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The Mergrande Ocean Resort was established July 2000,  formerly known as Villa Victoria. Amidst pandemic, it reopened again last May 1, 2022 and launched their added attraction — Mergrande Eco Park.

The word MER is actually a combination of the owner's name, Mercy and Ernie Evangelista.





A little bit of a trivia, MER is a French word that means the sea and GRANDE is a Spanish word that means great or grand, thus MERGRANDE means great sea.

The resorts sit on an 8.8 hectare piece of beach front and land. It has 48 overnight cottages, 6 function rooms, a dome suited for weddings and debut, a pool, an open hut for picnics and day tours, their newest attractions – the Mergrande Eco Park. But, aside from all of these, when you talk about vacation and relaxation, food cannot be opted out! That's why, their restaurant is one of the attractions in the resort. Though food, lechon and drinks don't have corkage, but if you don't feel bringing, no problem at all.


MERGRANDE RESTAURANT MENU



















Great food, big serving and affordable!

Their restaurant is very spacious, though it's not the regular restaurant you've seen in downtown Davao. The restaurant has a beach view, that is so relaxing while eating. Seats can only accommodate around 24 to 30 person's. If I will rate the cleanliness of the restaurant only, my rate is 4 out of 5.

The food here really tastes great. The prices are very affordable, because it's cheap and I've been eating here way back Villa Victoria (old name of Mergrande) era. 😁🤞 And I can say that they serve huge servings. 1 serving can be eaten by 2 persons (still depends on the appetite of the person).

The dishes are mostly Filipino food. The rate range from P75-P350 which is not bad at all. I will rate the food for a perfect 5.

By the way, if you stay here for a night they cater until 9PM, they also deliver food within the area/room. Well, just a heads up! Base on our experience way back 2010, if you really that hungry and you cannot wait for 15-20 minutes for food, my advice is to have a "baon" food just in case, because they normally serve 15-20 minutes or more especially when there are lots of customers in the restaurant. Why? Because they serve the food fresh and newly cooked.

Overall, I am satisfied with the service and the food. I really hope they do a major renovation of the restaurant for a change of ambiance.  😁🤞😉😘


The second largest convenience store retail chain in the world is finally now in Davao City. First branch opened its door last year located at Matina. We're so lucky to be invited to witness the Grand Opening & Blessing of the 2nd branch at Buhangin, Davao City last Friday, April 8.


Attended by the Franchise owners Mr. Carlo and Mrs. Tetet GP Fernandez, Phoenix Petroleum Admin & Team, Fernandez friends, relatives and colleagues.

The program started with a blessing, officiated by Fr. Roland Ong. 



Fernandez Family with Fr. Roland Ong 


The First Bite and Drink

According to a research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, that our memories for foods are often vivid,  that's why it's very important to have that FIRST BITE and DRINK (because first impression last), that's why its very important to have that experience of the foods and drink during opening of any food store, this is where how memories are formed and how they will guide our decisions about how soon we're willing to eat or drink our food again.





And yes, I also have my first bite and drink with their famous Japanese Onigiri and one of the best sellers from FamilyMart Coffee Creation series the ICED CREAMY MATCHA.

There are 7 Variants of Onigiri: Kani Mayo, Chicken Teriyaki, Grilled Salmon, Umami Spicy Chicken, Spam, Tuna Mayo, and Beef Yakiniku

Super Fave - Chicken Teriyaki 

Iced Creamy Matcha

They also have different series of their COFFEE CREATIONS: Signature Coffee Series,  Matcha Series,  Chocolate Series  and Sakura Series.

So far, my favorite coffee creation series is their Sakura Series. Highly recommended, Ichigo Iced Coffee Latte and the newest Affogato!




Affogato is more thicker version of their own Coffee Creation's coffee, matcha and strawberry coffee. It coats the vanilla ice cream perfectly!

The best part is how to prepare the DIY Takoyaki. Watch video at Davao Foodie Online Facebook Page 

Watch video here, FAMILYMART Buhangin Davao Grand Opening & Blessing.


Davao City Branches:

1. FAMILYMART - Matina is an in-store shopping and they also deliver, just contact this number 0917 628 0598. Located near Matina Public Market,  Matina Crossing.

2. FAMILYMART - Buhangin a compact store with parking area. Located at #01 Olive Road, Buhangin, Davao City just near BDO and McDonald.

A closing message was given by no other than Ailleen Joy "Apple" Cabatingan-Adora, Network Planner at Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Inc.

Davao del Norte Branches:

1. FAMILYMART Express Tagum - a compact store located at National Highway Curvada, Tagum City
2. FAMILYMART Express Tagum 2 - also a compact store located at J. Abad Santos St., cor. Lapu-Lapu St. Purok Sunflower, Tagum City




FamilyMart Philippines operated by Philippine FamilyMart CVS, Inc. which was acquired in 2018 by Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc. 




Thanks FamilyMart Buhangin for the invitation and looking forward to opening new branches here in Davao City and/or Davao Region!

Davao Social Media & Content Creators with Ms. Apple Cabatingan-Adora

If you're a fan of anime character, well definitely you are familiar with the word "nousagi". This is what pekora's fanbase is called,  the nousagi, meaning something like wild rabbits, those little rabbit guys with the carrots in their ears.

Usada Pekora is a Virtual YouTuber. A lonely rabbit-eared girl who loves carrot. And for the Japanese fan base, it's famous for what they called "NOUSAGI" or wild rabbit or Japanese hare.





When my cousin introduce me this pastry from NOUSAGI JAPANESE PASTRY,  honestly, I was hesitant to taste it. Because I thought there's a rabbit thingy  in their ingredients.

A RABBIT IN THEIR PASTRIES? What an exaggerated thought I have! 😆😂🤣 So, let me clear this, "nousagi" because RABBITS are cute and it has a charming behaviour,  aside from that, their tiny bodies are soft and also has a cute colour that make them just so tempting to pet. As well as the pastries offer by Nousagi Japanese Pastry to the Dabawenyos.

Nousagi Japanese Pastry started just a "START UP" store at SM Lanang Premier. Flocks of people lined-up just to taste their famous CREAM PUFF, a cream legere filled with choux dough.


Photo credit to Nousagi Japanese Pastry Facebook Page


What's a 'Choux' it's a delicate pastry dough used in many pastries. Another name for choux cream is CREAM PUFF!



 
My cousin bought this Box of Flavoured, with 6 pcs of your choice from their Premium Cream puffs for P289. A box full of delicious puffs: CHOCOLATE, STRAWBERRY, PURPLE YAM, OREO, MATCHA and COFFEE CRUMBLE.

I've got the OREO! (Sorry I forget to get a pic of the oreo puff before I got the bite!!). So here's the after effect (photo) of my curiosity. 😆😂




First time to see a cream puff that looks like a cupcake and taste like an ice cream cake. 😍😋 They use their signature Legere Cream mixed with Oreo bits topped with oreo.

Their Premium Cream Puffs, choux dough coated with butter crust & filled with their signature Creme Legere. I fell in love with their puffs, it's not super sweet and I'm sure elders will also love it!

And about the serving, the puff is quite huge, it's definitely worth its price. Aside from not too sweet, the cream is light so you don't feel sick in the stomach after indulging. 😋😋 They have so many pastries offer and it also quite good if you're up for something richer and denser.

  



They are now located at Valencia Corporate Center,  Jacinto Ext., near Mercury Drugs and beside WeGotcha! OPEN at 10am to 8pm.






They also accept pickup orders or for delivery.

For pickup, located at Jacinto ext. beside WeGotcha and near Mercury Drug, just look for Nousagi Signage.

For delivery, they are partnered with delivery riders Davao, delivery fee will be based on your location. P69pesos for the first 5km.

For Payment, they accept COD or GCASH payments 😊



Now, get the picture why Nousagi is the name of their pastry shop? Well, that's just my guess. Because rabbits are cute & soft, as well as the pastries they offer.

Thanks to my cousin, Glecy Aileen Gonzales for introducing me this #nougarisweets Japanese Cream Puff. Very delicious. You should try too!
 


When you say "port" – right on the water – outstanding location, with great views. But, this port I'm going to review is just inside a mall of Davao City.

When port cafe opened at the 2nd floor at Gaisano Mall of Davao way back my college years, the place is huge packed with customers: both professionals and students. The Port Cafe that time is a bit dark and noisy, but I super love their food. We always make "tambay" while waiting for our class schedule because it's near to our university. Though sometimes some students, in their view it's not cheap, but, in my view,  it is worth it. Consider that the place is just near the heart of the city and that many food stores or restaurants do not have stellar food. What I like with the previous port cafe is that they have excellent food with generous portions and the staff even if they're so busy they still are very hospitable who CARES about their customers.



After rebranding from Port Cafe to Port Food Cafe last August 2016, we visited the place again during pandemic 2021. Now, together with my children, we have our lunch and it was a very pleasant experience. I'm amazed with the changes they made, the atmosphere sets the stage. It's very instagrammable, warm and cool. Factors such as music,  lighting, artwork and spacing combine to create comfort, intimacy and even romance are perfect!

Photo credit to Port Food Cafe
FB Page


Artwork also plays a part. The color use to project the restaurant in to a port: 

Walls Color Palette is BLUE -sea, ocean, water

The HANGING PADDLE - representing a partner for a boat.

Chairs & Tables - as if you are typically eating by the beach.

Though the port cafe is inside a mall, incorporating the idea of a beach really takes advantage of its location in Davao. Just to make it more appealing to their customers who loves to go to the beach,  but has no time, why not visit Port Food Cafe and enjoy the beach atmosphere (though there's no sea!) 😆😉👍

Photo credit to Port Food Cafe
FB Page

The spacious layout and the Instagrammable look of the restaurant allows a relaxed ambiance to customers to dine in. You got a lot of space on the table and between each table. And customers will really enjoy their own intimacy.

The menu is pretty similar to most cafes I've visited. Serving like carbonara, corned beef, sandwiches, drinks, pasta, cakes, and the like. They have a NEW MENU added, so we order:

Port Chao Fan with glass of ice tea

Port Food Cafe Cornsilog Meal - corner beef, sunny side-up egg and garlic fried rice with chips and free glass of ice tea

Port Carbonara with bread
and a glass of ice tea 

Though their food menu have changed (comparing to the old menu of the Port Cafe), but turned out to be great! Dishes were quite tasty including the local bread. 😆😊🙂

The service was also very average.

PORT FOOD CAFE has a steady clientele,  old customers still visited this place (I guess) plus new customers the Gen Z, as it well located inside a mall and now it has two branches, one in Tagum and Digos.


So, I recommend this cafe for simple, average and "good enough" meals. I can say that this establishment is winner primarily for ambiance! All in all, reasonable value for money, average food and drink. The next time you visit Gaisano Mall of Davao, don't forget to hangout in this place called Port Food Cafe which is located at the 2nd Floor.



Do you want to start your year healthy & something different? If you're thinking of going VEGAN for health reasons, here's what you should know about vegan diets that is now trending to help people to lose weight. For starters, a vegan diet may help you maintain a healthy heart and also another thing this diet may offer some protection against type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.

And yes, choosing the right brand of food rich in certain nutrients is more important. Such as in meal preparation it will take a daunting task year on year. But have no fear, there's always a room for NEW FOOD DISCOVERIES and HACKS.


Foodies and homemakers alike are always on the lookout for something different, yet easy to prepare and definitely, palate and tummy pleasers. A great break from having delivered meals! Make part of your New Year’s resolution to try out these new, life-easing products in the market by San Miguel Foods. 

Go Veega. For vegans, try familiar comforts such as Veega’s meat-free Tapa and Tocino, which are fully cooked and completely free of animal meat and by-products. For flexitarians, there are Korean-inspired faves such as Meat-free and ready-to-eat Bulgogi and Spicy Soy Garlic Balls. You’ll never miss out on flavor with these meat-free wonders.  

Breakfast thy will be done.  Rethink about skipping breakfast with perfect breakfast mates, Purefoods Deli Breakfast Sausage and Purefoods Beef Bacon. They are so good, you”ll truly want more. And beyond breakfast, these delicious products can also be served in a lot of ways.

Create “chicken’’ na chicken meals. Make meal preparation a breeze in 2022 with freshly marinated and ready-to-cook Chicken Timplados. Prepping meals can be done in minutes with any of these easy chicken sarap variants- Magnolia Ready-to-Cook Fried Chicken, BBQ, Tocino, Teriyaki, Spicy Fried Chicken, Oriental Wings, Spicy Wings, Inasal and Roasters (marinated whole chicken) in Lemon Herb and Smoked Pepper. The menu will never be boring with the selection of variants cooked as is or leveled up with some twists.

Develop a Pasta-stic Habit. Have pasta anytime with Purefoods Spaghetti Sauce. Just reheat and toss in cooked noodles or level up with addition of some ingredients. Either way, you’ll get consistent, satisfying pasta sauce each time.

Make meal preparation and dining with the family an enjoyable food adventure, even allowing enough me time in-between with these new discoveries.

Also, check out www.homefoodie.com for recipe ideas with these products!

A yearly family gathering takes place every Christmas holidays. No matter how big or small your Christmas reunion is, no festive feast is complete without food that will take your holiday to the next level.

There are two traditional feasts that Filipino families often look forward to during Christmastime: the Christmas Eve Noche Buena and the one that follows on the 25th itself, which is often held as part of a festive family reunion. Either way, expect those in charge of preparing the dishes to pull out all the stops to serve the most delectable food on the table for everyone to enjoy. 

And if that happens to be you, chances are high that you already have some recipes in mind to make each of these feasts a gastronomic delight to remember. They might even be all-time family favorites, or even hand-me-downs from your great-great grandparents. Having said that, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to learn a few more recipes just to keep things fresh and put something different on the table for Christmas. Two that are guaranteed to make you look like Master Chef are Meatballs in Black Truffle Sauce and Three-Cheese Truffle Macaroni and Cheese.


Meatballs in Black Truffle Sauce




Ingredients

• 2 slices white bread crusts removed, broken into pieces

• scant 2/3 cup whole milk

• 2 1/4 cups finely minced ground beef (or a mixture of meats, such as pork, chicken or turkey)

• 1/2 cup meat pâté

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Plain all-purpose flour, for dusting

• Olive oil for frying


FOR THE BLACK TRUFFLE SAUCE

• 1 tablespoon + 2 tsp butter

• A drizzle of olive oil

• 1 bunch spring onions scallions, finely chopped

• 1 carrot finely chopped

• 1 heaped cup button or oyster mushrooms finely chopped

• 3 1/2 tablespoon plain all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup white wine

• 2 cups beef chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary

• 1/2 cup double heavy cream

• 1/2 teaspoon Umbria Black Truffle Sauce


Instructions

1. Place the bread in a bowl and pour over the milk. Set aside to soak.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the meat and the pâté. Add the soaked bread and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix until smooth and well combined. Form meatballs by rolling walnut-sized pieces of the mixture between your hands. They should be about 1oz each. Dust the meatballs in flour.

3. Heat some oil in a shallow pan over a medium-high heat and fry the meatballs just until they are golden. Do not overcook at this stage as we are going to finish them in the sauce. Set aside.

4. To make the sauce, heat the butter and olive oil in a pan over a medium-low heat and add the finely chopped spring onions, carrot and mushrooms. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the onion is transparent. Reduce the temperature to low and add the flour to the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon to make a roux. Cook for about 4 minutes and then add the wine, continuing to stir until you get a paste and the alcohol has evaporated, then add the stock with the salt and rosemary. Keep stirring and cooking until the sauce thickens, then add the cream, stirring so that the mixture doesn’t split or curdle. Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes.

5. Put Umbria Black Truffle Sauce into the sauce, mix and fold and serve hot.


Three-Cheese Truffle Macaroni and Cheese





Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter, divided

1 cup mushroom (75 g), sliced

1 pinch salt

1 pinch pepper

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk (240 mL)

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (110 g)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (100 g)

2 cups shell pasta (400 g), cooked


TOPPINGS

½ teaspoon Umbria truffle oil

1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped


Preparation

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are softened. Remove from the pot.

2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour to the pot. Whisk until the flour is toasted, approximately 2 minutes.

3. Add the milk while whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Cook until the sauce is thickened.

4. Whisk in the Parmesan and cheddar cheeses and season with salt and pepper.

5. Add the cooked pasta and mushrooms. Mix until the sauce coats the pasta well.

6. Top with Umbria truffle oil, fold and add chives.


Of course, it’s understandable that you’d stop at nothing to make these year’s Christmas celebrations as grand as possible. After all, last year’s Holidays were mostly muted due to the pandemic. Now, the scourge that is COVID-19 is still here, but the country is showing signs of recovery and the quarantine restrictions are easing as a result.

However, that doesn’t mean you and your family should be letting your guard down. Rather, continue to be vigilant even as you think of ways to gather everyone this Christmastime—ideally, sharing some sumptuous Meatballs in Umbria Black Truffle Sauce and servings of mouthwatering Three-Cheese Umbria White Truffle Macaroni and Cheese.


Merry Christmas!

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Let's talk about food and get a good story out of it. It's a picture of GOOD LIFE. For collaboration, please e-mail me: palraine36@gmail.com

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I could look back at my life and get a good story out of it. It's a picture of somebody trying to figure things out. Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.

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