Din Tai Fung

What welcomes you on the table

Last weekend, we went to Bishan to get something. Since it took over an hour for us to travel and we left the house a little late, it was almost lunch time when we got there. We roamed around for a bit and the husband suggested we eat at Din Tai Fung. Wow, for no occasion we will eat at DTF!! I'm celebrating because it's a bit expensive there, that is for me :D

Chili oil

As you know it, you have to be wait listed before can get a seat at Din Tai Fung. While waiting, we were given the paper so we can choose our orders on our own. For me, this is really good because sometimes I'm kinda hesitant to order if there's a bit of language barrier between me and the taker. You can see a big menu with photos and description outside, too. 

We waited for about 15 minutes before we were ushered to our table. When we took our seats, we were given hot tea and sauce plates with ginger strips. Below you can see the card on how to eat a Xiao Long Bao.

Ginger and instruction on how to eat Xiao Long Bao

For starters, we had the fried pork and veggie dumpling. I cannot remember what the sauce is but I didn't like it. It was brown and tasted like sweet-salty in a weird kind of way. :D The husband didn't like it too. So we dipped it in chili oil/soy sauce.

Pork and Vegetable Fried Dumplings

The last time we ate the DTF, we had the breaded pork chop and I was surprised that the one served to use didn't look like it at all! But I still liked it, it was soft and as always, the fried rice was superb!

Pork chop atop the fried rice

I felt so sad that I ordered the wrong item. I really thought I chose the Xiao Long Bao, not the dumpling. Argh! But these didn't disappoint at all. 

Dumplings prettily arranged

I wasn't able to take a photo of the two noodles that we ordered. You'd wonder what we would do with two noodles, right? Actually I made a mistake (again) by ordering plain noodles for the little girl. I didn't know plain would mean nothing going with it. Zilch, zero, nada. Of course my little girl didn't like it so we had to get another one. As you can see below, the dumpling also has soup inside. It was really a wonderful treat! :)

See the juicy dumpling?

Total bill was $41 something . It was just okay. However, for me, it was already expensive :D I could actually eat these kind of food in Manila with a lower rate. But hey, we're talking about Din Tai Fung here, baby! :) I will always go back, if money isn't an issue!

Din Tai Fung
Website: www.dintaifung.com.sg
Branch Visited:
Junction 8 Shopping Centre
9 Bishan Place #01-41 Singapore 579837

Contact: +65 6356 5228

Breakfast Buffet in Probinsya - Davao

Since I was having problems on how to squeeze in time to meet with my friends while spending a week in Davao, I met up with close friends at my previous work at breakfast. One friend suggested to eat at Probinsiya and I agreed because it's been a while since I ate at this old family favorite. :) It's just an excuse to jog around the Victoria Plaza grounds, the ultimate goal would always be breakfast buffet at Probinsya. hehe

Native salad bar

Dried Fish

Plain Rice, Fried Rice and Arroz Caldo

Kakanin

More kakanin

And some more kakanin

Egg and puto bumbong station

Pure Tablea

My plate - chicken adobo, scrambled egg, fried rice, bangus and chorizo

Chicken Mami, watermelon

Puto Bumbong, ftw!

My choices for kakanin

Sorry for the low quality photos. I was too hungry and very excited for chismis time with my girl friends. :D

Probinsya - Taste of Home

Victoria Plaza Compound

J.P. Laurel Avenue Davao City 8000, Philippines
Contact: (63 82) 225 1455

Price per person: Php 148

Four Journey IV

BongBong's Special Biscocho

Tricel's Ube Loaf

Pastillas de Leche

My cousin's Baked Mac

Blugre's Durian Coffee

Mocha something

Arroz Valenciana

Grilled Tuna Cartilage

The Rodriguez’s Tiny Kitchen Davao

It's been years since Tiny Kitchen started out near our house. I see their signage every time I go out of our subdivision but never got the chance to see the place. Years after, I saw them relocating in Arellano Street and I also saw their items displayed during Christmas bazaars in Davao Convention. Then they moved to another location beside One Fab Pooch, just a few meters away from their original Mabini store. I promised myself to visit the place because I want to try their paella but even if I spent several months in Davao before joining my husband in Manila, I never got to.

This time I got lucky. I met with my high school buddies at Tiny Kitchen - in a not-so-tiny location anymore! :) They moved to Torres Street, just in front of K1 Spa and Taps.  I love the place, it's big and can accommodate lots of people! And I can see that the owners (The Rodriguez family) are very hands on. I was able to speak with the wife, Ms Donna Rodriguez and she was gracious enough to tell me about their gourmet tuyo and the paelleras they use. 

Tiny Kitchen has a pastry line creation called Dulce Vida. They bake their own breads, pastries and cakes. Their lady fingers are sooooo good! :)

I ordered the lemonade, I thought it was just the same old instant juice. But it was fresh! And I had to ask for another cup of syrup to sweeten it because it was too sour. Hee hee

Fresh Lemonade Php 75

I got to the place first so I ordered our paella ahead because there were several people dining in that time.   Even if we waited for close to an hour, I was not disappointed. I love love love the paella! The rice is tender and tasty. The seafood garnishes complemented the dish in just a simple but fantastic way - the fish and squid slices, shells, shrimps and the crab of course!  

Paella Mariscos (small) Php 460

For our second dish, we opted to have the chicken in mushrooms sauce. The warm ciabatta bread served together with the chicken was really yummy! You wouldn't actually look for rice because it's so good. ;)

Mushrooms Sarsa Php 275

We then chose 2 desserts - the Frozen Choco Brazo and the Vanilla Choco Overload. The Choco Overload was just ok for me. I guess I wasn't in the mood for chocolate that time. At first, I didn't like the brazo because I felt like it was too frozen (errr, I know). But when it started to melt, I was smitten!! It was so divine, a melt-in-your-mouth moment.

Frozen Choco Brazo Php 90

Vanilla Choco Overload Php 110

After our meal, I wanted to run around because I was too stuffed! It's a must visit for those of you planning to go to Davao! The staff are courteous and are well-versed with their menu. It's a lovely feeling of being at home in a kitchen where the food are wonderfully made.

The Rodriguez’s Tiny Kitchen Davao/Dulce Vida

Torres St., Davao City, Philippines

Contact: (63 82) 305-9232
Email: tinykitchencreations@yahoo.com
Facebook page: The Rodriguez's Tiny Kitchen Davao

Lachi's Sans Rival

When I met up with a college friend, I told her I want to go to Lachi's. We met around 3pm and even if I was still full from my big lunch, I still wanted to drop by Lachi's. It's been almost a year since I had a meal there. 

I was already working in Manila and I came home for a visit when my sister brought me to Lachi's. I can clearly remember that I wasn't really into the idea of going into a secluded place just to have a good bite of their so-called delicious desserts. Man, was I wrong. Now, I'd drop everything to get a bite of their divine delights! :D

My friend had the pork marinara. The spaghetti pasta is coated with rich tomato sauce, topped with melted cheese and slices of breaded pork chop. How could you go wrong with this wonderful combination?

Pork Marinara Php 105

After the friend had her meal, we both decided to get the luscious mud pie and a slice of the new york cheesecake. The mud pie is actually my sister's favorite. I'm not a big fan because of the whipped cream but the bottom layer is just too good to resist!

A slice of heaven - Luscious Mud Pie

The staff was kind enough to let us have both cherries and blueberries as toppings for our NY Cheesecake. I love how the cheesecake feels on my tongue - dense, creamy and rich.

New York Cheesecake with cherries and blueberries as toppings

Our choices for dessert - Luscious Mud Pie and NY Cheesecake.

Some of the delightful treats you can find in Lachi's 

Menu

Desserts

Coffee

New items

I was so happy to see Lachi's expanding! I hope they have a branch in downtown soon. I bought their Spicy Laing, Tuna Melt and a slice of the mud pie for take away. Too bad I wasn't able to get a photo of those. My parents are big fans of their laing, maybe I should let them try Lachi's Laing Pasta next time. :D

Lachi's Sans Rival, Atbp.

Door 1-H VAL Learning Village,
Ruby Street, Marfori Heights,
Davao City

Contact: (63 82) 2245552; +63916-9841183

Facebook: Lachi's Sans Rival, Atbp

Seagull in the Sky Mountain Resort - Steakhouse and Coffee Shop

On the way back to Davao from Bukidnon, we stopped by Seagull in the Sky for a late lunch.  We got there past 1pm and luckily they were still open. 

The restaurant's specialty is steaks however we weren't in the mood for any meat indulgence.  It was raining hard so we wanted something warm and filling.

Must try dishes

Menu

My sister, who's forever on a diet, had this sandwich. According to her, the ham was not tasty enough and the egg was unrecognizable. It was not a standout but it was good for someone who was really hungry then :D

Ham & Egg with Cheese Php 90

The house specialty was the suman and tsokolate. I love the creaminess of the drink. The suman was also wonderfully complemented with pinipig (immature glutinous rice lightly toasted and pounded) and sesame seeds.

House Specialty - Suman and Tsokolate Php 60

My daughter loved the tinolang manok. As always, she's a fan of any decent tasting soup or noodles. As for me, it was just an average dish.

Tinolang Manok (Native) Php 170

I loved the battered chicken. Maybe because I missed having this kind of chicken. :D One concern though, one piece was half cooked. The meat inside was still pinkish instead of being white and I saw traces of blood. Urk. They were probably in a hurry to cook everything since we looked famished. Hehe

Battered Chicken (half order) Php 180

The pancit lomi was yummy. I liked how it was served warm and freshly cooked. The quantity of the ingredients were well-balanced, unlike those that you can only see noodles and veggies with the meat almost absent. Hehe

Pancit Lomi Php 120

All the budget meals were so-so. The pancit canton was a bit salty for my liking.

Budget meal - chicken Php 140

Budget meal - Bangus Php135

Budget meal - Porkchop Php 135

Kuya said the special turon was another specialty of the house. For me, it was just ok. I usually want the saba to be really really soft. It feels so perfect on the palate with the caramelized sugar and crunchy spring roll wrapper.

Special Turon Php 25

Davao Seagull Resorts

Reservations Office: +63.82.2985990
Door 2, Braveheart Bldg, McArthur Highway, Davao City
Fronting Matina Petron or old ABS-CBN Station
Mondays - Saturdays, 8AM - 5PM
Look for Ms. Leah Sancija

Multiply page: http://seagullresorts.multiply.com/

Email: davaoseagullresortsinc@gmail.com

Facebook page: Davao Seagull Resorts