[Food Trip] BU Tapas, Bebidas y Bodega - Davao City

Updated: This lovely haven is now close.

I am a frequent customer at this chill place. I always go here with my best buddies for a bucket of cold beer.

This Spanish inspired bar is not only famous for its classy yet sophisticated ambiance, they are famous for great tapas!

And the tapas that we are discussing is not the fried beef, it a Spanish term for snacks. This is a Spanish restaurant/winery/bar. If the name of the bar is translated in English it is called "BU Snacks, Drinks and Wine shop."

All Meat Pizza

Tapas bar is kinda new restaurant concept in Davao City. But I could say that BU nail one here! And they grab a bunch of frequent customers.

[Food Trip] The Bagnetian Kitchen

I'm craving for Bagnet (Ilocos' version of Lechon Kawali) in the past few days. In search of the Bagnet, I found out that there's a new restaurant in Davao City that serving Bagnet.

Located in the newly constructed The Brick Square Lane, Palma Gil St., Davao City,  you can taste their great tasting Bagnet.

The Bagnetian Kitchen is a small restaurant that is in the corner of the Brick Square Lane compound which is very visible from the road.

They serve different versions of Bagnet such as Bagnet Dinuguaan, Bagnet Express and a lot more.

How's the food?

[caption id="attachment_36" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Bagnet Classic[/caption]

I've ordered Bagnet Classic. They paired their bagnet with ginamos ( salted fermented fish) which is a perfect pair for this kind of dish. The Bagnet is perfectly deep fried and served presentable. I could say that they get the best crunch of pork skin just the way I want. In fact, I've ordered 2 cups of rice to satisfy my appetite (hehe).

[caption id="attachment_35" align="aligncenter" width="300"] DND Love Affair Dessert (Fried Oreo Cookies topped with Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Syrup) - unfortunately they served our desert with a melted Ice cream.[/caption]

One of my friend ordered a desert called DND Love Affair. It's a composition Fried Oreo Cookies topped with Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Syrup. I don't know why they served this with a melted ice cream actually it's a big minus for them.

Prices for the main course ranges from 140 - 160 php. It you don't want it one plate at a time you also order a platter of Bagnet consist of 3 different versions of Bagnet for 450 php.

Overall Verdict?

If you want Bagnet in Davao you must try this restaurant. I would like to return and try their Bagnet Express. The only no no for them it that they didn't served their Bagnet as freshly hot -- probably we visited them 11pm and they served us melted ice cream for our desert -- which my friend should have the option to return it in the first place. Taste wise from their menu is approved but service? I think I should give them a chance next time probably they will serve their dishes as satisfying as possible.

I rate them 4/5 overall rating.

[Food Trip] Sinangag Express - Davao

It was 4am that we visited this breakfast restaurant in Davao City. It was called Sinangag Express. It is not the same as the Sinangag Express in Manila. The restaurant boasts of it's creative interior/exterior design. The walls were painted blue and there some road signs and plate number card as decorations.  You will see a jeepney infront of their place which you can utilize it as an eating table (cool!).

[caption id="attachment_22" align="aligncenter" width="378"] See the road signs decoration?[/caption]

How's the food?

Me and my friend ordered Chicken Tocino and Lechon Kawali.

[caption id="attachment_20" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Lechon Kawali ( Right ) and Chicken Tocino ( Left )[/caption]

I compared it to the Sinangag Express in Manila, this is kinda disappointing. I thought that the whole food menu is served with sinangag (garlic fried rice). There is an additional 5 php per food item if you want your rice to be a sinangag additional 10 php for the fried egg. Lechon Kawali as they served is kinda like a plain pork chop sliced and deep fried with minimal seasoning on it. The chicken tocino is plain as it is. There's nothing extraordinary about our food in terms of taste. Somehow, they present their food in a nice. Our food was served on a big plate. The one with the  plain rice is served with a heart shape design while the one with sinangag is shaped nicely and was topped with the fried egg.

[caption id="attachment_21" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Lechon Kawali served with plain rice and atchara (pickled papaya)[/caption]

Prices were bit reasonable ranges from 40 php - 90 php.

Overall Verdict?

You'll enjoy the creative resto design they have which an eye candy to the many. The food and service wasn't so nice for me. I was so comparing this to the Sinangag Express of Manila since they have the same name on it. If you just want breakfast in the middle of the night you can pay them a visit. Sinangag Express is open 24/7 located at Metrolifestyle Complex, Jacinto Extension Street, Davao City between Banana Berry and Bo's Cafe.

I'll give them 2.5/5 rating overall.

 

Update:
As of March 2013. It was renamed Sinangag Republik.