Grub Resto-Cafe

After a birthday snack at our good friend Jeffrey's party, we made our way to Duterte Street for dinner at Grub Resto-Cafe. Louie, me and six of our other guy friends, wanted to find out what delicious grub this restaurant has to offer. Once we stepped inside the place, I couldn't help but notice the crisp and clean ambience and concentrate on that for a second. It gives a homey feeling and a warm sense of comfortable dining.

Looking around, I see a number of wooden tables and wooden benches, all of which, were almost filled up with customers. There are also dining tables and chairs where families eat together and share food on the table. We finally settled for a long table near the entrance. It's the biggest available space they have at that moment.

Our waitress was accommodating. When asked what is the restaurant's specialties, she confidently said the Dino Chops is a favorite and so is the Crispy Spring Chicken. It didn't take much persistence from her to order Dino Chops and Fish and Chips in Supersizes. These entrees are served with a cup of brown rice each.

When the Dino Chops arrived, it wasn't that supersized. It was barely enough for 7 hungry guys and a gal. We ordered a second serving, of course. The Dino Chops was alright. It's priced at Php300.00 which for me, is enough for an entree that can be shared by 5 (if all male) and 6 or 7 (if all female). The Fish and Chips on the other hand, is not impressive. For one, there's no distinct taste and the dip of ketchup and mayonnaise is ordinary. I was impressed though, that they use brown rice. It was my first time to eat such although it wasn't a giant leap of a difference from the kind of rice that we eat at home.

They also have homemade goodies such as atchara, wild berry preserve and banana muffin. I ordered take-out for banana muffins and to eat for breakfast.

Grub Resto-Cafe has good food for group gatherings especially families. Although it's a bit pricey, I would like to eat there again 'cause it's a great place to do some catching up.

Kusina Selera

Last night, we had our late dinner at a new restaurant. It has nice interiors, cozy ambience and well-lit dining areas. We came to Kusina Selera found in Legaspi Suites at Legaspi Street. We left full and satisfied but not so impressed with the food. Well, I think they're still at a hit-and-miss stage.

They serve Filipino dishes. Food that you would also enjoy at home but is just much more comforting to eat at their restaurant. Our appetizer was the pomelo salad. It's a toss of chunks of pomelo, slices of tomatoes, unripened papaya and nuts on top swimming in a boat dish of fish sauce (patis). My first impression is that the tangy-ness of the pomelo is overpowering and made the other ingredients useless. But the nuts makes it interesting and I like that the fish sauce isn't so overpowering. You'll hardly even notice that it is what it is.

Our entrees are Bistek Selera and Boneless Crispy Chicken. My sister also ordered the Steak Rice. To start with, Bistek Selera was my order. This dish is good for two. It is like Bistek Tagalog but the catch is there are breaded onion rings on top. Well, that's what the description said but we didn't get the breaded ones, only the usual onion rings. This, however, I realized after we have finished eating it and found it too late to bring to their attention. Next is the Boneless Crispy Chicken. According to our waiter, it's a favorite among their customers and I agree. It's delicious. My only concern was that it's a bit pricey to pay for a half fried chicken on a sizzling plate with gravy. I don't think it can be shared by two. It's like Bigby's Chix Ahoy but I must say, Kusina Selera's tastes better. And finally, the Steak Rice was my sister's order. It's literally sauteed rice with tenderloin tips. This dish is so-so. Although unique in its taste, I wasn't blown away. And the price again, in my opinion, is not worth it even if it has tenderloin tips. However, this can be shared by two but it wouldn't change my opinion on the pricing. It's still expensive.

I think the Dabawenyos' taste have evolved through the years. You'll see classy restaurants popping here and there. They are flanked by Dabawenyos at first but then die down after a while. That's our culture. We try something new but we almost always go back to the familiar taste. But I still do hope that Kusina Selera will eventually turn into a go-to place, somewhere we can all be familiar with. And I would most definitely eat there again because there are many dishes I haven't tried yet. My taste buds are craving for their desserts.

The Proposal

This is not a review of Sandra Bullock's latest movie. This is a recount of an ordinary Sunday turned extraordinary. This is me, reliving the day I got proposed to by the guy who never makes my life dull and who always puts a smile on my face.

It all started like any group of friends who likes to go on an adventure. On March 22, 2009, we went to Outland Adventure at Ma-a Diversion Road to try our luck at The Xcelerator. It's the fastest zipline as of today in the city. It's reason enough to ride it. Little did we know that it's not the Xcelerator that we came for.

When we arrived, we were briefed on safety tips and what to expect on the entire journey. There would be a 10-minute trek towards a river that we have to cross by raft. Then another trek up towards the platform where the start of the zipline is. Of course there were second thoughts. I was in the point of giving up 'cause I AM afraid of heights. But what the hey, I do not want to be left alone while they were having fun ziplining. And so we got into our safety gear--helmet,harness,prayers. They made us sign a waiver and gave us numbers to know who goes first and who goes next. My boyfriend and I got the last two numbers. And the journey began.


When we arrived at the platform, we took a few minutes to catch our breath and take some photos (SOP). We still managed to smile and pose even though we were so tired from the trek. Then, the moment has come to face The Xcelerator. But I guess for my boyfriend, riding that was the least of his worries. I saw the guys get strapped and zipped down the line like Superman while the girls did the sitting position. Then, it was my turn. I opted for the sitting position too. With a digital camera set on video, I zipped that freaking line of hell. I wasn't able to enjoy the scenery 'cause I closed my eyes the first few seconds and I was looking through the viewfinder of the cam.



Surprise, surprise! As I reached the end of the line, there were our friends. They were particularly happy and I didn't understand why at first. Then I saw the message on the ground. That was when I knew. I didn't know how to react. I didn't freak out too. I was more dumbstruck. As I waited for the crew to get me down, my mind was a complete blank. The crew didn't let me off yet. I'm still strapped to a line. After a few minutes, I saw my boyfriend coming towards the end of the line, doing a Superman and holding something in one arm and unraveled it once he reached the end.

No questions asked. Again, I was dumbstruck and just stood there. I guess he already knows what I'm going to say. He did this for me and I wouldn't have asked for anything more. Only three people knew about this. My boyfriend and his two friends. I applaud them for a great job and a wonderful surprise to many of us there.

Now, it's up to my fiance and me to plan a perfect wedding (perfect enough for us, at least).

Overdrive at Tagum City

It literally means I "over drove" all the way to Tagum City. The journey was not planned. It was Mom and mine's spur of the moment and I ended up driving for two hours back and forth. It was tiring and it came to the point that I wished our car was automatic instead of a stick shift. However, the roads were paved except for some parts where work is still being done.

After a coffee-infused breakfast at McDonald's, we decided to seek out a mall somewhere in Panacan. It was supposedly, a 30 to 45-minute drive. I just drove where the highway took us and kept moving forward. And on we went through foreign areas. We had no idea where the mall is and when the journey will end.

We passed Sasa, Panacan, Panabo, Tibungco. I was amazed at the vastness of the shipping yards found on both sides of the road. I was in awe at the humongous cement factories of Holcim. There was something cool about those industrial plants. I realized that there are much, much more to explore beyond the city bounds of Davao.

I wouldn't have seen them if it weren't for the paved roads and wide lanes. Also, I would have driven back where we came from right away when trucks, pick-ups, buses and other SUVs would overtake us left and right. The roads made me feel secure in broad daylight. I wouldn't dare to drive if we went at night.

We kept moving forward and over bridges. Mom was eager to see the City Hall of Tagum. She had heard that it was a sight to see. And what a sight indeed.
Apparently, there was nothing to see. What caught our eyes is the city's color-coded tricycles. All tricycles are colored at the same shade of green. And they're the kings of the road. I managed to capture a picture of one of the little buggers on the street. I've seen more tricycles than jeepneys in Tagum city. And they look neat in one color. Unlike in Davao city, wherein they're such nuisances and they're everywhere. Dabawenyos hardly walk these days and I wonder why. But that would be another blog entry.

Anyway, after evidence-gathering, we headed for home. The drive was faster but still with the close encounters of buses, trucks, pick-ups and SUVs left and right.

I felt relieved that we have arrived in Davao city. But believe or not, I gained a sense of contentment that I live in a beautiful city--where everything is accessible in a few minutes, where traffic is a minimum, where life is laid-back. It was like love the second time around, only it wasn't lost in the first place. It got deeper. I love Davao!!! and I'm a proud Dabawenya!