Turkish, Indian and middle eastern food in Davao

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Turkish Coffee House



I Had a very good food experience today. After a very hectic day doing many errands and an incredible work load in preparation for a week of food adventure outside the country I decided to pass by a newly opened coffee shop by A bonifacio street. Turkish coffee is a very welcome addition to this side of Davao City. the place is located on the ground floor of the St Agustine college by A bonifacio a stones throw away from UIC.

The place I must say is very well appointed and I would guess the owner has spent a lot of funds making the place very cozy. the entrance though is not well lit and the signage seem to be very dim lit too. Every time I pass by i have the impression that its close until I get near.

The Menu is quite extensive both in the food and drink category. A lot of your classic coffees both hot and cold. Prices of which are quite affordable raging from 45 to 65 pesos. Turkish coffee is 75 and the Turkish tea is a whopping 120 bucks. I will try it the next time a visit.

There some Eastern food offerings but you have to ask the waitress on what they are as the names are not translated in English. many of the food listed were not available anymore and presumably because they just didn't move.

There were also pinoy food and boy its really cheap and judging from what I ate it should be good too. Chopsuey is at 55 and the beef ampalaya is 45. Beef steak with mushroom sauce was listed at 45 pesos and pinoy breakfasts were at 69. I saw sandwiches listed from 40 to 65 pesos. and a can of coke light sold for 25.


Now for the Turkish food. as I said they were listed in their turkish names and the waitresses however friendly were not very helpful in providing information. I decided to be safe and ordered to sticks of shish kebabs. (listed at 35 for one qnd 59 for two) and a coke light. I sat outside as the air conditioner was only turned on when I came in. It was quite hot hence my decision. It took me a can of coke and a glass of water as well as to smokes and a lot of tapping with the in house sound system playing santana selections or a good 25 minutes before my shis kebabs arrived. I was presented with a plate overflowing with a salad of bell peppers, lettuce, green and red tomatoes, cucumbers and red cabbage. it had a yogurt dressing and you can taste
the lemons. Definitely not calamansi. (there was a garnish of American lemons too)On the other side of the plate you have a generous mound of rice redolent of eastern spices and generous amounts of raisins. A flat bread and then two enormous kebabs completed the plated meal. All in all the kebabs were wonderfully cooked and the spices just right. the whole plate was definitely satisfying both in taste and size.

I asked for the bill an lo and behold the plate cost me 131. ( even at this price I wonder if the owner can make any money as the kebebs were a good 250 grams at least)not that I am complaining as the plate was really big and tummy filling just that the rice and salad was extra and they didn't inform me. Anyway it was a very good dining experience and I will surely bring my friends along next time.

Alias Bar and Shahzad Restaurant

A few weeks ago I asked an Indian friend of mine where I can eat Indian food (apart from his home where her wife serves the best indian food in town) he said that the Alias bar operates as Shazad Restaurant too and that the food is really good. My wife and I proceeded post haste to this restaurant to sample the food.

The place is in Davao's restaurant row F Torres and you won't miss it. The place is clean but the decor is a lot to be desired. Basically kitch. Tables covered with garish colored table clothes covered with plastic and cheap curtains of the same colors as the table clothes. Lots of tarpauline sheet hanging on the walls with amateur photos of the food. one would hesitate to order seeing this photos that look so unappetizing. Nevertheless due to my friends recommendation we did order some kebabs as well as a chicken korma and a salad. The chicken korma looked as drab as the photos but the taste was really comparable to those in Karachi (the restaurant was Pakistani and not Indian I learned later on) and the flat breads were also very good. My wife's kebabs was also good and had a lot of green chilis in it. The spices were balanced and strong. The salad was also good but quite small for 65 pesos but the dressing of yogurt was very tasty. The lunch was satisfying but was expensive compared to Turkish Coffee and my fave Majids. The whole affair with two coke lights cost almost 400 bucks. Service was ok (took 17 minutes to serve the food) but the owners weren't too friendly.

Majids

Majids is the Eastern food place for the longest time and still my favorite place. they have two outlets. One located in Rizal street and the other at Spazio on the third floor of Gaisano mall. Everything is good here and so cheap. A kebab with a flat bread and a grilled tomatoes will cost you only 35 pesos. try the humus and also the chicken biryani. For a very satisfying lunch a couple will spend only 100 to 200 pesos.

davaofoodie's favorites in Davao City

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Japanese and other Asian treats

If you ever think that Davao is all about tuna, grilled chicken and eat all you can rice then you can't be more wrong. You can have a great food adventure here aside from the dining routine you might be subjected to.

try the small little Japanese restaurants such as TADEKUMA, ASEYA BISTRO and AKIKO.

TADEKUMA - This is now the name of this quaint Japanese coffee shop resto that sported many names before. Situated near two Davao landmarks The Venue and the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Operated by a Davao raised Japanese who speaks better Bisaya than most imigrants to this wonderful City. Try their noodles and you will be very much delighted. The other offerings are also good such us your standard Donburis and Tempuras. Quite pricy by Davao standars but it is as authentic as can be. The Menu is extensive and if the owner happens to be present which is often you can have a chat and perhaps be able to order of the list items. the guy is a fishing enthusiast and knows his fish well.

AKIKO - Is another Japanese operated place and serves Japanese coffee shop dishes such as omu rice, Curry rice as well as hamburger steak japanese style. Quite pricey but very authentic. Sometimes service is slow but hey its not fatfood and you get quality and its worth the wait. This restaurant is situated at the restaurant row in the Victoria plaza area.

ASEYA - This restaurant serves a limited amount of Japanese food apart from Thai and Pilipino specialties. nevertheless the Japanese selection is quite good. Try the donburies ( the gyudon is to die for)and you will be hooked. The tempura is crisp and light and the specialty of the house is the Kamameshi rice. A flavored rice cooked in a special kettle with various toppings such as chicken, seafood and Kani sticks. Very authentic. No wonder because the owner is Japanese mestiza Lisa Enrile who's family owns the Kamameshi House restaurant chain in Manila. try their chicken tepan as well as the beef. The thai food offering is also very good and the Tom Yum Kung is a popular choice as well as their Phad Thai. Lisa's big burly husband cooks the thai specialties the way they do in the streets of bangkok. there are also pilipino food to satisfy the pilipino palate. The slamon sinigang with UME and Japanese miso is a real winner. They are situated at the ground floor of Humbertos restaurant at Palma Gil and Padre Gomez Streets. the price hovers at around 100 pesos per dish and believe me the portions are quite generous.

In all these three restaurant the food is unpretentious and atmosphere is homey. the owners take special care of their clients and are usually on the floor to welcome you and then rush to the kitchen to cook the food themselves.