-time favorite chicken poppers.

INGREDIENTS:

250 grams ground chicken meat
1 pc red onion
1/2 cup flour
1 whole egg
salt and pepper
Jolly Whole Corn Kernels
cooking oil for frying (you can also bake!)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine chicken meat, onion, flour and egg in a large bowl. Sprinkle salt and pepper. 

2. Roll the mixture into balls. Add corn kernels. You can also add cheese to make it even more exciting.

3. When the oil is hot, fry the chicken balls and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Remove the chicken balls to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil.

That's it! Making chicken poppers go jolly is such a breeze! You can also serve it with a dip but I opted mine to be plain and simple but packed with flavor and excitement. 

I still got more recipes to share so be sure to follow this blog. Happy munching! 

It's been raining here in Davao and this cuddle weather makes me crave for suman at sikwate. To those who don't have any idea about it, suman is a popular delicacy here in the Philippines, which is made up of glutinous rice wrapped in leaves and cooked in coconut milk. It is usually served sprinkled with sugar and best served with sikwate, the Cebuano version of hot chocolate. 

I had this photo taken during my trip to Buda last summer with my blogger friends. We dropped off at the Seagull Mountain Resort, which had the best suman + sikwate I've tried so far. My standard is quite high when it comes to suman, but this one got me asking for another serving. In fact, I wouldn't really mind travelling back again to Seagull just to have a fill of these because it's really worth the distance and the calories. 

Have you tried the suman at sikwate at Seagull Mountain Resort?

Most people say that if you want to learn about the world, go out and travel more because what's written in the books is only an understatement. But, if you want to get the most out of your travel, there is no other better way but to immerse yourself and get lost in your destination's grassroots.

To some, planning a travel provides a sense of fulfillment but to others, it can be a daunting task. Guide books and travel blogs may seem to help a lot but a lot of hidden secrets are best discovered through the eyes of  a local. 

Good thing there's a new traveler's market place online, Withlocals, which offers a more convenient and strategic way of reaching out to locals and establish a connection between travelers and locals with unique and and personalized experiences.

Withlocals is a peer-to-peer marketplace wherein local people can offer their experiences, services and skills to travelers. These experiences fall into three categories:

• EAT Withlocals - The best food that a certain destination offers can not be found in the most expensive restaurant but can be experience from a home of a local. Taste the country and savor its culture by dining in a home of a local family. 
• TOURS Withlocals - Nobody knows a place better than a local. Be prepared to discover more a lot about a certain destination through the guidance of local hosts, that even guide books do not offer.
• ACTIVITIES Withlocals - Take part in activities and learn new skills from local hosts by living a day in their usual lives.

Withlocals has already been established in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia to name a few but in the near future, Filipinos will be given the chance to showcase their hospitality to the world because Withlocals will soon be launched in the Philippines. Register as a host or a traveler because now is the perfect opportunity to show the world what Filipinos are truly made of. 

To learn more about Withlocals, check out their website HERE.

If there's one thing to be proud about being a Filipino, I think one of which is our ingenuity in coming up with new ideas most especially in food. Say for example, a typical Filipino street food called Ginanggang na Saging, which is an unripened banana grilled over charcoal, coated with margarine and sprinkled with white or brown sugar. As to why it is called such, I absolutely don't have an idea. Not advisable for the faint of gut though, as this street food may cause intestinal upset since some starch content of the banana may not be thoroughly cooked.

Spotted this street food outside Ateneo de Davao University along Claveria St and for only Php 15.00, you get to enjoy a stick of delectable goodness. Best paired with an ice-cold bottle of soda on a hot day, always.

Grab a bite. 

Before I proceed with this quick post, let me first greet everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR! It has been a very busy December for me that's why I fail to update this blog more often. I know I have been guilty of missing in action but I do hope that this 2014, I'll be able to update this as often as I can. 

For days now, I've been craving for this Bacon breakfast from Cafe Demitasse. If I have enough room for a full meal every time I visit this place, I always opt to order bacon, which can be paired either with a waffle or a cup of rice. Some of my friends don't like it because of the flour coating but I like it as it is - crispy and not too overwhelming. Or simply maybe, you could blame my love for bacon for my unreasonable taste. I just love bacon that much that every bacon seems delicious.

Give it a try and tell me what you think.

This Christmas, indulge in something new by dining the Korean way! 

Bulgogi Brothers offers a delectable Beef Bulgogi Platter for Christmas season starting December 1, 2013 to January 31, 2014. There are two sets of beef bulgogi platter to choose from and one set is good for 3-4 persons for only P995.00 per platter.

Just when we thought that we already had enough of authentic Chinese cuisine from Chef Lu, we were totally wrong. Our brunch was actually followed by a 5-course meal from no other than Davao's top of the class Chinese restaurant, the Lotus Court at Marco Polo Hotel Davao. I bet our tummies were already about to surrender so we resorted to a 10-minute walk from Chef Lu to Marco Polo Hotel in order to give way for the upcoming gastronomic feast.

We felt like royalties with the exquisite 5-course meal Lotus Court has prepared for us. The end result: 3 HOURS of incomparable gastronomic satisfaction which made me conclude that this was the best meal I had so far for the entire DFAT 2013 adventure.

Here's a glimpse of what Lotus Court has prepared for us, but in actuality and based on the following pictures, we got more than what was written in the menu. Get ready to drool!

Appetizer: Roast Suckling Pig Combination

Unlimited Dimsum  (Hakao, Pork and Shrimp Siomai and Shao Lung Pao)

Happy first of August! I have a feeling this month's going to be awesome!

After two days of nonstop binge-eating of delicious food from different participating restaurants, we still had to prepare our tummies for the third and final day of the DFAT 2013 adventure. This time, we reserved our tummies for authentic Chinese cuisine, thus giving you a taste of Hongkong, from Chef Lu restaurant. 

Just a tidbit of information, Chef Lu restaurant is named, of course, after Chef Lu, a Hong-kong trained chef and teacher of cooking lessons in Manila for over 40 years. If you're  a fan of Mandarin Tea Garden, then you'd be delighted to know that Chef Lu was actually one of the people who established it here in Davao.

During the event, we were served with different authentic Chinese cuisine and Hong Kong style dishes which this restaurant exclusively boasts of here in Davao. I admit I wasn't a fan of Chinese and Cantonese dishes but having a taste of what Chef Lu has offered us definitely changed my mind.

Here are their delicious offerings:

Egg Noodles with Spicy Meat Sauce

Salted Dumplings

Salted Dumplings (inside) 

Every bite of their signature dishes is delightfully delicious. I highly recommend the Salted Dumplings because it is far from the usual Chinese dumpling you tried in other Chinese Restaurant. The outer shell  made up of glutinous rice is surprisingly crunchy on the outside but soft and pretty chewy on the inside. In addition to that, the mixture of shrimp, ground pork, mushroom and spring onion really complement the taste of its shell.

Chef Lu's famous egg tarts

One of their popular offerings is the Egg Tart. I have not yet tasted this one but according to le boyfriend, it tastes really really good.