Tag Archives: davao dining

Kadayawan Itinerary Recommendations

MADAYAW! Welcome to Davao. The Kadayawan Festival is here. You might be wondering what you can do in Davao while you are here for the festival. The good news is there are a lot you can do in Davao any time of the year. The bad news… there are too many places to go to, so much food to try, so much to see that it can get confusing. Here are some Kadayawan Itinerary Recommendations from the My Davao City Team and Davao Bloggers.

Kadayawan Schedule of Activities

First things first, check out the Kadayawan Festival 2018 Schedule of Activities.

Download this Kadayawan 2018 Schedule of Activities and save to your smartphone.

For more details about these events, visit this post by Davao Bloggers.
http://www.davaobloggers.net/2018/07/21/kadayawan-festival-2018-schedule-of-activities/

Where to Stay

If you have not booked yet, Davao Bloggers has a list of Recommended Hotels in Davao.

Recommended Davao Hotel: The Bourke

Davao Bloggers list the Bourke Hotel, Home Crest Hotel, Green Banana Business Hotel, Madeline Boutique Hotel and Suites, and City North Inn in their recommendations. All five hotels are located within the heart of Davao and are easily accessible whether you are commuting or bringing your own car.

Recommended Hotels in Davao City

Learn About Davao

Kadayawan Festival is a celebration of Davao’s indigenous peoples, their arts, culture, and their invaluable contributions to Davao. There is no better way to celebrate the season than by knowing Davao’s roots and how the Indigenous Peoples, Christians, and Muslims came together to build the progressive and peaceful Davao that we now know.

A trip to Kadayawan Village in Magsaysay Park is a must. The village is home to replicas of houses and other architectural structures and buildings of the 11 Indigenous Tribes of Davao. During the Kadayawan Festival, it is the venue for many events and exhibits that showcase the life and culture of the Indigenous People of Davao.

Another place to visit is Museo Dabawenyo along Pichon Street, Davao City.

Artwork at Museo Dabawenyo.

Museo Dabawenyo is home to historical relics and artworks by Davao artists. Get to know how Davao was built and the pioneers who ventured south to be part of Davao’s history.

Appreciate Davao Arts and Culture

Marco Polo Hotel Davao is showcasing the works of rising Davaoeño fashion designer Wilson Limon and his collaborations with artisans of the Bagobo Tagabawa, Blaan, Tagakaolo, and Tboli tribes.

Tinky in Custom NiNOFRANCO Skirt.

The 4th Fashion Fusion also features works by Photographer Jowe Posadas, musician Maan Chua, and other Davao talents. The exhibit and pop up shop will be at the Marco Polo lobby until August 31, 2018.

Fashion Fusion Featuring NIñOFRANCO at Marco Polo Davao

For more information about NIñOFRANCO, visit their website at http://www.ninofrancoph.com/. To be updated updates, follow them on social media: at https://www.fb.com/ninofranco.ph on Facebook, and @ninofranco.ph on Instagram.

Kadayawan Itinerary Recommendation: Visit Davao Landmarks

Davao Bloggers list several other Davao landmarks as must visit stops for your Kadayawan itinerary.
http://www.davaobloggers.net/2018/08/04/five-must-visit-landmarks-in-davao-city/

In downtown Davao, you can visit People’s Park, D’ Bone Collector Museum, and the San Pedro Cathedral.
Continue reading →

Bloggers’ Favorite Cocktails at Zanzibar Davao

1 Reply

While Davao City is one of the country’s major urban centers, its night scene is very much chill compared to Cebu and Manila. Yep, chill is how we would best describe the local nightlife. One of the best spots for chillaxing is Zanzibar Davao.

First, if you haven’t been to the place, you might not find it at all. The bar is situated inside Batu House Cafe. It used to have no outdoor signage of the bar at all. (Luckily, now they have a signage already.) So it’s sort of a secret bar. It used to be such a quiet place, known only to a few. But now, more Davaoeños have discovered our favorite spot. And we suspect, its popularity will just grow in the coming months.

Zanzibar Davao is a nice, cozy place where you can just sit back and enjoy a bottle of beer for less than a hundred while spending quality time with old and new friends. They pipe in music at just the right volume that you can actually converse with your friends.

Davao Bloggers at Zanzibar Davao

Davao Bloggers love the place for its easy, relaxed vibe and their wide range of delicious cocktail drinks. They have so many drinks that it can become confusing and overwhelming for those visiting for the first time. Great thing is nothing is over PhP300. And their 30+ cocktails are categorized into five: Bold and Boozy, Sour, Fruity, Fizzy, and Sweet Confectionery.

Fruity Cocktails at Zanzibar Davao

Since we love the place so much, we each have our own favorites. Here’s our guide to our Davao Bloggers’ Favorite Cocktails at Zanzibar.

Let’s start with our most ordered drink, the Strawberry Basil Fresca.

Strawberry Basil Fresca

Menu Description: Like summer in Baguio! Refreshing and Cool! Vodka, Strawberries, Basil, and Lemon.

Clea Banal and Julie Alontaga both love this drink since they both like strawberries. It’s strong but remains sweet and refreshing. It might seem like a light drink, like a fizzy strawberry drink. Do not get deceived. The alcohol will hit you even before you finish one glass.

On our first cocktails night at Zanzibar, the girls tried Gin Pom.

Menu Description: Made using Davao’s Sweet Pomelo!

Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, Gin Pomelo was the most popular cocktail of college students and yuppies. It was sweet and fruity and gin was hella cheap. You could say Zanzibar’s Gin Pom brings us this classic favorite, but this time made with fresh pomelo juice. And the rim of glass has pink sugar, making it an Instagrammable drink.

For those who want something more refreshing, our editor-in-chief Ria Jose recommends Kalamansi Krush.

Kalamansi Krush Cocktail by Zanzibar Davao

Menu Description: A cocktail that highlights our own local lime! Gin, Calamansi, Cointreau, and Honey.
Like the other fruity cocktails of Zanzibar, this is deceivingly sweet and light. But becareful. It packs a punch. So do not take this and other items in the Fruity Cocktails menu lightly. They will give you a buzz.

Sweet Confectionery

If you want something sweet but not fruity, order the White Russian.

White Russian. Photo by Claudine Chua.

Menu Description: Creamy Coffee Cocktail! A boozy dessert!
For coffee lovers who also love alcohol, this is what Claudine Chua and Jeffrey Mondia would like you to try. It is a combination of milk, Kahlua and well, vodka. It is the best of both worlds, or three rather, as what Claudine says.

Note that Kahlua is basically rum and coffee. So you get two doses of liquor in one drink. And they serve it in such a quaint way, too. The vodka-infused milk is served in a jar labeled with the instruction “Pour Me” and the Kahlua is served in an Old Fashioned glass with ice. And you get to pour the milk over the Kahlua so you get to see the layers of booze, milk, and coffee swirling and mixing together creating a decadent (and very alcoholic) drink. After drinking, it has the aftertaste of coffee instead of the rum or vodka.

Roxanne Lacap mixing the White Russian

This cocktail is not just for the girls because guys love it too. “I am not a big fan of cocktails but I like the White Russian for its coffee flavor and it is like I am making an affogato.” Jeffrey shares.

Sours at Zanzibar Davao

If sweet is not your thing, give your palate something tangy, citrus, tart… everything sour.

Julie suggests the Amaretto Sour.

Amaretto Sour

Menu Description: Disarrono liqueur, hand-squeezed lemon juice, egg whites, all shaken violently.
It is just the right amount of tangy and bitter with just a hint of sweet. Unlike the fruity and sweet cocktails, you can easily taste the alchohol content in this one.
Continue reading →

Bemwa Farm | Cool Summer Destination in Davao City

2 Replies

Davao City is one of the largest cities in the world in terms of area. With more than 2,400 kilometers square of area, we have almost all kinds of tropical terrain. We definitely have it all from islands to islands, as one of our tourism catchphrases say. Going south, an hour and a half drive away from the busy downtown area of Davao City sits a fascinating beauty of nature perfect for a cold summer getaway. Known as Bemwa Farm, this emerging ecotourism spot in Barangay Datu Salumay, Marilog District has captured the attention of locals and tourists alike.

It is just one of the many inland resorts and tourist stops in Marilog District. The entire district #feels of being in Baguio City, the summer capital of the Philippines. It has enthralling green scenery, plants, and cool weather. It is, in some ways, better than Baguio in that it is less crowded and less urbanized.

Bemwa Farm is now one of the a must-visit spots in Marilog. It offers a nice spot to rest, take photos, and eat heartily. we suggest visiting it early in the morning when there are not too many guests yet. Plus, of course, enjoying the fog blanketing the farm is a cool experience. Literally and figuratively.

Most Filipinos only enjoy fresh strawberries when they are visiting Baguio. It comes as a nice surprise for everybody when they see that Bemwa has rows of strawberry fields. It is just one of the picturesque spots in the farm. Aside from the strawberries, they also have rows of sunflowers, fresh organic products, and other potted herbs that you can purchase at very reasonable prices.

Entrance Fee and Food at Bemwa Farm

For the price of only P50 per guest as entrance fee, you get to experience Bemwa Farm for unlimited time. Not only that. You can use your P50 value ticket in exchange for P50 worth of food from their café.

Bemwa Farm has their own café where you can savor their special Lugaw and Goto cooked using locally grown products at P50 per serving. Also on the menu is the Vegetable Salad made with their own garden-fresh produce for only P90. For something sweet, you may order their famous Strawberry Taho priced at P30 per serving. And to quench your thirst, they also have various Fresh Lemonades for only P25 per glass.

Continue reading →

Davao Chocolate Festival 2017 at SM City Davao

Leave a reply

In 2014, SM City Davao pioneered the celebration of the Chocolate Festival in cognizance of the booming cocoa and chocolate industry in Davao. Local chocolatiers, pastry makers, and other purveyors showcased dishes and drinks that feature local beans. This weekend, SM City Davao hosts the Davao Chocolate Festival 2017 once again from October 12 to 15.

Davao Chocolate Festival 2017 at SM City Davao

Purveyors and exhibitors from past Chocolate Festivals will be back, along with new food concepts and establishments.

Davao Chocolate Festival 2017 Exhibitors

The Chocolate Festival is a collaboration of SM City Davao and the Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao, Inc. (CIDAMI). It aims to bring together the Davao’s best cacao growers and chocolate processors. CIDAMI will be one of the event’s exhibitors.

Returning exhibitors include award-winning Malagos Chocolate, and local chocolatiers Chocolate Bean and Cacao De Davao. Comval Tropical Harvest, Rosario Delicacies, Puratos, Aromacology, Nutri Arch, Fedco, and Chocolate de San Isidro will be displaying and selling their best-selling treats.

Lara Mia leads the list of local dessert shops that will showcase their best chocolate pastries. Also joining are Confex & Co., Yolks, and Milky.

Finally, new food concepts will be at the event to offer their own chocolate delights: Cacao Culture, Chocoloco Inc, Auro Chocolate, Capt Du’s Cacao, A&V, Johanns, Brightside, and Sweets of Tirzah.

There will definitely no shortage of chocolate dishes, desserts, and drinks to satisfy all your chocolate cravings. Whether you like milk, dark, or white chocolate, you have to be at SM City Davao’s Chocolate Festival.

Chocolate Festival Highlights

The Davao Chocolate Festival will hold various events to further add excitement to the festivities.

Before the event formally opens, SM City Davao teased the crowd with a jar of Golden Chocolate Coins. The person who guesses the correct number wins a Golden Ticket. It can be used to redeem a package of chocolate goodies from the festival exhibitors. The winner also gets all the golden coins.

SM City Davao shoppers can also get their own Gold Ticket if they are one of the first 14 lucky shoppers to present a single-receipt purchase of at least P10,000 on October 14.

Chocolate lovers are invited to follow SM o Instagram @SMDavao and share their chocolate stories with their squad with the hashtag #ChocolateDateatSMDavao. The best posts get special prizes. Make sure to tag them and post by October 15.

The event will open on Thursday, October 12 at 10:30 am and will close when the mall closes. The country’s best tablea makers will demonstrate how to make your own chocolate concoctions. On October 13, learn about “The Sweet Journey” of chocolate’s bean to bar story. Finally, explore chocolate as a medium of art during the Chocolate Art expo on October 15.

So gather the gang and prepare to indulge in the best chocolate treats from Davao’s best cacao growers and chocolatiers only at the Davao Chocolate Festival 2017 at SM City Davao.

For more information about events at SM City Davao, visit the SM City Davao Page at http://www.smsupermalls.com/smcitydavao and their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/smcitydavao. Follow SM City Davao @SMCityDavao on Twitter and @SMDavao on Instagram.

Music and Coffee Festival at SM City Davao

Leave a reply

Want to chill this weekend? Enjoy rhythm and brews at the first ever Music and Coffee Festival at SM City Davao. Gather the gang for a bonding session while drinking the best brews from various coffee shops and vendors at The Annex from September 15 to 17, 2017.

Music and Coffee Festival at The Annex of SM City Davao

Pop Up Shops

At the center of the Coffee Festival are, of course, pop up shops of various cafes and vendors.

Bo’s Coffee Club at the Music and Coffee Festival

The most prominent coffee shop at the festival is Bo’s Coffee Club, a Cebu brand known all over the Philippines.

Local coffee vendors and food bazaar staples Johann’s Coffee, Gypsy Cafe, and Racoma Farms have booths offering coffee concoctions and cakes.

Gypsy Cafe at the Music and Coffee Festival

Whether you like your coffee strong or sweet, hot, iced, or ice blended, there is a coffee to give you your dose of caffeine.

Also offering cakes and other desserts are Desserts by Timzah and Lara Mia. Their sweet slices are sure to delight and satisfy your saccharine cravings.

Lara Mia Desserts at the Music and Coffee Festival

A new cafe on the local food bazaar scene A&V Cafe also has a booth at the festival. And Neon Pigeon, a brand of coffee-based energy drinks, has a booth, as well.

Doughnut shops with specialty coffee drinks have booths at the event. Dunkin’ Donuts and J.Co are both present at the festival.

Music and Coffee Festival Activities

SM City Davao invites all coffeeholics to share their Coffee Flatlay on Instagram and get the chance to win prizes. Just tag @smdavao and use the hashtag #CoffeeDateatSMDavao to join.

Coffee Flatlay at the Music and Coffee Festival

Fiction Folk will host the Music and Coffee Festival Trivia Night on September 16.

Music and Coffee Festival Trivia Night

Categories and questions will not be limited to coffee topics but knowledge of coffee trivia will give you an edge. Interested groups need not pre-register. Just show up, get a table, and join.

Throughout the festival, various musical acts will be performing on stage. Art using coffee will also be on display.

So fulfill your caffeine dreams at the first ever Music and Coffee Festival at The Annex of SM City Davao, only until September 17, 2017.

For inquiries about promos and events at SM City Davao, contact them at +6382-2976998 and like their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/smcitydavao. For updates, follow their social media accounts @SMCityDavao on Twitter and @SMDavao on Instagram.

Durian Festival 2017

Leave a reply

“King of Fruits,” this is what people often call durian. Whether you like it or not, you must admit durian looks regal. And yes, its smell lords over all other fruits. And for those who love it, its taste is simply like no other. Luckily, it is one of the fruits that is bountiful here in Davao and it is one of the fruits that is celebrated during the Kadayawan Festival. And SM Lanang Premier celebrates this king of fruits through the Durian Festival 2017.

SM Lanang Premier’s Kadayawan Durian Festival 2016

Durian Festival 2017 Launch

The Kadayawan Durian Festival 2017 launched on August 11 at the SM Lanang Premier Northwing Event Grounds. SM gathered partners in the agriculture industry to celebrate another bountiful harvest of fruits, flowers, vegetables, and crops. And most of all, Davao’s durian.

SM Lanang Premier Mall Manager Therese Lapeña-Manalo shares, “As with every Kadayawan season, SM Lanang Premier is a key venue to celebrate the city’s festivity of bounty and blessing.”

Councilor Marissa Abella, Bureau of Plant Industry Center Chief Dr. Lorna Herradura, Department of Science and Technology Assistant Regional Director Elisa Mae Solidum, SM Supermalls Group Brand Manager Aron Dalaza, and SM Lanang Premier Mall Manager Mary Therese Lapena-Manalo at the opening of SM Lanang Premier’s Kadayawan Durian Festival 2017.

If you missed last year’s Durian Festival, don’t miss it this year. The Kadayawan Durian Festival 2017 offers a wide selection of durian varieties, flavors, and even colors.
Continue reading →