- Blogie
- 5 October 2007 – 4:14 pm
Food is a tricky business — if you don’t get the right formula, chances are your restaurant or café or bistro will close shop. That’s probably why many businessmen who venture into the food & beverages industry stick with what’s proven. In Davao that would be barbecue joints or Chinese restaurants. Or if there’s ample capital, a franchise from fast food chains.
That’s why I find it very refreshing and exciting when more adventurous entrepreneurs come up with something new in the Davao restaurant scene. Alias Bar & Shahzad Restaurant was one, I thought. It’s a fairly new place (they opened last 28 July 2007) that offers authentic Pakistani and Indian food. I say authentic only because the owner is a Pakistani (who can speak fluent Japanese, I was delighted to find out). Finally, a place that serves South Asian cuisine — I adore deliciously hot, spicy dishes! 
••• Read on »
- Blogie
- 4 October 2007 – 11:37 pm
For those of you who are into online poker, blackjack, roulette and other popular online casino games, it might be a good idea for you to check out this Web portal first: Online Casino Bluebook. It’s a resource site that shows a list of the top 10 online casinos, among other things. ••• Read on »
- Blogie
- 4 October 2007 – 10:47 pm
Cheers to my AngDabawenyo.com blog! This is my 100th post, so some friends and I toasted this humble milestone with a few beers. Fellow blogger Maej Villanueva, entertainer extraordinaire Ahbet Padilla, new friend and chef Jenny Tan, and fellow student of Nihongo Peter Labor kept me company that night.
We were with a couple hundred Dabawenyos at the Victoria Plaza carpark, where one of several Oktoberfest celebrations have kicked off in Davao. By the looks of it, this one will most probably last the whole month of October. It’s located in front of 51 Coffee Shop and Buffet Palace — you can’t miss it, what with the humongous San Miguel tents covering the entire area. ••• Read on »
- Blogie
- 28 September 2007 – 2:21 pm
Swiss Deli, that chic European restaurant in Lanang, has recently completed renovations and now features extended dining space in a new wing. The al fresco area is also now much cooler, even during hot afternoons. Most importantly, Signor Romano Venuti has added a charming wine cellar at the basement of the new wing.
Last Wednesday night saw Rochelle Venuti, Ahbet, Miguel and me at The Cellar for a bottle of their house red. The Ventisquero Cabernet-Sauvignon Clásico is another product of Chile that I now enjoy — but I’m still holding on to the Sta Rita cabsav as my favorite red. The Ventisquero (2005) sells for Php361 per bottle. With its deep woody texture, it was perfect with the sausages and cold cuts that we had. ••• Read on »
- Blogie
- 25 September 2007 – 4:54 pm
Today my folks and I had a very enjoyable lunch with my friend, Bob Martin, and his family at their lovely home. The Martins were at our home some weeks ago and we treated them to Filipino fare. This time, we were treated to American cooking — Bob’s mother, Billie, described it as a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
The butterball turkey, which is available in grocery stores in Davao by the way, was really good! They had it prepared lechon-style at Lechoneros. I’m prefer white meat because it’s healthier, and not because it’s tastier — but the turkey breast was juicy. ••• Read on »
- Blogie
- 10 September 2007 – 8:18 pm
It’s always a delight to discover little places with great food. And that was my experience when I went to Pinutos for after-drinks dining with friends. The place is al fresco, decorated simply — far from the look and feel of expensive restaurants, but comfortable enough.
The food, though, now that’s what you’d go to Pinutos for. I had the Crispy Tadyang (deep-fried beef ribs) and Binagoongan Rice — not a very healthy dish… but when you have it that good, who cares? My friends had Adobo and Kalderetang Baka, which of course I had a taste of as well. The pork adobo was awesome! It gave me a very homey feeling, as well as a palate-satisfying effect. ••• Read on »
- Blogie
- 3 September 2007 – 7:44 pm
Durian, mangosteen, marang, lanzones, rambutan, pineapple, watermelon, pomelo, papaya, atis, and more durian!
The streets of Davao are awash with a variety of tropical fruits in season. Just walk around and you won’t miss it! From August to October each year, Dabawenyos are blessed with an abundance of fruits, you wouldn’t believe it! Just stroll around the city and you’re sure to bump into a sidewalk vendor or an open-air fruit stand.
Come to Davao and experience paradise!
- Blogie
- 31 August 2007 – 7:19 pm
There used to be a post here about a website that offered deals in airfare and similar stuff. And then after about a month, I got an email from their vice-president for marketing asking me to remove the post and all links to their site. The VP said that it wasn’t anything to do with my blog, but stopped at that. No reason whatsoever.
This was originally a sponsored post, an assignment I got from ReviewMe.com. I told the VP that I had to ask ReviewMe first. What was strange was, this person was so insistent. Good thing ReviewMe replied soon enough and informed me that it was OK to remove the post (with no refund of payments).
So that’s why this post has been changed. Truth is, I didn’t want to completely delete it because it would ruin my post count, making my 100th post invalid! 
If you travel by air a lot — and especially if you’re always on the lookout for the most inexpensive airline fares —
cheapoair is the most recommended Web portal for you.
While other similar online services feature the usual flights search engine, cheapoair’s powerful “Search cheapest flights” engine provides a complete interface for booking your trips. After specifying your airports of origin and destination, you can input other pieces of information that will help you find the perfect flight details. You can even specify multiple hops with different flight dates. And since it doubles as a booking facility, you can also indicate how many companions (adult or children) you will have with you on your flight. ••• Read on »
- Blogie
- 31 August 2007 – 6:10 pm
The old PTA Park, as everyone in Davao should’ve noticed by now, has undergone a major renovation, and is due to be completed in December this year. It’s so named because of its having been the grounds used by the Parents and Teachers Association of Kapitan Tomas Monteverde High School way back when. If I’m not mistaken, the Association office had such a huge “PTA” sign, and so people started calling the place that way.
Right smack in the heart of downtown Davao, the new park, as before, will offer residents and visitors a place to unwind, relax and take in the city’s sights and sounds. The nearly 4-hectare park is nestled in the center of 3 hotels (The Apo View, Casa Leticia and Royal Mandaya Hotel) and numerous restaurants. Once finished, I imagine it’s going to be the perfect place for a quick break during weekdays, and for longer, leisurely strolls during weekends. ••• Read on »
- Blogie
- 30 August 2007 – 7:42 pm
Not that I’m naïve, but it was a shock when I saw what results come out on Google when you do an image search for “Filipina”. I’ve been encouraging my friends to join Janette Toral’s “Filipina” Writing Project, and one of them showed me the current Google image search results. To put it very lightly, I was utterly dismayed. I don’t even want to describe it here, for fear of adding to the already negative connotation of the keyword.
The “Filipina” Writing Project aims to debunk the current search results associated with the keyword “Filipina” coming out of major Internet search engines. By generating more positive content related to this keyword, and via the pervasive effects of good SEO techniques, the Project hopes to spread an improved — and true — image of the Filipino woman. ••• Read on »
