Paofection

Ho-ho-hotteok! Merry Christmas 🎄🎅🏻

This pancake, with its warm, ooey-gooey sweet and nutty filling and chewy crispy crust sells, well, like hotcakes 🥞

📍 Chung’s Kimchi
Sobrecarey Street,
Obrero, Davao City
In front of Green Coffee Obrero
Honey Hotteok ₱55

📍 Cafe Prelaya
Sputnik Street, Doña Vicenta Village,
Davao City
Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Slice
₱254

When visiting Cafe Prelaya, you simply pecan’t skip a slice of their Caramel Pecan Cheesecake 🍰

📍 Dahnil’s Kitchen
P. Sobrecarey corner Vinzon Street,
Obrero, Davao City
Kilawin ₱70
Tuna Paksiw Buntot ₱95

If there was one dish I could eat everyday, it would be kilawin: a spicy mix of grilled meat, offal (laman loob), and veggies soaked in vinegar. Not even exaggerating - I ate pork kilawin almost daily at school. Another time, I devoured almost half a chafing dish of kilawing kambing in one sitting 😅

Also pictured is tuna paksiw, another dish with a strong sour kick from being stewed in vinegar. Another storytime: I had colleagues who loved eating paksiw but were not so hot about ginger; they ended up giving me all of theirs. Eventually, after they started seeing how happy I was to oblige, they started eating ginger too 😆

You can tell I love all things spicy, sour, and tangy 🙂‍↕️

From one of our go-to carinderias, Dahnil’s Kitchen 🐐

Amongst Selecta’s Limited Edition Christmas lineup, Matcha Cookies and Cream is clearly the fan favorite—I’ve never seen it in-store! Meanwhile, the other two flavors are just… chilling (badum tss). Don’t expect a strong earthy flavor from this: it’s like McDonald’s Matcha Oreo McFlurry, but in tub form. My ranking? Matcha Cookies and Cream comes out on top, followed by Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, then Speculoos & Cream

I used to rely on Grab Mart or Panda Shop for my fix, but now it’s more elusive than ever. , please, I’m begging — produce more of this gem 🗣️😆

Best paired with Roanne Bourbon First Harvest Matcha Cookies

’ Mushroom Sisig Rice Bowl
₱169 on Grab

If you’re thinking of what to eat on Meatless Monday, consider this deliciously healthier take on a classic 🍄‍🟫 Love how juicy the dish is. They didn’t scrimp on the garlic either. Plantbased dishes tend to be on the pricier side but they managed to keep this affordable. Honestly, I could eat two of these 😆

📍 Strict Picks
Jacinto Extension, Doña Vicenta Village (near Doña Vicenta Park)
Davao City

Also available at
📍Kugi Hub
JP Laurel Avenue, Bajada
(In front of Davao Central Convenience Obrero)
Davao City

.atbp
Pastil Full Experience ₱124
Ngohiong (6 pieces) ₱193

Pastil is Filipino fast food in its simplest form. This dish originating from Muslim communities in Mindanao consists of rice topped with savory shredded chicken (kagikit), all neatly bundled up in a banana leaf. This was one of my go-to meals that helped me survive those quick breaks in between classes. I still fondly recall trying to avoid staining our stark white uniforms with the accompanying toyo packets (the key is biting it ever so slightly to puncture the teeny plastic bag’s air pocket) 😅

Mamastill Atbp.’s take on pastil is a welcome upgrade. As they said, it’s laysho na pastil pero afford pa rin. The pastil itself is bigger than your usual serving. The ‘atbp.’ or ‘etc.’ might refer to the side dishes it comes with: sauteed eggplant, pickled cucumbers, sambal and garlic soy sauce. This hefty meal is super satisfying - consider it the pastil version of a fast food fully loaded meal 🍚

Not to be missed is their crispy ngohiong; Mom says its pretty darn close to the ones they snacked on at Ngohiong House outside their university in Cebu (albeit a bit smaller) 💕

📍 Mamastill Atbp.
JLMCQ Building, Juan Luna Street,
Poblacion District, Davao City
🛵 Also available on Grab and FoodPanda

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Dirty Matcha Blizzard with extra cheesecake chunks and matcha powder ₱217

Strawberry Matcha Blizzard Cake 6 inch
₱825

When Dairy Queen first launched their Matcha Creations, I was beyond excited to try them 🍵 However, the Matcha Blizzard was not it — even with extra matcha powder, the flavor was way too subtle. I found myself wishing I got my usual Oreo Blizzard instead 😅

Turns out, I wasn’t alone in my disappointment. DQ heard the feedback and listened to the voice of the people 🙌🏼 Two days after the launch, they announced they improved the taste of their matcha offerings. Ofc I had to see for myself if this was their matcha redemption arc. I’m happy to report that they indeed redeemed themselves this time around — their matcha ice cream cake hit all the right notes 💚

📍 Dairy Queen
Upper Ground Floor, Gaisano Mall of Davao,
J.P. Laurel Avenue, Davao City

’s Rathian Platter
₱2619

Smoke & Spice’s Rathian Platter is a meat lover’s dream come true. It’s got it all: Angus beef brisket, pork ribs, pork belly, and Hungarian sausage—all meticulously smoked to perfection. The rich smoky flavors of the meat were perfectly complimented by the sauces and sides. The pickled cucumber added a hint of sweetness, while the coleslaw was just the right amount of tart

You can really taste the love and effort that went into making these. The owner, Axel, honed his craft in Jamie Oliver’s US restaurants, and it shows. He said the platter captures the essence of an all-American summer (and is best enjoyed with a cold beer) 🇺🇸🦅

For an extra kick, try adding a few drops of the Yellow Danger sauce to your dipping sauces. If you’re a glutton for punishment, go for the Parusa—but don’t say I didn’t warn you ⚠️

Just how good is it? Well, I got into a squabble with a sibling and had to order Smoke and Spice’s beef brisket as a peace offering. It was super effective lol

📍 Smoke & Spice
Door 9 VCBG Building,
Acacia corner Calachuchi Street,
Juna Subdivision, Matina,
Davao City
Located beside the Ateneo Car Park Building