Apr 5, 2016


In the midst of looking for a good place to eat, I came across Batu Cafe. A uniquely designed restaurant with a bohemian and Asian feel. When you get inside, you can really tell that this will be a good place for a bestie meet up or just a chill place to eat alone or with friends.




We were invited by the owners last March to taste the wide variety of food they serve daily. Along with my friends from Davao Bloggers Society, we tried their breakfast staples, pasta, heavy meals, and desserts. Here are some of the food we tasted.

ALL DAY BREAKFAST
HAM & CHEESE FRENCH TOAST P139 - Ham and Cheddar sandwiched in thick slices of freshly baked homemade tasty bread, dipped in batter, and pan-grilled. Drizzled with maple syrup, served with orange marmalade butter.
NACHOS P189
SANDWICHES

HUNGARIAN CHILI DOG P229 - Open-faced sandwich of Hungarian sausage, chili con carne and cheese using homemade freshly baked bun
RICE MEALS
KOREAN PORK SPARERIBS AND CHAGIO P198 - Chagio: Crispy Vietnamese spring rolls w/ pork and vermicelli, served with nuoc cham sauce
VIETNAMESE CHICKEN AND BASIL FRIED RICE P169 - Spicy, saucy sauteed chicken in lemon grass and Asian spices, served w/ basil fried rice
ADOBO FLAKES RICE P198 - Crunchy chicken and pork Adobo flakes, with green mango and scrambled eggs on a bowl of rice. Serves 2-3
INDIAN CHICKEN CURRY W/ SAMOSAS P259 - Nutty curried chicken w/ assorted spices served with 2 pieces samosas and mango chutney
PANDAN CHICKEN W/ THAI BAGOONG FRIED RICE P269 - Pandan-wrapped fried chicken served w/ shrimp paste fried rice w/ 7 kinds of sidings
PASTAS
ALIGUE PASTA P189 - Cooked with Aligue (Crab fat) and topped with shrimps. With 1 piece homemade garlic bread
BASIL MALUNGGAY PESTO FETTUCINE P139 (W/ GRILLED ROSEMARY CHICKEN P60) - Paired with 1 piece homemade garlic french bread
THREE CHEESE LASAGNA P169 - Made using homemade lasagna pasta
ALA CARTE
CRISPY TADYANG P280-350 - Serves 2-3
BULALO STEAK P280-380 - Serves 2-3
DESSERTS

RED VELVET CUPCAKE (by Margie's Bakeshop)
YEMA CAKE (by Margie's Bakeshop)
We actually ate a lot of homemade ice creams in different flavors - Mango, Ube, and Durian P65. Their Brownie Ala Mode P109 is super yummy too!

For my top choices - Ham and Cheese French Toast, Aligue Pasta, and Pandan Chicken. They have a wide menu to choose from, so I suggest you ask for recommendations from their friendly staff. They can help you pick the best dish for you. By the way, they also serve fresh juices, shakes, craft beers, and boutique wines.

BATU CAFE
Location: Las Casitas Hotel, #509 Loyola Street, Barrio Obrero, Davao City
Store Hours: 6AM - 12MN/1AM
Contact Number: 082 222 6552


Thanks for dropping by! Have a great day!

Mar 21, 2016


Pomade is something new to men nowadays. My grandfather said it's like the hair gel of the old times. When I went to a barber shop in high school, that was the first time pomade was used on my hair. I can still remember when manong barbero did not hesitate to style my hair with a pomade. It was so greasy it's like he poured cooking oil on my head. I got more disappointed when I can't take it off when I took a shower that day.

Now I found a new brand of pomade here in Davao City. Man Pomade Davao offers fine hair products for any and all styles of hair. They have 4 distinctly different pomades with the highest quality and with the most sensible prices.

They have 2 types of pomades that can cater to any preference of every man. The two types are the Oil Based Pomades and the Water Based Pomades.

The Oil Based Pomades

These pomades won't dry completely and you can restyle your hair any time. If you want to achieve a slick look, these pomades are best for you.

SUAVE - Hold is light and shine is great. Most manageable for restyling your hair throughout the day. It smells like bubblegum and ideal for pompadour hairstyles.
SUAVE    HOLD - 1 / GREASE - 3
HARD HEAD - Good hold with adequate shine. It's a harder version of Suave and can hold the hair up. It smells like bubblegum too!
HARD HEAD   HOLD - 2 / GREASE - 2

The Water Based Pomades

You can easily wash it out with water. It's weather resistant unless its raining. You can have the complete control over the way you style your hair. It smells like pineapple!

STUN - It holds the hair tight with a light shine. This is good if you prefer a matte or natural look. It's very easy to apply and easy to rinse.
STUN   Hold - 3 / Grease - 1

CLASSIC - It has great shine with moderate hold. Good for slick, and classic look.



I had the chance to see how you could use these pomades to style your hair. I went to Macho Mucho last February 8 to check the newest hairstyles and how to style it with Man Pomade.

Pomade Used: Man Pomade Classic Urban Men
Hair Style: Classic Cut



Pomade Used: Man Pomade Stun
Hair Style: Crop Fade



Pomade Used: Man Pomade Suave
Hair Style: Pompadour



Pomade Used: Man Pomade Hard Head
Hair Style: Top Knot (Man Bun)



The new generation of men likes to experiment in hairstyling. So it's not bad to do a little throwback. The new pomades nowadays are much better and easy to wear. I recommend you to try Man Pomade and upgrade your hairstyle every day.

Man Pomade Davao
For orders, call or text - 0925 877 0088
Also available in Macho Mucho at SM City Davao

For haircut and styling, visit Macho Mucho Davao

Thanks for dropping by guys! Have a great hair day! :p

Mar 9, 2016


Starbucks debut a brand new line of iconic and beloved Macchiato beverages - Chocolate Hazelnut Macchiato, Roasted Caramel Macchiato, and Caramel Macchiato Frapuccino. With these new beverage innovations, customers will surely love the rich and complex taste of their macchiato drinks.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT MACCHIATO - Combines layer upon layer of delicious chocolate and hazelnut flavors with our best quality espresso.
.
ROASTED CARAMEL MACCHIATO - This is for the true caramel lover. Delight in its layers of smooth, velvety milk, top quality espresso, and deliciously rich caramel taste
CARAMEL MACCHIATO FRAPPUCCINO® BLENDED BEVERAGE - The most popular Caramel Macchiato in a Frappuccino® variant. Enjoy the same delicious taste of smooth milk, caramel drizzle, and a shot of our best quality espresso, but in a fun Frappuccino® form.

Starting February 23, these featured beverages will be available in all Starbucks stores nationwide.

Whether it's lunch or snack, enjoy these new food items that are best paired with Starbucks beverages.

BELGIAN CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE - Layers of vanilla sponge cake with chocolate chips, milk chocolate ganache and frosted Belgian milk chocolate with mini chocolate chip cookies on the sides. 

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE (VEGETARIAN) - Banana, granola, oatmeal and dark chocolate in moist and chewy healthy vegetarian cookie. 

VANILLA BEAN SUGAR COOKIE - Buttery cookie flavored with vanilla bean decorated with an orange flower sugar icing. 

TUNA WASABI TURNOVER - Flour tortilla filled with wasabi tuna flakes topped with crunchy Japanese bread crumbs and roasted nori strips.

MONTE CRISTO - Farmer’s ham and sharp parmesan cheese layered on sweet savory brioche French toast. 

FISH AND POTATO WRAP - A tortilla wrap filled with moist breaded fish fillet, baked potato wedges and egg mayo dressing.
Starbucks Cards has never been so unique! Check out these decorated and hand-painted cards for you to collect starting February 23.

SPECIAL EDITION SIREN CARD - Taking a page off Greek mythology, Starbucks calls her the Siren. The Siren is hand-painted with water colors and represents the change of the season. Available for an initial consumable load amount of ₱300. Purchase limit of five (5) activated Special Edition Siren Cards per customer per day. 

EASTER EGG DIECUT CARDS - Delightfully decorated eggs are a highlight of any Easter basket. Hop inside a Starbucks store and you’ll find the perfect egg. It’s time to get “eggcited” for the season! (This is a barcoded Starbucks Card) Available for an initial consumable load amount of ₱500 each. Purchase limit of one (1) of each Easter Egg Card design per customer per day.
 For news media, please contact Starbucks Philippines at (02) 896-2755 or marketing@rustancoffee.ph.

Thanks for dropping by and have a great day!

Mar 7, 2016


Let's paint Davao City with neon colors this Araw ng Davao in VIBRANT - Paint and Music Festival. Get ready for the wildest neon and black light paint party featuring some of the finest local and international DJ's playing the best EDM tunes.



Vibrant is produced by MadHatter Events from Manila and partnered with Manic Nightnings Productions from Davao. This wild paint party will debut in Davao City on March 12, Saturday at the Lanang Business Park and with regional stops in Bacolod and Manila this year.


International DJ's like Lera, Mia, and No Class will spin along with the Davao's very own DJ's Law, Torch, Jin, Wacky, and Jack. DJ X-FActor and MC Victor Pring from Manila will join the crowd to hype the party. 



Enjoy some program highlights like paint drum beaters, blacklight hour, and the Vibrant Angels. Other activities that you will enjoy include paintball wars, wall of reflection, and the paint and glow station.

Tickets are available at these outlets for P300.
  • Holiday Gym @ Torres St.
  • Yohfroz @ Torres St.
  • Java Jive @ Bajada
  • Gandiva Archery, 4th flr. GMALL
  • Chocolatier, Abreeza mall
  • The Boardroom Davao @ Loyola St.
  • Stre3ts urban lifestyle and pub @ Loyola St.
  • Eskina @ Lanang business park
 for Meet ups: @gabrieldecadiz (0915) 324 7701



WIN VIP TICKETS TO VIBRANT!

1. Copy the highlighted text and share it on your Facebook account.


Let's #GoWildWithPaint in #Vibrant! Win 2 VIP Tickets by joining the #BakasyonistaGiveaway!

http://www.jexxhinggo.com/2016/03/vibrantgiveaway.html



2. The more you share the link, the more chances of winning!
Deadline is on March 11 at 12NN.
The winner will be announced at 5PM on the same day.


Thanks for dropping by! And thanks for joining!

Mar 5, 2016


There's a new restaurant in Davao that serves dishes inspired by international cuisine but are made with local ingredients. Chez Nous by Chippens is now open at Padre Gomez St. corner Roxas Ave., Davao City. Chez Nous (shey noo) is a French term for "at our home" and it is owned by Chef Chino San Jose, the son of the owners of Chippens Restaurant. Chef Chino invited us to get first dibs on their best dishes, drinks, and desserts.

STARTERS
POUTINE (P95) - Thrice cooked thick cut fries with Beef Gravy and Melted Cheese
CAJUN SHRIMP WITH MANGO MOUSSE AND SALSA (P135) - Cajun spiced shrimp sauteed in brown butter, served with mango mousse and salsa
ARANCINI (P145) - Risotto Balls with Melted Mozzarella Center served with House-Made Marinara Sauce and Shaved Parmesan
ATLANTIC SALMON AND CUCUMBER SPAGHETTI WITH MUSTARD MOUSSE (P185) - Pan-baked Atlantic Salmon with Cucumber Spaghetti, Sesame Seeds, Fennel Seeds, Citrus Vinaigrette, and Mustard Mousse on top

SALADS


SEARED TUNA NICOISE SALAD (P185) - Seared Sesame Tuna, Lettuce, French Beans, Honey-Lemon Dressing, and Deep Fried Anchovy

GRILLED CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD (P175) - Iceberg Lettuce, Bacon, Butter Croutons, Creamy Caesar Dressing, and Chicken Breast

SOUPS & NOODLES


MALAYSIAN LAKSA (P195) - Spicy Malaysian Chicken Curry, Coconut Milk, Savory Chicken, Lime Shrimps, Honey Crab, Rice Noodles

ENTREES


BEEF BOURGUIGNONNE (P185 / Double P225) - Fork Tender Beef Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions in a rich Red Wine Sauce

HONEY BARBECUE GLAZED BACK RIBS (P185 / Double P225) Fall-off the bone tender Pork Ribs, glazed with Honey-barbecue sauce


TUNA TORNADO (P185 / Double P225) - Juicy Tuna Belly poached in olive oil finished on the grill and glazed with lemon-soy sauce
GRILLED SWORDFISH WITH MANGO CHUTNEY (P195) - Juicy Grilled Swordfish (Malasugue) served on a potato nest and with Indonesian Spiced Mango Chutney
MARBLED RIBEYE STEAK WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY (P350) - Locally sources Australian Ribeye Steak, cooked to your preferred doneness. Served with Mushroom Pan-Gravy and Thrice Cooked Fries


DESSERTS


CREME CARAMEL WITH BLUEBERRY COULIS (P145) - Smooth Baked Vanilla Lemon Custard served with warm Blueberry Coulis
TRIPLE LAYER SMOOTH AS SILK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH MUSCAT STRAWBERRIES (P185) -  Three layers of Velvety Smooth Dark, White, and Milk Chocolate Mousse with Vanilla Ice Cream and Moscato marinated Strawberries

DRINKS


LYCHEE MINT (P135) - Lychee, Mint, Lemon, Aloe Vera Floaters

I would recommend you to try all of the fish dishes above and the rib eye steak. For the dessert, enjoy a big slice of the Triple Layer Chocolate Mousse. It's not too sweet but it's addicting. I really love their fresh fruit drinks especially the Lychee Mint. It cleanses your palate and you'll love nibbling the Aloe Vera floaters.

Chez Nous by Chippens
Location: 368 Padre Gomez St., corner Roxas Ave., Davao City
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChezNousDavao 
Contact Number: (082) 295 3439
Open Monday to Saturday from 9:30AM to 9PM


Thanks for dropping by! Have a great day!

@jexxhinggo