Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup is happening at the Smart Araneta Coliseum this June and yes, if you wanna see it live, you have to fly to Manila, Philippines in order to enjoy it. Codes will be also given at the venue so if you’re up to it, go get your tickets. 12 teams 9 countries doesn’t sound bad either.
William the Marketing Manager for MSC says “Here we will witness true legends, the best of the best. Our website at MSC will also contain updates and thank you to Smart for supporting our event.”
JJ of MSC says “The site will have announcements and our global press conferences. So if you want to be updated with news, it will be there and updated live. Philippines is a very important market, it is growing, we want more tournaments, skins and heroes from this country soon.”
It's so hot outside that you just wanna stay indoors and let the hours pass in Davao City. That's exactly why we are here in Sugar Panda, at Abreeza Mall's third floor for our own sanity, and our Milk Tea fix.
There are tons of brands out there but this one seems special because they are serving Taiwan's #1 drink, so we indulged in having some of their best sellers. First off, I like their containers because they seem to be reusable, perhaps you can just wash this off and prepare something hot later on, but since we are a little at the end of summer, and it's very humid in the Philippines, we might as well try this joint out.
Lychee Boba Milk Tea is fruity and more on the sweet side. If you love cold lychees, this would be a nice substitute.
I ordered this Brown Sugar Boba Milk with Cream Mousse. It's not that sweet (although you can ask for sugar levels), and you'll taste more of their products on the milky side rather than tea. They barely have lines in the mid afternoon so you should prolly go there around that time.
This is their Taro Boba Milk Tea. I actually like Taro but again they made this on the milky creamy side and you'll feel a little hint of earthy taro flavor with this one. Don't be afraid to try new stuff, this one is easy.
This is their Wintermelon Boba Milk Tea, which had a more caramely flavor profile. If you don't know what to order, play safe and order this one.
So if you're looking for your Milktea fix and you're trapped in Davao, try Sugar Panda out. It's not overly sweet and VERY affordable.
You can't go wrong with good Milktea, if you want it on the milky side rather than the tea, they got you covered.
Had a fun time with Davao, SOX bloggers this afternoon at Park Inn by Radisson Davao. I’m still with them via the Davao Food Appreciation Tour. It’s a very fancy hotel and you’d expect good things served on their in their in house restaurant called RBG (Radisson Bar and Grill). True enough they had us sample what they are planning to serve during Father’s day and I’m excited!
They had a small salad bar together with the meal plus some desserts. So veggies, fruits, Curry Empanada, Blueberry Scones (breads available at their Lobby Cafe for takeout too) before and after our meal. I specifically loved the Durian Creme Puff which was not too sweet and you only get a whiff of the durian flavor so it’s not overpowering. Actually, I had desserts first and it was totally okay.
Father’s Day Special
Their All Meat Grilled Platter, they’ve got Chicken, Pork Belly and Beef cooked seared (most of it was grilled) so it was nice for an afternoon brunch. The proteins would fill you up but all of the set meals for the occasion come with roasted vegetables, so do have lots of it while having your steak slices.
The Seafood Grilled Platter was more of my type, it had a lighter feel for me so if you’re fond of Grilled Squid, Tuna Belly and Shrimp, then this would be best for you. It also comes with the roasted vegetables so give in to your seafood fantasies with Dad during this month.
However if Dad wants a bit of it all, try their Surf and Turf so you get Grilled Squid, Tuna Belly, Chicken and Beef. The man of the house all the care and pampering he should get on Fathers Day.
Go visit them on June 15-16 and have your fix of Dad’s favorite dishes :) and it ain’t bad to have a break with the greatest man of your life right?
Park Inn by Radisson Davao is behind the SM Lanang Premier.
I wasn't planning to do much in Davao but after the earthquake on June 1st, the goddess of Davao blogging Ria Jose told me that DFAT (Davao Food Appreciation Tour) was happening this weekend. I was planning to do this two years ago but didn't have the time but I guess it was just fate that the event was happening today. I joined them last night for dinner at Balik Bukid Farm and Kitchen Restaurant over at Davao's Sandawa area which was a few kilometers where I stayed in Roxas, so I jumped in the cab and met a LOT of bloggers from Mindanao in one fun night. :)
They were a VERY happy bunch, and the restaurant we went to had so much to offer than just good food. It was much of a culture trip and several artisans of this region actually thrive in this place. They've got artwork, pieces to buy, and the whole place too wreaks environmental responsibility, love for nature, as weird as that sounds. The banig ceiling, weaved wicker baskets for lighting, the plastic bottle laden walls, the magazine napkin holders, Oishi Placemats had me smiling ear to ear because they managed to put this all in on a working restaurant.
Their menu too was an old game board (one of my favorites Snakes and Ladders), which you can open and pull out to see what they serve in Balik Bukid. The namesake of the restaurant means going back to the farm, so pretty much, it's a farm to table concept, fresh as it gets.
I felt I was in a museum, a native one so you kinda get the feel of a very Filipino theme, this would be nice especially for balikbayans and those who have foreign guests, this was a nice introduction too to Davao cuisine. I was eager to try that when the food started rolling in.
This is the Balik Bukid Farm Salad. It reminded me of a good Waldorf but they used different textures from cucumbers, tomatoes, croutons then highlighted by quail eggs, home made herbed white cheese. It's basic but done right which is in the line of their farm to table concept.
The kind lady served us Mango, Cucumber and Calamansi Juice. It was pretty hot outside so this was perfect, they make it not too sweet, very refreshing, a good thing.
The Homemade Bread platter was light, if you are in a group of 4 or more, I suggest this as a filler so you wouldn't have to have more carbs LOL.
Their Pinakbet is very different, I was wondering why it had a pink hue because it ain't common in Manila. They told me it was because of the bagoong they use in Davao which was usually Shrimp paste from the region. This stew is a good representation of what fresh vegetables is also in this place and they cook it a little bit al dente, I couldn't believe I said that on a non pasta dish.
This is their Sinaing sa Gata. You get little bits of cooking from different regions, and this one reminded me of ones we eat in Batangas. They usually cook this in a batch using a cauldron, water and spices til it dries out. Their version had coconut cream on top so you get hints of nuttiness in the sauce. It's perfect on hot white rice, make your plans for diet tomorrow, this is good fish.
You can't go wrong with good fish meat, this is their Tuna Belly. Grilled fatty wonder which I would pair with their blue rice. I'll tell you about that later.
Sinuglaw has fresh raw fish, but it is cooked with vinegar and is always a staple in drinking sprees in this province. It's got grilled pork belly underneath so you get a fresher surf and turf in a sense. Loved this a lot.
This is their Binalot na Adobong Dilaw, one of my favorites that evening. It gets its color from annatto seed oil which envelopes the rice nicely. The Binalot concept is usually from Farmers who want something handy before tilling the fields, adobo lasts long even without refrigeration and they also added a little salt on the second banana leaf layer so you adjust the saltiness to your liking. They've got lots of comfort food on the menu.
This is a Maguindanaoan dish called Kagikit. It's made of shredded chicken meat which they prepared a little spicy. I like the kick it provides so it is officially my winner. They don't eat pork I think hence this dish, if you're alone or just wish to taste something different on the menu, this is definitely recommended. I skipped my no rice diet for this and it was hella worth every morsel.
They seriously do their marinades differently because the meat tastes so different in this Sinugba Pork Ensalada. It also had eggplant and tomato salad on the side plus a nice amount of rice as well. It's like a Happy meal piled up waiting for you to have it. I think it serves one but you might as well share if you have other things ordered.
This was served to us whimsy by people who had native garbs on. You don't see much culture element these days so it was really a treat.
This had lemon grass and a bit of ginger, the chicken dish was cooked inside a bamboo over fire and the actual bamboo secreted its sap hence getting more flavor from this dish. Sans presentation and all, this by all means is good. (Note from the Chef: The dish is called Tinalumbo. It’s a traditional food of ATA tribe. They are doing a fund raising and promotion of their dishes. The tribe itself makes and cooks the dish outside our restaurant.)
They call this the Chocolate Island. It reminded me so much of ice cream and local bread from childhood, but theirs were home made Tables Ice Cream (worth every calorie) that had every bite get that slightly bitter hint from cocoa beans. Their bread was a tad toasty so you get different textures in this treat. Do not leave this place without having it.
Oh and they've also got artists dish out their musical instruments to provide entertainment in this joint. I enjoyed this a lot and I won't judge you if you're in the mood to also dance, they encourage it.
The chill vibe, the super artsy ambiance, the respect for native ecological adept design might not be the sole reasons to go here. The food is good, well researched and prepared well, plus it's VERY affordable than those fancy restaurants in malls. One thing I could convince you with is their authenticity, it's hard enough to find a survivor for arts in this modern time and they are thriving, they have set the bar quite well in Davao dining with a native flare, it is an amazing night with good people who care for what they do.
Go make this your next dining destination when you're here in Davao. Easy to find in Waze and Grab, plus it's right beside Yellow Fin which is also popular among locals. Try it out for size.
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