friday night wish:

i wish i were here right now.

yep, it's that dark in there.  just like an old western saloon should be.

where there is always cold potent brew to be had, you can guzzle yourself to sleep, he he.

where the food menu is international yet unexpectedly cheap, think nasi goreng [this was a strange thing to find] to good old american burgers to european sausages.  don't forget to try the hot mustard!

where you can relax, unwind and cozily chat the night away.  not a bad idea to go by your lonesome too, there's discovery channel to stare at and soothingly faded music in the background.

where you can temporarily forget the outside world and pretend you're in an old cowboy movie, but not looking for trouble of course.

where you can find nice deli items to bring home to your kids, validating your 'me' time/date night or whatever.

i wish i were here right now. [sigh]

 DE BOERDERIJ

106-c DBC Bldg-H, McArthur Hi-way, Matina, Davao City
(near Ma-a junction and NCCC mall)

BayanSpan 082-303-2199

Smart 0921-971-1051

Globe 0927-998-5905

another crabby experience

i can't really say when i started seeing crab buffet restaurants sprouting all over the city.  to date i think i can count 5 recently opened ones.  i don't know why but i think the more high end Let's Crab Eat restaurant pushed for the opening of these more affordable options.

i got my first taste of the 'crab buffet concept' at Sari Makan Crab Buffet Restaurant.  A friend boasted of eating there twice and wanted to go back for more.  So when another friend made a quick round-up of us long time pals, Sari Makan was the first choice to feast in.  Due to the name [Crab Buffet] one friend actually thought that they only served crabs or sea food, which she is allergic to.  We contemplated on buying food for her to bring to the place [lol!].  I on the other hand was apprehensive of the crab thing, being an eat-with-your-hands kind of food, and i also dreaded the laborious task of picking the flesh from the many partitions.  Not worth the effort, most of the time, i thought.

but we were assured that there were other things to eat so we went to the place at 6 p.m.  which turned out to be the best time to arrive in a buffet restaurant.  the food is in all it's fresh, steaming-hot glory, untouched by previous diners, and the best seats in the house [meaning: nearest to the buffet table =P]

the other reason we chose the place was the unbeatable price of P270 per person which was the cheapest in it's league [or so we heard, somebody prove us wrong please].  i prepped myself by washing my hands well, instead of the usual alcogel, as it was going to be a serious meal up ahead.

the place had a straightforward, no frills ambience [hence we did not have to pay for it, he he] and can seat up to around 30 comfortably.  More importantly, i noted that the place was well-lit and really clean.  true enough there was kaldereta [i think] but it was a goat dish for sure and there was also kare-kare [oxtail stew].  Both were delicious, my friends swore, and tender too.  i can't vouch for the taste though as i do not eat goat nor beef.

i stuck to the sole crab and prawn dish which was really yummy i had to exclaim, 'sauce pa lang, ulam na!'  and the requisite fried chicken leg and of course my beloved rice.

the prawns were scrumptious.  as for the crabs, some parts were over-cooked and paste-like in texture.  but the claw-meat, which was intact and perfect, plus the finger-licking, lip-smacking sauce more than made up for that and the fact that there was hardly any aligue [crab roe].  they also had a decent dessert spread which i unfortunately, had no room for anymore.

i polished off, i think, 3 whole crabs [they were small okay] and a few more claws =P.  plus, there's something about sharing a meal with friends who are more like sisters, it just made it all more enjoyable and appetizing.

so if you ask me, yes it was worth all the effort of picking at the flesh.  they had more than the usual shell cracker, there was also a crab pick which suspiciously looked like a manicure-pedicure tool [just joking].

seriously though, i'd definitely go and get my hands crab-dirty all over again with my girls, anytime. =D

p.s.  sorry there are no actual crab pics as it was in-between refill time when i got up to take pictures. =P

Sari Makan Crab Buffet Restaurant
Bonifacio St. [beside Alsons]
Davao City

Davao's Big 'Little-Secret' Food Court

having lunch at 3pm poses 2 problems.

1 - you're so hungry, all the will power you need to keep your vow of skipping rice for a month is gone the minute you see the food line-up.

2 - you're so hungry, your brain can't seem to zero in on any food establishment which will seem worthy of an inevitable food binge [not to mention, thinking of one that won't put a hole in your pocket]

well, it happened to us yesterday and after about a few minutes of wasting gasoline trying to think of a place to eat, my sister finally remembered an eatery she wanted to try.  she said she saw a long line of 'lunchers' around a week ago.

the place is the opposite of hoity-toity, but it's not your scary possibly-hepa-a-infested venue either. it's like the in-between of a fastfood and 'carenderia', but with restaurant trimmings. think: non-aircon, turo-turo style service, banquet tables, wine glasses, breakable serving-ware and plate-ware.  and an abundance of RC cola drinks.

the food was great considering the price, tasty, and the variety of choices was mind-boggling, from streetfood fare of crispy chicken skin, to lutong-bahay guisadong gulay to fish wrapped in pandan leaves on a bed of coconut milk-based sauce.

as a result we ended up sharing 3 cups of rice, 7 servings of different ulam and 2 bottles of RC cola.  we only spent P188.

i checked out the rest of the place with its super high ceilings and an odd shaped serving and dining area, it was a hot day but the heat wasn't so bad with the ceiling fans.  i think it used to be a company-building garage in its other life.  i was all the more surprised to discover that it was a wi-fi zone.

the place was surrounded by dormitories and a school was just a block away, hence the long lines at meal hours.  they close at 12 midnight and there are viands displayed all day long, prepared at odd times.

as we were about to leave, the staff was displaying 2 freshly cooked, steaming-hot viands, making us wish we had just arrived.

TOP SAW FOOD COURT
Narra St., Davao City [between Sta. Ana Avenue and Monteverde St.]