Two more food places just opened in Cagayan de Oro: Frozen Factory at the 3^rd floor of the Ayala Centrio Mall (near Cinema) and The Pizza Republic Pick + Mix at Rosario Arcade Strip, Limketkai Center.

Indulge in Yummy Frozen Delights at Frozen Factory

Image Source | Facebook: MBBFrozenFactory

When this new saccharine gelato experience opened last October 10 at the Ayala Centrio Mall, it was quite obvious it was some sort of a spin-off from the gelato ice cream bar made popular by Missy Bon Bon. However, aside from serving the usual gelato ice cream flavors from cups or cones, it goes up five levels higher by serving up artisan-like and well-crafted gelato delights using different ingredients. In fact the full name on the signage reads, “Missy Bon Bon Frozen Factory.”

Image Source | Facebook: MBBFrozenFactory

Of course, every Cagayanon with a sweet tooth is very familiar with the gelato ice cream delights and flavors first introduced by Missy Bon Bon at the Limketkai Center. However, since Missy Bon Bon is more into breads, pastries, and all-day breakfast and light meals, with the gelato ice cream part of the whole setup, eventually, the owners, Mr. Henrik, Ms. Joanna and Ms. Catherine came up with the idea for a separate gelato ice cream place that would serve more creations for gelatos.

Image Source | Facebook: MBBFrozenFactory

Frozen Factory has an ice cream lineup with all sorts of fresh fruits, peanuts, flakes, chocolate syrup, cookies, chocolates, wafers, popcorn, and the like used either as ingredient mixtures or as toppings. You’ll find their creations looking like artistically arranged food displays and gourmet pieces of artwork that will make you want to whip out your phone camera and take foodies and selfies galore! Every slice, sauce, drizzle, cream, and piece seems to have been carefully placed and arranged like fashion makeup on a beautiful model.

Image Source | Facebook: MBBFrozenFactory

Of course, once the pictures are done, you won’t help but smack deep down on the delights in front of you.

The Best-sellers

Some of the instant favorites on opening day were the Merry Berry Double Sundae and Choco Overload Waffle Cup. 

Merry Berry Double Sundae

Choco Overload Waffle cup
Image Source | Facebook: MBBFrozenFactory

Another instant hit was their unique Gelato Banana Split, as well as their Rockies and Sunrise Malibu.  

Gelato Banana Split
Image Source | Facebook: MBBFrozenFactory

Rockies
Image Source | Facebook: MBBFrozenFactory

Sunrise Malibu
Image Source | Facebook: MBBFrozenFactory

The store even had a couple of contests for opening day. One was for the 25 gift certificates to be given away when you follow Missy Bon Bon on Instagram and post a pre-set photo while saying why you’re excited for the store to open. The first 25 to post were declared the winners.

The other was the Scavenger Hunt for three golden tickets, each ticket worth a one-month supply of free gelato.

Image Source | Facebook: MBBFrozenFactory

Image Source | Facebook: MBBFrozenFactory

Gelato ice cream lovers will finally find their sweet tooth love nest at the Missy Bon Bon Frozen Factory where they can sink their teeth and taste buds on the best, the first, and the only gelato ice cream place in Cagayan de Oro.

Pick the Toppings and Design Your Own Pizza at Pizza Republic Pick + Mix

Last October 10 also witnessed the soft opening of Pizza Republic Pick + Mix by Giuseppe Genco. It is a spinoff from the Italian Chef Giuseppe Genco’s Manila projects such as Giuseppe Pizzeria and Sicilian Roast and Project Pie. The biggest factor that makes Pizza Republic stand out from other pizza places is the use of wood-fired brick ovens that was conceptualized by Genco’s family in Italy.

Image Source | Facebook: Pizza Republic Pick + Mix

Of course the main concept of the pizzeria is that you get to pick from more than 50 to 60 toppings to dress up your pizza. That’s the concept of the pick + mix; you get to choose your own toppings and mixtures to be cooked to make up your pizza. In short, you get to create your own pizza.

Margherita Pizza

And while you’re ordering your pizza, it’s like a production line with a little entertainment thrown in which you get to see your pizza made right in front of you from everything that you chose to go on top of it. After this, the pizza is cooked in the famous wood-fired industrial oven.

Image Source | Facebook: Pizza Republic Pick + Mix

All ingredients are imported from Italy, beginning from the dough that’s rolled and rounded in front of you, to the sauces like the olive oil, tomato and white sauce, to the Italian cheeses like mozzarella, parmesan, white, blue, goat, cream, and gorgonzola, to every single meat, vegetables, herbs, and spices.

Another reason the pizzas here taste better is the wood-fired industrial ovens. These stoves have almost zero maintenance, improves the flavor of anything you cook in it, and lasts for more than 200 years. They even cost the same as standard conventional ovens, but the conventional ones need to be replaced every 5 to 6 years.

The DIY concept coupled with the wood-fired industrial ovens is probably what sets Pizza Republic Pick + Mix apart from the other traditional pizzerias. Probably because of the ovens, the overall design of the pizzeria will remind you of the modern French industrial restaurants that are now familiar in French cities.

The place isn’t that pricey because a 10-incher will only cost you less than P300. The main advice here is not to put too much toppings on your pizza because it might not cook that well and they might only fall off when you eat because the whole thing becomes too heavy. Carefully choose just the right ones and just enough to complement each other.

The place also serves their salad versions of Balsamic Vinaigrette and Giuseppe’s Caesar Salad. They even have desserts like Tiramisu and Blueberry Mango Cheesecake. Actually for those who don’t want to create their own pizza, they can order from Giuseppe’s menu.

Kagay-anons love their pizzas as infamously as they are known as beer drinkers and menu explorers. In fact if you explore any pizzeria in the city you’ll always find them filled with customers. Pizza Republic will never be an exception to this and the uniqueness of Pizza Republic Pick + Mix will most likely keep the place filled up for many years to come.

So there, you have 2 new places to hangout and catch up with friends. Either you go for a gelato indulgence or a pizza party, these 2 establishments are definitely worth a visit!

The post Frozen Factory & Pizza Republic Pick + Mix – Newly Opened Food Places for Lip-smacking Sweets and Customized Pizza appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

We bet most pizza lovers even in Cagayan de Oro don’t know where or how pizza began. Here are historical snippets about your favorite flatbread food.

Panis Focaccia

• The first “pizza” was flatbread from Gaeta, Italy, in 997 AD called “panis focacius” in Latin or “flatbread with toppings.”
• By the 16^th century flatbread with toppings in Italy was referred for the first time as pizza and was food only for the poor people that was sold as street food due to the use of tomatoes that many rich people consider as poisonous.
• The first time pizza was served with cheese was in June 1889 when an Italian pizza maker, Raffaele Esposito, created the first garnished pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil to represent the national colors of the Italian flag in honor of Queen Margherita.
• From 1830 until the present, pizza in Italy is sold only from open-air stands, pizza bakeries, and dishless pizzerias that sell paper wrapped pizza together with a drink.
• Italians consider the American style of pizza flavors to be distasteful. Italians will only eat two “pure” types, the Marinara and the Margherita.

But enough of pizza history as it’s time to get to know the best and coolest pizza parlors here in Cagayan de Oro City. Come on in and let’s start choosing where to go for your next pizza meal.

1. BFB (Big Flat Bread)

Image Source | Facebook: Big Flat Bread

Once located at the Limketkai Center Rosario Arcade until circumstances forced them to relocate, renovate, and construct a much bigger BFB place along Corrales Avenue just outside Wat Ever and Lokal Grill.

They even held a grand re-opening last August 27 just in time for the city fiesta.

Image Source | Facebook: Big Flat Bread

This is the place to go for groups of friends or medium sized families who need to share really large pizzas (How does 30 inches grab you?) since you can choose to order from sizes ranging from big, bigger, and biggest, with “biggest” usually enough for around 10 people.

Image Source | Facebook: Big Flat Bread

Their bestsellers are the Southern Chicken with BBQ sauce, the Knickerbocker, Beef Salpicao, the Hawaiian, and the Oriental. The great crowd favorite however, since BFB first opened, has always been the Godfather.

Image Source | Facebook: Big Flat Bread

And they’re not just the place for big pizza; they’re the place for big AND delicious pizza.  They also have a “Do-It-Yourself” create your own pizza where you get to choose your own toppings.

2. Calda Pizza

Image Source | Facebook: CaldaPizza.Cdo

Another big-sized thin crust pizza place that you need to visit at their branches in Lapasan, Lorraine’s Portico at Pueblo de Oro, and in front of Xavier University along Corrales Avenue.

Image Source | Facebook: CaldaPizza.Cdo

Big size doesn’t even come close to describing a super large 30 incher or the extra super 36 incher. How do those sizes grab ya?

Image Source | Facebook: CaldaPizza.Cdo

You can go online, choose from their menu lineup, call the nearest branch, and have the pizza delivered to your office or doorstep.

Image Source | Facebook: CaldaPizza.Cdo

Their bestsellers are usually the Calda Speciale, Filetto, Roma, Quattro Stagione, Filipiniana, Carousela, Hawaiian, and Bianca, though their whole menu lineup is quite long, giving you more reasons to go there and attempt to savor each flavor.

They’ve been a favorite to large groups because their huge pizza can accommodate such hungry crowd.

Photo credit: Web Dev CDO

Quattro Stagione flavor pizza

Image Source | Facebook: CaldaPizza.Cdo

Just don’t forget to bring your friends or family unless you’re attempting to finish off an extra super all by yourself.

3. Alberto’s Pizza

Image Source | directory-edongkoy.blogspot.com

Photo Credit: https://www.facebook.com/logicbaseinteractive

Here’s a local pizzeria that’s actually very popular to students because of their affordable pizza menu lineup but, is quite underrated by come locals.

Image Source | www.burpple.com

But once you get to savor their Italian flavors, you’ll wish you had visited their place sooner. They’re smack dab in the middle of the city at the Marfori Compound on Gaerlan and Pabayo Streets (it’s that side street short cut leading to Corrales Avenue if you enter from the Pabayo Street side).

You can even call them for deliveries to your doorstep or office. The usual favorites are the Beef and Mushroom, Bacon and Cheese, Hawaiian, and the Supreme. If you used to order at their Carmen branch, they’re no longer there, so mosey on down to Divisoria instead.

Albertos Pizza Delivery enjoyed by https://www.facebook.com/logicbaseinteractive

4. Pizza Republic Pick + Mix by Giuseppe Genco

Simply called Pizza Republic Pick + Mix or just plain Pizza Republic, they just recently opened last week at the new Rosario Strip at the Limketkai Center.

Image Source | Facebook: Pizza Republic Pick + Mix

The biggest factors that make this pizzeria stand out from the other places are the use of wood-fired brick ovens to cook the pizzas that greatly improves the taste as well as the concept to create your own pizza from more than 60 toppings to choose from.

Image Source | Facebook: Pizza Republic Pick + Mix

ACadeO member enjoying Margherita and Vegetarian flavored Pizza

You get to choose your own toppings and mixtures to be cooked on top of your pizza. Most of the ingredients are imported from Italy, beginning from the dough that’s rolled and rounded in front of you, to the sauces like the olive oil, tomato and white sauce, to the Italian cheeses like mozzarella, parmesan, white, blue, goat, cream, and gorgonzola, up to most of the meat, vegetables, herbs, and spices used.

5. Italliani’s Restaurant

Pepperoni Pizza
Image Source | Facebook: Italianni’s Philippines

Image Source | Facebook: Italianni’s Philippines

Itallian’s Restaurant has been around for 18 years. The concept was created by Carlson Restaurants which is TGI Friday’s Parent company.

The restaurant serves delicious authentic Italian dishes and is also known for their palatable, high-quality red and white pizzas. Some of their pizza best-sellers are; Pepperoni Pizza, Quattro Formaggio Pizza, Circolare Pizza , Pizza Ovale and Margherita Pizza.

Pizza Ovale
Image Source | http://www.italiannis.com.ph/

Margherita Pizza Combo
Image Source | Facebook: Italianni’s Philippines

6. Yellow Cab Pizza

Image Source | Facebook: Yellow Cab Pizza Co.

Yellow Cab Pizza was founded in 2001 by Eric Puno, Henry Lee and Albert Tan. It retails fast food and pizza.

Image Source | Facebook: Yellow Cab Pizza Co.

This food chain has branches in SM City Cagayan de Oro, Centrio Mall Cdo and Limketkai Rosario Strip in Cdo.

They also have chains in the United States, Guam, Malaysia and Qatar. Yellow Cab also have other popular food products such as; Charlie Chan pasta, Hot Wings, Calzone, Baked Potato Wedges and Ice Cream.

Yellow Cab Ice Cream Image Source | Facebook: Yellow Cab Pizza Co.

7. Chez Marie Bar Café and Restaurant

Pizza purists will probably be up in arms since this isn’t even a pure pizzeria. But who ever said you needed to be a pure pizzeria to sell pizza, and unique pizza you won’t find anywhere else in the city.  Chez Marie (pronounced shay maree) is a French-Italian inspired fusion bar café and restaurant that boasts of a homemade bestseller called the black crusted Black Mamba Pizza.

They are the only restaurant in the city to serve this type of pizza and the crust is really black at the bottom. They also have a traditional pizza called the Chez Marie Supreme that is also a big hit. Other pizzas in their lineup include the Hawaiian Pizza, Vegetarian Pizza, and Pepperoni Pizza. As the French would say, “Qui ne l’aime pas la cuisine française?” (Who doesn’t love French food?). Really, you have to go there to try it out for yourself.

8. Oliver’s Pizza

Oliver’s Pizza is located along J.R. Borja Extension at the Great Spot Arcade, next to The Wine Cellar (also owned by Oliver’s). The Oliver’s Pizza uses the wood-fired brick oven in baking which gives an authentic taste of Italian cuisine. You should not miss the Margherita, Vegetarian and Alfredo’s flavors!  Go have your pizza paired with wine. 

Conclusion

No matter what a few people say about pizza being a sort of junk food, many would beg to disagree since you don’t always get to eat pizza each day. Just sinking your teeth and taste buds into a slice is enough to throw away any diet and misconception you ever held. As the Italians would say, “How can pizza be unhealthy? Have you ever seen a fat Italian before?”

The post 8 Top Pizzerias in Cagayan de Oro City appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

From pizzerias to burger joints, Cagayanons sure know how to enjoy good food and they know which burger places to go to in search of those unique and flavorful meat buns. So if you’re the typical Cagayanon who easily tires from taking in all those bland Jollibee burgers or American tasting McDonald’s burgers, here’s hoping that our list of local burger joints in Cagayan de Oro will set you off on another burger food journey.

Image Source | www.huffingtonpost.com

And just for enjoyment, here’s some trivia about the popular meat bun:

• The first use of meat placed between two bread buns was first started by the Roman Legionnaires during the expansion of the Roman Empire up to the 9^th
• In the 12^th Century the Mongol armies under Genghis Khan brought precut beef slices and placed them between two slices of bread to form meat buns so their soldiers could eat while on the march.
• The word “sandwich” is attributed to the English aristocrat John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, who preferred to eat sandwiches so he could play cards without soiling his fingers around 1765.
• The word “hamburger” is attributed to Hamburg, Germany where the first beef steaks and whole ground beef patties in between two slices of large bread buns where created and sold in restaurants around 1879.
• The first mass-produced burger and burger sandwich restaurant chain was invented by McDonald’s in the U.S. in 1940.

Chino’s Deli

This cute and neighborly-atmosphere deli joint is located at the 3^rd floor of the Ayala Centrio Mall beside the cinemas. It has come to be the unofficial symbol of a Cagayanon-created burger joint, though they also serve other types of sandwiches. However, if you haven’t yet tried out their Flat Iron Burger and other burger sandwiches on their menu, then you should as soon as you can take your eyes away from this article. Their burgers plus their unique fries and unique drinks make for a complete meal that will leave you (pardon us) burping with delight.

Chori Burger

Chez Marie Bar Cafe and Restaurant

Chez Marie burger

Chez Marie is a French-Italian inspired restaurant located at Grand Central. The restaurant name is derived from the French word, “Chez,” pronounced as “shey” which can mean “at the house of” or “at the place of.” Marie is the owner’s first name. So literally the name means “At The Home of Marie.” Many new customers unaccustomed to French pronunciations would literally read the “chez” as it is spelled. Their “Chez Marie burger” is one of their best-sellers. It’s patty is made of 100% pure beef with no extender. Come try it today!

Chub’s Diner

Familiar with Pot Tate’s Diner in those Archie Comics? Well, this is what Chub’s Diner looks and feels like when you venture over to their joint along Corrales Avenue in front of Xavier University. They don’t just serve burgers, fries, and milkshakes; their burgers are served double the normal sizes. Their giant grilled burgers and double patty burgers such as their Shroomburger and Double Shroomburger will more than satisfy the hungriest Cagayanon. They’re also the only burger joint in the city that offers the Foot High Burger Challenge. This is a foot high burger filled with beef patties, cheese, bacon, onions, and even the fries in between two gigantic pieces of burger buns. The challenge part here is for a single person to finish off the foot high burger, the accompanying fries, and the glass of milkshake in 15 minutes or less. Accomplishing this will give you the meal for free and the winning eater gets his or her name placed on the Wall of Fame along with the other past winners.

El Diablo Burger
Image Source | Facebook: UrbanLifeMGSD

Army Navy Burger

This burger joint on the 2^nd floor of the Ayala Centrio Mall is reminiscent of the Quonset Huts prefabricated dining areas that the U.S. Army and Navy brought with them for rear areas during World War II. The burgers served as well in this burger joint is based on the burger meals served to American soldiers and sailors when doing rest and recreation (R & R) in the rear areas away from the battle front. For instance, their Double Burger containing two quarter pound beef patties was originally served to American soldiers while the Bully Boy Burger with triple quarter-pound beef patties is reminiscent of burger meals served to American sailors aboard warships and Liberty ships during World War II. Even their Classic Burger, paired with the Freedom Fries and Libertea will surely be more than enough as a meal that will leave any hungry Cagayanon more than satisfied.

Bully Boy Burger
Image Source | www.vozzog.com

Bistro Rivale

Before burger pundits begin a revolution over this choice, try running over to their comfortable place at the Big Tree Arcade along Kauswagan Highway (look for a car wash in front of Resonance) and we dare you all to try their Spanish burger. That’s right, while we can discuss about American and Cagayanon influenced burger, we dare you to try their Spanish Rivale Burger with its caramelized onions, the only one of its kind in the city. Instead of fries, pair the burger with Croquetas de Pollo and one of their homemade drinks, and we guarantee you’ll have a hard time standing up after getting stuffed.

Bistro Rivale Burger

Lefty’s Chick-N-Chops

Isn’t this place popular for its Buffalo Chicken Wings? Yes it is, and we dare you to pair their chicken wings with their homemade burgers instead of ordering rice. They make the best homemade burgers on this side of town. They have a great place at the Great Spot Arcade along the J.R. Borja Extension Highway that’s conducive for family or friends gathering for a meal.

Image Source | Facebook: Lefty’s Chick-N-Chops

Bigby’s Café and Restaurant

When you visit SM City Mall and Ayala Centrio Mall, try looking for the Bigby’s place if you’re ever craving over a burger. Once you sit down, order the Scuba Melt or Manhattan Burger Deluxe Sandwich with Cheese. You can also go for the Bistro Burger Cheesesteak Sandwich. Pair it with their Basket of Chips or any of the salad lineup along with one of the special drinks, and you’re in for a treat of a meal. We do recommend coming in really famished to truly savor the rich flavorful cooking that only comes from CDO’s premier cooking place, Bigby’s.

Bigby’s Scuba Melt

Cagayanons really love to eat and they really love their burgers as much as they love the next pizza or gourmet meal that comes along. Burger sandwiches have become part and parcel of the Filipino eating lifestyle and this can be clearly seen in Cagayan de Oro’s local burger joints. Some may even call them burgerias, a spinoff from pizzerias. But whether as a restaurant, joint, or burgerias, try out the burger places mentioned above and do feel free to leave your belt at home since your pants won’t need them.

The post Top Burger Joints in Cagayan de Oro That Will Leave You Burping with Satisfaction appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

Donatello’s Kitchen is a new “create-your-own-platter food cart” located at the Divisoria Arcade on R.N. Abejuela Street (beside Dunkin Donuts). They are open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and they close longer on weekends. They serve mainly American-Italian dishes. Their main thrust is their grilled chicken with an additional gimmick for customers by allowing them to build up their platter by choosing from selected sauces, side dishes, and drinks.

Image Source | www.facebook.com/DonatellosKitchen

Donatello’s Kitchen is that nice food stop place when you’re busy, on the go, or looking for a yummy Italian dish that will be served fast and just within your budget. Or it’s the perfect place to eat lunch or dinner when you’re somewhat tired of those cramped and filled up commercial eating places all over town and if you’re craving for Italian foods.

How and where it all started

Image Source | www.facebook.com/eltonladd.batinga

The business name, “Donatello” actually comes from the owner’s blog pen name, “Donatello Giabanti” whose real name is Elton Ladd Batinga. When Mr. Batinga decided to permanently migrate to Cagayan de Oro after a foray into teaching and customer services, he decided to try out this form of food service and formed a partnership with his father. The concept was to create a food cart that didn’t sell just street food; it had to be a food stand that was creative and sold special fusion menu at reasonable prices but was delicious enough to attract professionals and students alike.

Image Source | www.facebook.com/DonatellosKitchen

When Mr. Batinga was still living in Manila, he got the idea of creating a business that served delicious chicken dishes from his favorite restaurant there. It served really delicious chicken breasts and other great chicken dishes. This is the idea that he wanted to emulate in Donatello’s Kitchen, but of course, instead of just concentrating on chicken breasts and other chicken dishes, he mixed it up and now they serve mainly American-Italian dishes.

Mr. Batinga hopes that Kagay-anons will get to really like food cart platters ala Italian style, as usually sold like those from Italian food carts around Rome. The food cart platter idea is also to get customers to appreciate what it is like to create dishes and menus and what it feels like to amalgamate your own dish.

Meet the owner

Mr. Elton Ladd Batinga

We did notice that some intellectuals assumed that since the name of the place is “Donatello” it is based on the Italian Renaissance artist Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, better known as Donatello. We also noticed some who thought the name comes from one of the famous Ninja Turtles.

What adds to the miscued confusion is a wall sign on the far side of the food cart that says, “Whether it’s for love, art, money, friends or food, we all crave for something. It’s as natural as breathing.” – Donatello Giabanti. This can also be seen on the Donatello’s Kitchen Facebook page. This isn’t the famous artist or the turtle; rather, it’s the owner’s pen name when he used to write poetry.

Mr. Elton Ladd Batinga

Elton Ladd Batinga, at a young age of 29, epitomizes the growing cadre of young entreprenuers all over the country with the intent of starting out on business ideas that they alone have created.

He grew up in Cagayan de Oro then moved to Manila for college and work. He took up Veterinary Medicine for two years at UPLB and then shifted to Dev Com and finally finished with Digital Fine Arts.

He then took visual merchandising and basic menswear. Mr. Batinga first became an event handler for several pharmaceutical and multinational companies before moving on to being an assistant functional manager and project manager for a couple of top companies. He even became an Adjunct Lecturer at the Raffles Design Institute in Manila before finally moving to Cagayan de Oro. He became a part-time instructor for the Development Communication Department at Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan before deciding to venture into the food service business.

The Platters

Donatello’s Kitchen just recently opened on September 8, 2015. The Platters are the ones that give the food stand its uniqueness. Surprisingly, their platters are at affordable prices and there are three to choose from:

The Basic Platter – Php 79.99

Contains one Grilled Chicken, One Side Dish (the choices are Plain Rice, Java Rice, Mashed Potatoes, and Mac N’ Cheese).

The Pasta Platter – Php 119.99

Contains one Grilled Chicken, One Side Dish (the choices are Alfredo Linguine, Marinara Linguine, Pesto Linguine, Young Corn, and Mushrooms).

The Premium Platter – Php 149.99

Contains one Grilled Chicken, Two Side Dishes (the choices are Plain Rice, Java Rice, Mashed Potatoes, Mac N’ Cheese, Alfredo Linguine, Marinara Linguine, Pesto Linguine, Young Corn and Mushrooms), plus one drink.

Image Source | www.facebook.com/DonatellosKitchen

For all the platters, you can choose the sauce for your chicken, the choices being Alfredo, Marinara, Pesto, Gravy, and Chili Paste. For the Premium Platter, aside from the long list of choices for side dishes that you get to choose two from, the choices for the drinks include Lemonade, Mint Iced Tea, and Calamansi Juice.

You can also order extras:

Extra Chicken – Php 49.99

Extra Basic Side – Php 39.99

Extra Pasta Side – Php 59.99

Drinks – Php 24.99

They accept free delivery only within the downtown area. As of press time, the food stand was still serving the Premium Platter at a promotional price of only P125, something worth checking out.

Image Source | www.facebook.com/DonatellosKitchen

Looking to the future

Image Source | www.facebook.com/DonatellosKitchen

For the near future, Mr. Batinga is hoping to expand to a more permanent space once the food stand gets to be really popular among Kagay-anons, and with the permanent space, perhaps more menus and dishes can be concocted up.

Conclusion and Contact Details

Image Source | www.facebook.com/DonatellosKitchen

Donatello’s Kitchen is a new, fun, and creative “first” idea in this city, being the only one of its kind, and from its recent opening to the present is proving a popular hit among Kagay-anons. For advance orders and deliveries, you can get in touch with them on 0916-7888977 or 0929-4458600. And when you’re there, don’t forget to say; “Buon Giorno to Donatello.”

The post Donatello’s Kitchen – Your Favorite Food Stop for Italian Gourmet Dishes in Personalized Take-out Platters appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

Lechon belly now seems to be a new food trend that is taking the whole country by storm, and Cagayan de Oro is no exception to this. After all, Cagayanons are known to be fond lechon eaters whether during special occasions or during meal times. The main attraction is to sell lechon belly at more affordable prices since ordering a whole lechon can be quite expensive. Also, Filipinos love their lechon skin so part of the sales pitch is to sell the crispy skin that goes with the lechon belly. This new delicacy also features a tastier meat inside since the belly is cooked with a mixture of condiments placed inside the belly while it is being roasted.

Yunik Foods Lechon Belly

While a spate of several lechon belly places have sprouted up and just as quickly have suddenly disappeared, one lechon belly place seems to stand out and is often flocked to by numerous customers. This is Yunik Foods Lechon Belly, located along Capt. Vicente Roa Street corner Agudo Road, beside Metz Arcade and Graphics All-In Store. They are open from 10:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Yunik Foods is one of the tenants of Metz Arcade beside Centrio Mall.

Yunik Foods Staff

Yunik Foods is a simple place that offers budget meals at only P50 (dine-in only), which includes lechon belly with rice.

Yunik Foods Budget Meal – P50

This is their main attraction along with the bevy of drinks you can order, or you can order lechon belly by the weight along with individual rice orders. Their whole slab of lechon belly is affordable at only P999 and with free delivery as well within city limits only. This is the perfect food addition for birthdays and other special celebrations.

When compared to traditional lechon, the average lechon belly weighs around 2.7 to 3 kilos. A traditional chopped lechon (including the bones) costs around P500 per kilo. Thus, a roasted lechon belly with the crispy skin and minus the bones at P999 makes for a really great alternative for any celebration or even a large group meal.

How it all started

The idea of Yunik Foods lechon belly came from the fact that the proverbial lechon is not only a permanent fixture in Filipino parties and celebrations but now also during meal times. Lechon belly offers a more affordable alternative since you don’t have to order the whole lechon. Also in terms of the budget meals, lechon belly is also more affordable and tastes better than most lechon budget meals offered in other places.

According to the owner, he calls his lechon belly the “rock n’ roll” lechon belly. This is because he cooks it so the taste can be matched with any alcoholic liquor or beverage. It now becomes the ultimate “pulutan.” Also, there is a live band place nearby and the customers from there often visit and eat at Yunik Foods before going home. The owner also wanted to concentrate only on lechon belly rather having a lineup of different dishes on the menu.

The name of Yunik is obviously taken from the English adjective “unique” but given a more Visayan or “Bisaya” twist to it. The name sums up the “uniqueness” of the place but in a more Visayan way of description. It also sums up the owner’s feelings of Kagay-anons and their talents and skills.

The Rock n’ Roll Owner

Mr. Salvador “Budit” Dela Cruz contends that his business started with almost “zero capital.”

Mr. Salvador Dela Cruz – Proprietor of Yunik Foods

Though, of course, in practical terms, some money had to be used as capital, he contends that it was his love for the food business that pushed him to start this business using very little capital. According to Sir Budit , his favorite quote is “Do More What Makes You Happy.” If you have a passion for something, work harder on this passion. This quote also comes from his idol, “Johnny Cupcake” from the U.S.

Team About Cdo with The Owner and Staff of Yunik Foods

Sir Salvador is an Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE) graduate of Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan. Before going into the food business, he was a former event organizer as well as a band organizer and manager for many local CDO bands, a few of which have moved on to larger gigs in other cities. Unlike other food outlets in the city, Yunik is his sole ownership. He is also the owner of the “Kidlat” tattoo shop near Xavier University.

The condiments and spices placed in the middle of the lechon belly while it is roasted is the owners own concoction and remains a secret (secret mixture as compared to a secret recipe). Each lechon belly is oven roasted rather than wood or charcoal roasted so the crispiness is well balanced.

For the near future

As the “Ber” month season is now upon us, Mr. DelaCruz is contemplating a few promotions for the season to attract more customers. Of course, everyone knows that the December holiday season brings in a lot of parties and celebrations, so the lechon belly is the perfect addition on any dinner or celebratory table.

A unique promotion is a tattoo competition sponsored by Yunik Foods. A band competition is also being organized also sponsored by the lechon belly place. All these competitions must feature only local CDO talents and artists in order to highlight these locals.

In the future, don’t be shocked if someone gives you a unique birthday gift consisting of a roasted lechon belly and some cute surprises. This most likely will come from Yunik Foods and this idea will soon bear fruition. Sir Budit hopes that in the future his lechon belly will be known all over the city as a “Yunik” type of food order and plans to expand with more branches citywide.

Yunik Foods can cook and deliver up to a maximum of 5 lechon belly for mass individual orders. For all those lechon lovers out there, Yunik Foods Lechon Belly is the new king of the lechon belly market in the city. For orders and other inquiries, get in touch with Yunik Foods at 09067488742.

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Flamenco Café and Bar is a café, restaurant, and bar all rolled into one and as soon as you enter the place you might feel like you stepped into a wormhole and ended up in one of those small, quaint, and cozy Spanish or European home restaurant bars on the continent.

The place is very comfortable, the décor is definitely authentic, and the food is a reason to keep coming back. It’s one of those places that’s actually smack dab in the middle of the city and yet away from all those busy malls, districts, and drinking holes where large crowds seem to congregate.

Flamenco Café and Bar is located at Capistrano Street corner Gomez Street, though if you measure it the place is much nearer probably to Burgos Street.

The “Flamenco” Concept

The idea and concept for Flamenco all started after the business partners and owners went on group tours to Europe, particularly in Spain, in 2010. On these trips they noticed that most restaurants, cafes, and bars in those countries were not very expensive places and some were simply extensions of homes. Many of these were simple family owned businesses and were passed down from several generations to the present. The common ambience was cozy, homey, and welcoming in a family way. This was the concept that the owners wanted to imbibe into Flamenco.

The name “Flamenco” is derived from the famous Spanish dance. Admittedly, the owners had a hard time to pronounce the name since they were used to the more common word “flamingo” which is a common bird species. Aside from the Spanish concept, the name also conjures a feminist concept, which is obvious in the design of the place.

The restaurant went on a soft opening in December 2011. Since the city was hit by a weather disaster that extremely damaged the city and its inhabitants, the owners decided to curtail the restaurant operations and eventually launched officially six months after.

That Flamenco Experience

The owners are very particular when it comes to the consistency of the taste of their foods. Anything cooked on day 1 should taste the same when it is cooked and served on day 100. This is because return customers are often particular and familiar with their favorites and so any variation in the taste will right away be noticeable. Also, their buffets never have what is termed as “return dishes.” Every buffet they serve will always have a different lineup.

Flamenco Dinner Buffet

The food is a mixture of Spanish, Filipino, American, and other international dishes, this fusion menu concept mostly coming from their main chef/owner. Team Acadeo got the chance to try out their dinner buffet and we really loved the delicious foods that were served!

Their best sellers are their Cracked Bread, Clam Chowder, Shepherd’s Pie, Asian Pasta and noodle meals, Kinilaw, Pork Sisig, Bangus Sisig, and Baby Back Ribs.

Flamenco Cracked Bread

According to the owners, their Baby Back Ribs are more than competitive with the best the city can offer. Their cracked bread is also a hit with students and professionals alike. For desserts, their best sellers are the Tablea Cake, Ube Leche and Cookie Ala Mode.

Flamenco Tablea Cake

Ube Leche Cake

Flamenco Cookie Ala Mode

What makes the food at Flamenco so inviting is the affordability. Aside from the expats, foreign visitors, and professionals who visit regularly, part of their mainstay are also students, a testament to the affordable prices the restaurant offers.

When the restaurants opened and up to the present, Flamenco became somewhat of a haven for many expats and foreign visitors in Cagayan de Oro because of the food they serve.

The restaurant can have a singer or an acoustic band only on special occasions, events, or on request for exclusive parties.

The Sibling and Business Partner Complementation

The business corporation of Flamenco is an awesome combination of two siblings complementing each other through cooking and baking partnered with one of the most lethal immigration and family courts lawyer in the city.

Eva Madrid is a businesswoman by nature and is the dessert specialist of the restaurant. She is the younger sister of Edna. She is a Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) graduate from Lourdes College. She gained her knowledge in icing and baking from special courses both from CDO and US where she gets to visit from time to time.     

Ms. Eva Madrid

Edna Madrid-Besinga presently works at Gawad Kalinga but also divides her time as a full-time chef for the restaurant. She is the elder sister of Eva. Having managed a large restaurant chain at famous Malls, when it comes to the large buffets, Edna gets busy in the kitchen and whips up very special dishes in large batches. She is a graduate of BSBA Marketing from Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) and she also got her masters from Xavier University. In spite of her passion for cooking she never enrolled in any culinary school. She is married with 6 kids.

Mrs. Edna Madrid-Besinga

Atty. Alejandro Jose “Joe” Pallugna is a Math graduate of De La Salle University and AB Economics at Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan. He is a Law graduate from Xavier University. He is presently an immigration and family courts lawyer as well as a businessman.

The Holiday Season

The approach of December usually finds the restaurant almost fully booked for small holiday parties and meetings. The place can be booked exclusively for around 25 to 30 persons, more if you include the outer non-air-conditioned bar area. Their usual party meal package runs at around P6,000 inclusive of a buffet and drinks for four hours. Aside from the food the partygoers can choose either videoke singing or a live singer.

Opening soon, an exclusive Poker Club will set up at the back of the restaurant. The membership is exclusive and limited to a maximum of 30 and only poker will be played. The membership fee is a one-time payment only, but no walk-in players are allowed. Regular members may bring in visitor players only once, but visitors can only play if there is a vacancy. Only poker chips will be used for the games.

Conclusion

What makes Flamenco Café and Bar unique is not only the quaint concept of the place but also their unique lineup of delicious foods and dishes offered at very affordable prices. Like a jungle paradise or a desert oasis, it may be hidden from plain sight, but once discovered, it’s a place that you may want to visit every now and then and savor their really good food. But don’t take our word for it; you need to go there and try out the place yourself.

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What really keeps a restaurant afloat for many years? Location perhaps? But location can be somewhat subjective, and many restaurants have proven that you don’t need to be in a mall to be popular with many people. Many restaurant owners will agree that for people to flock to your place you need to be consistently delicious for them to keep coming back again and again.

After all, the reason people go to a restaurant is for the delicious food, right? Of course, this has to be coupled with good personalized customer service. This is probably the reason why Buffalo Resto Grill has always stayed on the radar of Cagayanons when it comes to delicious fusion dishes and probably the best pancit in the city. This resto grill knows that Cagayanons love to eat and so deals out some of the most delicious foods that your food buds will ever savor.

A little bit of history

Buffalo Resto Grill is conveniently located along Apolinar Velez Street, beside the RMN DXCC building and in front of the Press Freedom Monument. For the old timers, many would remember this as the former Caprice Steakhouse back in the 1970’s and 80’s.

Later on it became the Gourmet de Oro and then later still became the Sunriva Restaurant. On October 10, 2010 (10/10/10) Buffalo Resto Grill finally opened and has remained open and growing to this day, even outlasting some mall-based restaurants for almost 6 years.

How it all started

In all honesty when you ask the owners where they came up with the idea and concept of the “Buffalo” name, they said it just came out of the blue. Somehow while trying to come up with a name for the new restaurant, the “Buffalo” word just suddenly popped into their heads. They even had to look up what type of animal a buffalo was so as not to confuse it with the Asian water buffalo that we commonly have. However, in relation to the true North American animal, the owners tend to think of the symbolism of the animal in terms of strength, resilience, and stability.

The design, concept, and wall decorations are an amalgamation of several ideas from the owners and some hired designers and painters. The discovery of the location was decided by the owners and they finally decided to invest in the place because of the number of function rooms available plus the location is already well known to many Kagay-anons.

That Buffalo taste experience

The menu line-up at Buffalo Resto Grill is mostly made up of Filipino and Fusion dishes. Their order best-sellers are their Baby Back Ribs, Sinuglaw, and Kinilaw. Their Pancit and Empanada are also second to none in the city, and many regulars of the restaurant will swear to this.

Their empanada is sometimes ordered in large quantities for take out to be served at parties and other special occasions.

Many also swear to their Lengua Estofada as delightfully delicious.

The Buffalo Function Rooms

Not many people know that what keeps the restaurant on its toes are its bevy of function rooms on the ground and second floors. Technically they have five function rooms; each function room is also collapsible to utilize a smaller space or can be connected to another one for a larger space.

Anywhere from 30 to 40 persons and up to 150 persons can be accommodated. Up to 400 persons can be accommodated on the ground floor for a large event if the two functions rooms are opened up and includes the dining room.

Function rooms can be availed for a maximum of 4 or 5 hours depending on the event or occasion. For evening functions, while the restaurant normally closes at 10:30 p.m., functions can go on up to 11:00 p.m. or 12:00 midnight. On very special and unique occasions or events the management allows special functions from 1:00 a.m. up to 4:00 a.m.

Their catering service is also busy almost the whole year round. Their menus for both the function rooms and the catering service are adjustable and can be customized based on the client’s budget. Basic decorations are provided for special occasions like weddings or birthdays, and each function room can be provided with a small sound system or a videoke machine for additional entertainment.

Meet the owners

Mr. Ivan Lloyd Tan-Leh and Robert Dy are members of a business partnership. However, Sir Ivan is the main managing partner and general manager who calls most of the shots for the restaurant.

Sir Ivan is a graduate from De La Salle University in Manila, taking up two courses, Economics and Accountancy.

Sir Ivan with Team Acadeo

He is also a certified public accountant. Sir Ivan admits that in all his wildest dreams he never foresaw his future as owning and managing a restaurant.

Promos and Events

At present and probably up to the month of December the restaurant serves up a lunch and dinner buffet called Eat/Drink/Grill/Dessert All You Can for Only P199. The lunch buffet is at 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. while the dinner buffet is at 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

There is a special December Promotion for those who avail of the function rooms. For a minimum price of P10,000, a free large ILT Food Products Christmas Ham will be given.

ILT Hams are processed in Cebu using imported ingredients. ILT Hams are usually served at the Cebu Shangri-La Hotel, Marco Polo, and Del Monte Country Club.

Conclusion

When mentioning strength, resilience, and stability, all these traits in a Buffalo can be truly found in Buffalo Resto Grill. And it can be seen in their great food, great personal customer service, and great function rooms and catering. This resto shows that there’s more to just location than meets the eye when it comes to restaurants.

The post Buffalo Resto Grill: Good Food and Better Personalized Service appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

“Pasalubong” is a generic Filipino term that usually means giving a small present or gift after arriving from a trip. This distinct and unique characteristic and behavior is very “Pinoy” in nature and seldom found in other cultures. The present or gift is normally a certain specialty or delicacy from the place traveled to and distributed to close family or friends. While key holders or refrigerator magnets are common, aside from t-shirts, many places have their own distinct delicacy for purposes of pasalubong. In Cagayan de Oro City we have a few delicacies that distinctly identifies the city.  To enumerate, following are the food pasalubong in Cagayan de Oro City.

Recommended Food Pasalubong in Cagayan De Oro City:

Pastel Bread

Image Source | www.choosephilippines.com

Though originating from Camiguin Province the pastel bread with its sweet-filled buns in different flavors has become somewhat of a CDO pasalubong fare. While Vjandep Pastels is the most common brand sought out by travelers and tourists, Missy Bon Bon now also serves its own line of pastel bread.

SLERS Chicharon

Image Source | chicharon.theshop.ph

Fried pork rind, or chicharon, is a common Pinoy snack, but SLERS has taken the delicacy up a notch and turned this delicacy into a perfectly tasting and packaged pasalubong. It is so good that it can even be turned into a viand when paired with rice. It comes in traditional and spicy flavors.

Roasted Cashew Nuts

Image Source | www.fotothing.com

This is truly a CDO delicacy that originates from Barangay Lumbia as far back as the 1970’s. The abundance of cashew trees in the area has promulgated the popular roasted cashew nut that has become a favorite delicacy for pasalubong due to its portable size and really delicious taste.

Candied Delicacies

Image Source | www.mypasalubong.com

A usual food pasalubong can be those candied delicacies. Just like this Assorted Delicacies. This product from Country Fruits is a pack consisted of Candied Banana, Candied Banana with Jackfruit and Ube Pastillas. Mouths will enjoy chewing this sweet treat.

Nanay Choleng’s Muron

Image Source | Nanay Choleng’s Muron Facebook Page

Inquirer just awarded Nanay Choleng’s Muron as one of the awardees of Lifestyle Best Desserts 2015 with media personalities and celebrities hooked up with its great taste. No wonder it stole Kagay-anons and local tourists hearts. You can avail this praised dessert at Ayala Centrio Mall.  Definitely belongs to the best food pasalubong in Cagayan de Oro City list.

Dulceta Jam Tarts

These are cute and delectable pastries and the fruit jams inside are handmade from natural fruits while the tart itself is hand baked into pastry crusts; no artificial ingredients are used. This product is strictly homemade but are all guaranteed to be fresh and safe. These jam tarts capture the essence of the fruits coming from Cagayan de Oro or Northern Mindanao. There are seven flavors to choose from: mango, pineapple, strawberry, ube, buko pandan, jackfruit, and durian.

Jamon de Cagayan

Image Source | www.choosephilippines.com

Natural smoking, salt curing, and honey cooking is what makes CDO’s leg hams stand out from the others. Visitors can choose from SLERS Ham, Oro Ham, or TGO Foods Pine Hams. All their varieties are fully cooked and ready to serve, mostly packed in the traditional katcha cloth bag that symbolizes the city’s warmth and friendliness.

Pasalubong Box from Missy Bon Bon

Image Source | www.thekagayanon.wordpress.com

Missy Bon Bon has its own Pasalubong Box offered especially for tourists. You can contain your pasalubong box with ensaymada, sweet potato bread, cheesy sponge or pastel. You can visit their main shop located at Rosario Drive, Limketkai Center.

Pane e Dolci’s Sylvannas

Image Source | www.wheninmanila.com

Another favorite food pasalubong in Cagayan de Oro City is Pane e Dolci’s Sylvannas. This dessert became known to Kagay-anons and even neighboring cities since Pane e Dolci started selling it. Ever since then, Pane e Dolci holds the Sylvanna authority in Northern Mindanao. Their main store is located at 12th-21st Sts., Nazareth, Cagayan de Oro City.

Malunggay Pastel

Image Source | Posted by The Backpacker Philippines on Facebook

Located at Masterson Avenue, Cagayan de Oro, Malunggay Pastel Breads and Cafe has a different offering for Pastel. Their own Malunggay Pastel is one of the favorite food pasalubong in their bread and pastry line ups.

Turones de Mani

Image Source | es.aliexpress.com

Peanuts are a favorite pasalubong fare for most Filipinos. As a sweet peanut treat, turones de mani is a sweet delicacy made of crushed honey-coated peanuts, caramelized sugar, and wafer wrapping. You can find it in most pasalubong shops in the city. It’s the perfect treat for those who love sweets.

Fely’s Homemade Baked Goods

Image Source | www.mypasalubong.com

Fely’s started out as a small home business and grew into a big business that now distributes pasalubong delicacies to canteens and supermarkets. Their homemade cheese sticks that are similar to brownies with fillings are their most popular delicacy. They come in ube and macaroon flavors.

Cheding’s Peanuts

Image Source | www.traveltrilogy.com

Speaking again of peanuts, this particular pasalubong actually started in Iligan City but somehow has found its way to CDO. Many Luzon travelers actually look for this brand because of its distinct flavor. This business has been in operation for 47 years and continues to produce high-quality peanut products. They offer toasted peanuts, salted peanuts, sugar-coated peanuts, crispy garlic hot peanuts, spicy peanuts, peanut brittle, peanut barquiron, and peanut butter flavor. Enough reason to count this as one of the food pasalubong in Cagayan de Oro City.

Some may argue that the Puto, Remember Me, and Monks Blend Coffee are also good pasalubong fares. However, Remember Me is a soup-based dish and is almost impossible to transport because of its difficult portability. Puto tends to spoil a bit after a day and won’t taste good once placed in the refrigerator. Monks Blend are coffee beans harvested in Bukidnon, but generally, coffee isn’t a popular pasalubong, unless the person specifically searches for it. On the whole, Cagayan de Oro can hold its own compared to other cities when it comes to local delicacies as pasalubong. These abovementioned have been proven to immediately identify anyone as having come from Cagayan de Oro. Then again, if you’re into good food, you can just buy all of the above for pure palatable enjoyment.

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Foreign and local tourists coming to Cagayan de Oro and looking for good restaurants will always first ask where the seafood specialties are. Obviously, because Northern Mindanao has earned a reputation of having the freshest supply of marine resources, and Cagayan de Oro seafood restaurants are known to serve up fresh seafood dishes all the time. And it is this fresh seafood menu that CDO seafood restaurants aim to deliver. Naturally, the trend for seafood restaurants all over the city is “fresh.” Definitely, CDO has become famous for the fresh seafood menus cooked not only in Filipino style but also in western style. We’ve madea list of seafood restaurants in Cagayan De Oro below so it’s convenient for everyone to search.

Seafood Restaurants in Cagayan de Oro

Panagatan Restaurant

Image Source | ruthinjourney.blogspot.com

We can imagine people reacting by starting out this CDO list with a seafood restaurant outside the city limits. Technically, Panagatan now has a branch at the Ayala Centrio Mall, but in all honesty if you really want a real seafood restaurant, almost all Cagayanons know about Panagatan. Besides, being located along the National Highway (Opol Boulevard) in the heart of Opol, it’s only a 20-minute drive from the city center. The seaside view is breathtaking in daylight or nighttime, not to mention the open-air atmosphere of the rushing sea air while dining on their seafood specials.

Image Source | www.pierangeliangsen.com

Upon entering, you’re greeted by a lot of aquariums filled with fresh marine resources, including really fresh lobsters. You can choose from these and have it cooked to your style choice.

Image Source | heart-2-heart-online.com

The usual bestsellers are the grilled squid, steamed shrimps, grilled tuna belly, kitong, grilled panga, Kinilaw, gambas, and inihaw na bangus. For groups you can choose from their “Bilao” Specials with choices that are good for 3-4 persons.

Prawn House Restaurant

Image Source | host.javanielsen.dk

The main branch of Prawn House is at the Regatta Square, Pueblo de Oro, right beside SM City Mall. Not many know that this seafood restaurant also has a budget suite hotel at the top floors.

Image Source | www.cdodev.com

At the entrance they have aquariums filled with fresh marine resources that are open to selection and cooking in your style choice.

Image Source | www.tripadvisor.com

Their Prawn Thermidor is a definite must-try, as well as their Kinilaw, tiger lobster sashimi, and their fried rice platter goes very well with any seafood dish.

Prawn Thermidor
Image Source | www.knorr.com.ph

They have two other branches at the Ayala Centrio Mall and along the National Highway (Opol Boulevard) in Opol. Their Fisherman’s Plate set menus are good for groups of 4-5 persons. At the recent 2015 Golden Globe Annual Awards for Business Excellence, Prawn House was given the Best Seafood Cuisine Specialty Restaurant trophy.

Seafood Island

Image Source | Facebook: Seafood Island

This is the CDO branch of the famous Blackbeard’s Seafood Island in Manila and Cebu. They can be found at the Ayala Centrio Mall. They have become popular around town for their “boodle fight menu.” This is their flagship bestseller with different choices and variations good for 3-4 persons.

Image Source | wikimapia.org

The Tali Beach boodle feast seems to be the favorite because some of the seafood fare is hung on miniature spits above the rice. Their per order favorites are also their white shrimps, grilled or fried bangus, steamed crabs, grilled squid, and lato.

Image Source | azraelsmerryland.blogspot.com

The place is actually comfortable and cozy for a mall restaurant, though during the evenings, Fridays, and the weekends the place can really be packed so you need to come early for lunch or dinner.

Pirates Seafood Restaurant and KTV Bar

Image Source | Facebook: Shaun Alejandrae Yap Uy

The main concept of this restaurant is to have customers experience seafood cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere, but of course, entering the place will invoke images of pirates and pirate ships like Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Of course, aside from the “pirate” concept it shows how sea faring people love to dine on all manner of edible water creatures and finding unique ways of cooking seafood cuisine. The restaurant and bar is located along Lapasan Highway just across Home Plus and right after passing Goldtown. This was the former ‘The Barn’ restaurant.

Pirates Crablets
Image Source | Facebook: Shaun Alejandrae Yap Uy

The restaurant’s bestsellers are a combination of seafoods like the spicy Tuna Dynamite, Crablets, King Crab, and Malasugue Kinilaw, and even dishes like the Babyback Ribs and fresh chicken dishes. Customers are greatly encouraged to try out the pirate’s Casili, Pugapu, or whatever customers fancy from the Pirate’s live aquarium. For drinks, the house favorite is, you guessed it, Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum.

Choobi Choobi

Image Source | www.cdodev.com

The full name of this restaurant is Choobi Choobi lingaw lingaw kaon and is the newest one on this list, having just recently opened. This CDO branch is being franchised. It is one of the popular seafood restaurants in Cebu known for its specialty, the Shrimps in a Bag.

Image Source | www.cebuphotoblogph.com

Their other specialties are the grilled shrimp shocker and the scampi baby lobsters in a bag that goes with a free iced tea pitcher. Their Unli Rice Combos are also growing in popularity. Another must-try is the Stan’s fried black pepper shrimp, crispy pata, lechon manok, and chiller drinks. Like other mall restaurants they also tend to get filled up fast so you need to come early for lunch or dinner.

Redtail Shrimps and More

Image Source | jassiechia.blogspot.com

When this restaurant first opened at the Papa Juanito’s Square at the back of Limketkai Center Mall near the Robinsons Center, Cagayanons were treated to an amusing eating experience. No plates or utensils are used; each person is given long printed paper bibs that they have to wear, thin plastic gloves are worn since you need to eat with your hands, all the food is served in clean plastic bags, and paper plates and table mats are used. Another branch is located along A. Velez Street in front of Sentro.

Image Source | nindotkaayo.com

Their seafood dishes are served either with its own sauce or in coconut milk (gata) and locked in those plastic bags, so when they are opened, a tasty aroma is emitted in the air. Both restaurants are always filled to the brim almost every day of the week, a testament to their delicious dishes for a restaurant away from the mall atmosphere.

Seablings Seafood Restaurant

Image Source | neilisawanderingsoul.blogspot.com

Like the other Opol restaurants on this list, Seablings is located along the National Highway (Opol Boulevard) in Opol, right beside Panagatan and Prawn House.

Image Source | host.javanielsen.dk

This used to be the old Seabreeze Seafoods back in the 1980’s up to the mid 90’s. For a restaurant 20 minutes away from the city, their main attraction is their Lunch Buffet that fills up the restaurant fast.

Image Source | philippinesedirectory.com

Like their Opol counterparts this restaurant has the same open sea air freshness and seaside romantic ambience, day or night.

Image Source | www.seablings.com

Seablings won first prize during the 2014 Ostrich Festival Culinary Competition held here in the city sponsored by COHARA. Their bestsellers are their baked tahong, grilled squid, steamed shrimps or shrimps kebab, halaan-guso-lato salad, steamed crabs, sweet and sour fish fillet, and kinilaw.

Bucket O’ Shrimp and More

Image Source| labchuaojianshu.wordpress.com

This restaurant isn’t to be confused with the original Bucket Shrimps in Cebu. It’s an entirely original seafood restaurant on its own located at the J.R. Borja Extension highway in Gusa, near the Sacred Heart of Montessori High School. As the name implies their specialty is their steamed shrimps, but you also need to try their Captain’s Choice – a plate mix of shrimps, squid, mussels, and crabs in a bucket – and the Captain’s favorite with its signature sauce.

Image Source | www.sunstar.com.ph

Most of their seafood menu lineup is cooked in the US west coast style of seafood cooking. Other must-tries are the Cajun Calamari and the Cajun wings. Their signature drink is a mixture of frizzy ginger and lemon.

Lokal Grill and Seafood Restaurant

Image Source | Facebook: Lokal Grill and Seafood

This seafood restaurant is located along Corrales Avenue and is a well-known landmark along the avenue since it is the restaurant version of the Watever KTV beside it. It is a favorite drinking place especially during the weekends because of its grilled tuna belly and crocodile sisig that goes well as “pulutan.”

Tuna Belly

Another bestseller is the mixed vegetables and deep fried squid in fish sauce. Their must-tries also include their seafood sisig, kinilaw, and Sinuglaw.

Cucina de Oro

Image Source| www.clix.com.ph

You can find this restaurant along the Limketkai Drive (coming from the Cogon market area). Although known for their chicken ati-atihan special and ostrich dishes, they actually have an impressive lineup of native seafood dishes.

Image Source | www.flickr.com

They also serve Greek or Mediterranean seafood dishes through their Zorba resto. They also serve a good Sinuglaw and calamari dish.

Kagay-Anon Restaurant

Image Source | www.kagay-an.com

One of the oldest restaurants at the Limketkai Center when the mall first opened, it has made a name with Cagayanons by serving some of the most delicious and authentic seafood dishes and delicacies in town. It is also one of a very few select restaurants in the city that serves authentic ostrich meat.

Image Source | www.eagerexplorer.com

It is actually one of the biggest fine dining places in the city and still uses typical Filipino wooden furniture and serving utensils. Their servings are quite large and may be too much even for two persons. Most notable at the entrance is the large number of awards; in fact most recently they were ranked in the top four restaurants in Cagayan de Oro by Trip Advisor Philippines.

Gerry’s Grill

Image Source | dude4food.blogspot.com

They’re located on the ground floor of the Robinsons Center at the Limketkai Center Mall, with another branch at the Ayala Centrio Mall. Both branches can be filled up almost every day, most especially during the weekends.

Image Source | philippinesedirectory.com

It is a favorite family gathering restaurant because of their seafood bestsellers that include the grilled calamares, their kinilaw and kilawin varieties, grilled bangus, inihaw na pla-pla, baby posit kebab, blue marlin belly-ribs-inihaw, blue marlin steak, and other seafood dishes.

Image Source | www.metrodeal.com

They are a franchise as part of the long line of Gerry’s in the U.S., Singapore, and Qatar.

So there you have it, and we won’t be surprised if you’re suddenly rushing to the door after feeling hungry and rushing to one of the restaurants listed above just by gawking at the food pictures. These seafood restaurants are actually something that Cagayanons should be proud of because they greatly highlight the abundant and amazing seafood resources that Northern Mindanao has to offer. This is another feather in the city’s cap.

The post Popular Seafood Restaurants in Cagayan de Oro and Their Specialties appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

If you’re the really serious tea drinker then here in Cagayan de Oro you need to know where, as the British would say it, “to get you spot of tea.” But it’s more than just knowing the locations of where to get your “cuppa tea” as the Australians would say it. You also need to know what kind of tea they’re offering. Drinking tea today has become as complicated as Philippine politics, because there’s more than just a hot tea drink; aside from the variety of hot “cuppas” that may be sold, there’s also a long lineup of cold tea drinks and a new one called milk tea. So whatever your preference, Cagayan de Oro has plenty to offer with its lineup of various Tea Shops and Cafes.

A little bit of tea history, wot?

As the British would say, wot? Unlike its distant cousin, coffee, tea has had a tumultuous relationship with history and wars were fought over tea. Botanists agree that all teas come from only one plant, the Camellia Sinensis, which originated in the lands of northeast India, southwest China, and Tibet. It was the Chinese who created tea drinking when the Han Dynasty used tea as an herbal medicinal tonic. Japanese envoys and priests sent to China brought back tea to Japan, and it was the Japanese who perfected the art of ceremonial tea drinking. China and Japan brought tea to Korea. The Portuguese learned about tea drinking and the English learned from them. When the British began annexing Chinese territory, two minor wars were fought over opium and tea. To break the Chinese monopoly the British created tea plantations in India, and thus, was born the British East India Company whose main sea faring product was tea. Bubble tea or milk tea using condensed milk and tapioca was invented by the Taiwanese.

Tea Cafes and Tea Shops in Cagayan de Oro

Infinitea CDO

Image Source | www.cdodev.com

Mainly a milk tea shop serving up various milk tea flavors, fruit tea, frappes, and coffee. Loose leaf tea is basically used for all the tea drinks. The tea shop has a relaxing and lounge type environment with free Wi-Fi and soothing music.

Image Source | looloo.com

They’re on the ground floor of the VMP CDO Corp. building, Tiano Bros. corner Montalban Streets. Business hours are 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

Image Source | wowcdo.com

While many customers have complained about their coffee that can cause indigestion or gas, their hot and cold teas, especially their milk teas and frappes can be quite delicious. They’re open on regular business hours with branches at the Ayala Centrio Mall and at Limketkai Center (beside Shakey’s).

Dream Haven Café

Image Source | Facebook: Dream Haven Cafe

A growing favorite with many college students especially with their milk teas and frappes. They are open from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and are located on Pabayo Street near Xavier University and at the Elipe Park building beside Liceo de Cagayan University.

Chingkeetea

Image Source | mikkomahinay.tumblr.com

Having opened in 2012, this tea shop is one of the first to open in the city. The first branch to open is at the Marfori Compound squeezed between Pabayo Street and Corrales Avenue and features small rooms that provide some privacy for those who want some quiet tea drinking.

Image Source | tipsyliz.wordpress.com

Image Source | gallery.sunstar.com.ph

This original branch has recently moved to its new location on Arch. Hayes corner Pabayo Streets. Soon a small branch opened near the Corpus Christi School in Macasandig, followed by another one at the Grand Central Building on Arch. Hayes Street.

Image Source | gallery.sunstar.com.ph

Aside from their frappes and milk teas in various flavors they also serve cupcakes and cookies. There is no free Wi-Fi to make sure that customers enter into active conversations.

Sweet Leaf Bubble Tea Café

Image Source | https://www.facebook.com/sweetleafcdo/

This tea café boasts of infusing fresh tea leaves in each of its tea drink preparations. Their customer bestsellers are usually its matcha varieties and Oreo milk teas.

Image Source | https://www.facebook.com/sweetleafcdo/

They also serve pastries, sandwiches, and pasta. They have free Wi-Fi. They have a branch at Pabayo corner Toribio Chaves Streets and another at the Lifestyle District on Corrales Extension, fronting Capitol University.

Kenko Naicha

Image Source | silentstandout.blogspot.com

This unique tea shop offers a unique Hong Kong milk tea called Nai Cha. It has an impressive lineup of Asian Nai Cha teas, fruit teas, Yakult teas, cheese variations, and soy milk variations. They even serve freshly brewed hot tea for traditional tea drinkers. Their first tea shop opened in Carmen, beside the SSS building. Now they have two branches at the Ayala Centrio Mall (Rustan’s and 3^rd floor cinema area), one at the 2^nd floor of Robinsons at the Limketkai Center, and a stall at SM City Mall.

Bon Appetea

Image Source | www.clairevoyannt.blogspot.com

Opened its first branch in the city located at Limketkai Mall is the fastest growing milk tea franchise in the country, Bon Appetea. Aside their brand’s milk teas, they also have fruit teas, waffles, yakult teas, frappes and fries. Wintermelon Milk Tea and Nirvana – Assam Black Tea are just some of their best-sellers. For huge milk tea lovers, they offer Monster Milk Tea which is 1 liter in volume.

Tokyo Bubble Tea

Image Source | www.boring.ph

A Japanese Restaurant with bubble teas as their popular item in their menu, Tokyo Bubble Tea is located at the 3rd floor Ayala Centrio Mall facing the cinemas. They have a lot of Japanese dishes to choose from. Starting from their Okonomiyaki Pizza, Bulgogi Nachos, Yogi’s Poutine Fries, Takuyaki, Teriyaki Chicken don, to Korean Bulgogi. Of course, you can’t leave this resto without trying their milk teas, tea slushes, coffees and milkshakes with a wide variety of flavors.

Happy Lemon

Image Source | www.jassiechia.blogspot.com

Located at the second level of Ayala Centrio Mall is Happy Lemon, which is an international franchise from Hong Kong. They specializes in serving milk teas, lemonades, chocolates, fruit shakes and more. With their tagline “Happy Everyday”, they give happiness to their customers throught their products. One of their best selling milk tea flavors is Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese.

Bischa Milktea Cafe

This is a tea café that serves traditional hot tea drinks as well as various flavored frappes and milk teas. They serves meals at a very affordable price. Located at the Mr. Peps Building along Makahambus Street and they have now another branch in Carmen

Wang’s Tea Fuzion

When it opened in 2012 on RN Abejuela Street in Divisoria where the former Music Vision House used to be, this tea shop became popular almost overnight. Aside from their Wi-Fi perhaps it’s the location that makes this a customer favorite. It is comfortable with a simple interior. Wang’s call their milk teas Boba teas and they also have other varieties like fruit teas, various latte teas, and freshly brewed traditional jasmine green, Ceylon, and black tea.

Mang Cha-A Milk Tea

This tea shop has the catchiest name of all the CDO tea places in the city. Of course everyone knows that Cha-a is Tagalog for tea. Their traditional hot teas as well as frappes and milk teas taste really good. They are located along the Rodolfo N. Pelaez Boulevard near the Liceo de Cagayan University.

Happy Light Coffee and Tea House

A small but nice and cozy place where you can really relax in its quiet atmosphere. Their traditional hot teas, frappes, and milk teas must really be good if they are frequented by local stars and talents. It is located at the corner of Pabayo and Arch. Hayes Streets.

Teamptation

Still pronounced “temptation,” this is literally a hidden gem if you don’t know where to look. You can find this tea shop along Tiano Bros. Street in front of Informatics. They’re on the 2^nd floor of that wooden building. Many are saying that this “awesome” secret hideaway makes you feel like the inside of a dollhouse. Their milk teas have catchy names like Pick Me, Cherish Me, Embrace Me, Take Me Home, Marry Me, Date Me, Hold Me, Love Me, Adore Me, and Drive Me Crazy. Their milk teas can even be customized with coffee jelly, cheese, peppermint, egg pudding, grass jelly, tapioca, and coco jelly.

Conclusion

So there you have it, a random listing of the good tea shops and tea cafes in the city. The listing is random as mentioned so there is no ranking involved in the placement of these tea places. It’s merely meant as informative so tea lovers and tea drinkers can find a good tea café and shop near where they are.

The post Tea Cafes and Tea Shops in Cagayan de Oro City Where You Can Get Your Dose of Delicious & Refreshing Tea Beverages appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

Undoubtedly, Christmas is the favorite holiday season that all Filipinos love and enjoy. The best time of this holiday season is Christmas midnight dinner, or simply, Noche Buena. It is that time of year for family reunions that brings family together, some very close friends, bonding time with the children, laughter, merrymaking, and of course, the food.

Image Source | www.geekypinas.com

With the increasing trend of the culinary arts now being spread even to the masses, a single household today may have more cooks than what the kitchen can handle, but this also means that the menu lineup cooked up for Noche Buena will turn out to be a veritable salad of wonder dishes and delicious concoctions. In spite of this, many Filipino Noche Buena Favorites will always remain on Philippine Christmas dinner tables because they have stood the test of time for edibility.

A Tradition from Spain

The tradition of Noche Buena came from our former colonial masters since the words in Spanish mean “Christmas Eve.” In Spain and other Latin American cultures this is the biggest feast celebrated on December 24, or Christmas Eve, culminating in the traditional midnight dinner or feast to welcome Christmas day. This tradition dates back to the 15^th century when the Catholic Church began adopting the Christmas Eve feast taken from pagan religious practices as a way of integrating new converts into the Catholic religion. Part of past pagan religious practice was to hunt down wild pigs and roast them to celebrate during the closing months of winter the good harvests of the past months. The practice became cemented tradition when paired with the late evening mass or Misa de Gallo just before the Noche Buena.

Here are some Filipino Noche Buena Favorites:

Christmas Ham

It can be the ball type, the brick type, or the large boneless 1 kilo slabs; it doesn’t matter because Christmas won’t seem complete unless the family members get to sink their knives into the ham to cut out pieces that are served on a plate. Some families even go to lengths to cook the slices so they’re crispier and more delicious. Companies even give ball hams as corporate gifts to their employees. Some ham versions are sweet or honey-cured to give the ham a more luscious taste.

The Lechon

Image Source | food.allwomenstalk.com

The so-called “star” of the dinner table, though we think the pig would disagree to this moniker. No Filipino in their right minds would forget ordering the lechon especially for large family reunions. The lechon lying prone on the table to be prodded and stabbed continuously by family members has become the Filipino equivalent to the American Turkey on thanksgiving as a way of being thankful for another bountiful and blessed year of being together to share momentous occasions such as the Noche Buena. All the more so if the Christmas dinner is a grand celebration for OFW’s or migrants coming home on vacation and who have missed eating lechon.

Fruit Salad

Image Source | www.kawalingpinoy.com

Like the lechon and ham, a Christmas dinner table will seem empty without the time-proven fruit salad. It may come in a variety of forms depending on who is preparing it, but Filipinos will always crave for the fruit salad during Noche Buena. The generous amount of salad cream and condensed milk only further highlights the salad. Some people rationalize that the salad is a kind of “balancer” for the copious amounts of ham and lechon consumed.

Keso de Bola

Image Source | asianjournal.com

It is a ball-shaped edam cheese coated with red paraffin wax. When you see the keso de bola displayed in the supermarkets then you really know that Christmas is just around the corner. Some families will replace this cheese delight with other cheese alternatives, but there is something about the red ball of cheese that makes the Noche Buena feel so, well, Christmas-y. The keso de bola goes very well with the ham, lechon, and macaroni salad.

Macaroni Salad

Image Source| blogchef.net

Unlike its close cousin that is considered a dessert, the macaroni salad is a meal on its own. It is the pasta recipe on that table mixed with chicken or pork strips, vegetable slices, and mayonnaise, or whatever variety the cooks come up with. Some use ham strips to make it more inviting.

Leche Flan

Image Source | www.cookingpanda.com

This dessert is still a favorite during Noche Buena in spite of the presence of other desserts on the table. It is a concoction of egg yolks, condensed milk, fresh milk, and sugar. It’s the dessert for those with real sweet teeth or for those who get to indulge only during the holidays.

Crema de Fruta

Image Source | artofdessert.blogspot.com

Another popular dessert found on Noche Buena tables, this frozen dessert consists of layers of Graham crackers, cream, and fruit slices, chilled, and best served cold. It is sometimes referred to as “mango float” if mainly mangos are used.

Paella

Image Source | www.recipeshubs.com

Those into the culinary arts (often now there’s at least one in a large family) and who love to cook, given a lot of preparation time before Noche Buena usually include this grandiose Spanish rice dish that can be mixed either with different seafoods or meats like chorizo de bilbao. The Spanish consider this flavorful dish to denote blessings and thanksgiving for a bountiful year. In can also denote wealth because of the rich mixtures of the dish.

Lengua Estofada

Image Source | www.yummly.com

It is stewed ox tongue cooked in tomato sauce then served with fried potatoes. When prepared and cooked right family members are known to request this dish at every Noche Buena.

Embutido

Image Source | ffemagazine.com

The Philippines version of the meatloaf, it can be eaten either hot or cold. Depending on who is doing the preparation, the added flavor of the Embutido will depend on what has been placed inside the roll. The normal fare is usually carrot bits, hotdog, meat slices, and sliced eggs.

Conclusion

So there it is, and if you’re not hungry by the end of this article you must not be from this country. There are, of course, hundreds of other Noche Buena dishes out there that have been slowly introduced on midnight dinner tables, however, the lineup mentioned above have been tested by time (and millions of taste buds and palates) and have become traditional staples for Christmas Eve. Happy Holidays to everyone and happy eating on Noche Buena!

Feel free to comment below and share your Filipino Noche Buena Favorites.

The post Filipino Noche Buena Favorites That is Always Present on Philippine Christmas Dinners appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

Formerly known as Tita Ins Lechon, Mommy Inday’s Lechon is an exceptional example of an original business that has never been surpassed by the newer generation businesses of the same manner. It’s sort of like a classic story of the master who could never be surpassed no matter how many apprentices train under the master. We can certainly call Mommy Inday’s the lechon master because, like Tita Ins, they have retained the same delicious taste, inside and outside of their lechon that has earned them the accolade as the number one lechon place in Cagayan de Oro.

A Little Historical Trivia

The Neri Family lechon business all started in the 1920’s when their great grandmother, Francesca Puertas Roa, was the cook for the Ateneo School on Burgos Street, and the most well-known lechonero (or in this case, lechonera), on Burgos Street. Eventually, Francesca began teaching her male helpers and assistants how to cook lechon so they could share the workload.

Later on, Francesca’s daughter, the well-known Tita Inday Neri, took over the reins of the lechon business. Tita Ins, as she is fondly called by relatives and friends, expanded the business by setting up a piggery and slaughter area on Isla de Oro while opening a lechon shop on the corner of Yacapin and Burgos Streets.

Today, although they have changed the name to Mommy Inday’s, the shop on Yacapin-Burgos Streets is still there but now serves as a waypoint for picking up lechon orders or to facilitate taking down orders. The real hog slaughtering and cooking is done at their residence in Macasandig due to the large area there. However, Tita Ins is still around at a robust 88 years old and can still cook up the best tasting dinugu-an and paklay on this side of town.

Team Acadeo interviewing the owners.

It was around 2010 when Tita Ins slowly switched to Mommy Inday’s after the reins of the lechon business again switched to the grandchildren, particularly, the sisters Marie Antoinette “Antoi” Neri and May Lois Neri, along with business partner Joey Malferrari. Antoi and Joey are no strangers to the food business; Antoi owns Pigterest and Fusion Resto Café on Corrales Avenue (soon to be renamed The Palate) while Joey’s family owns Pine Foods.

While many of Mommy Inday’s regular customers are from the old families or other regulars called “sukis,” they do get their share of new customers since the power of the “bamboo telegraph” (word of mouth) is still strong even in urbanized Cagayan de Oro. Many of the old families who still order from Mommy Inday’s swear to the superior taste of the lechon and the dinugu-an, not to mention the great tasting lechon sauce. This word of mouth is passed down to the younger generation who are eager to try out the already proven lechon. This is in spite of the fact that there is stiff competition from newer generation lechoneros who do marketing and advertising. Mommy Inday’s still does business the “old school” fashion without any form of advertising.

Meet the Owners

From Left to Right: Eugene Kanlapan, Jeffrey Badal, Kc Curay and Ms. May Lois Neri

May Lois Neri is the third in an all-female sibling lineup, with Antoi being the eldest. Another sister, Emma, mans the shop at Yacapin-Burgos. This clearly shows just how much of a family business Mommy Inday’s is. May took up her BS Hospitality Management at Lourdes College. Joey took up BS-HRM also at Lourdes College.

That Mommy Inday’s Experience

On peak months their lechoneros are capable of cooking up to 60 lechon per day. Of course, all orders should be given at least three days before or up to a day before. For many years now Mommy Inday’s/Tita Ins has been sourcing from only one hog distributor. Hogs not yet slaughtered are well fed and cared for in a pig sty area some distance from the actual cooking area. It usually takes a normal sized pig around 2 hours to cook while the big ones take around 2-1/2 half hours to 3 hours. All their pigs are cooked by batches so each individual pig can be monitored and cooked all at the same time.

Meet the Staff

Perhaps what sets Tita Ins/Mommy Inday’s apart from other lechoneros is the fact that their cooking area and pig slaughter area is far from each other while the pig sty is also kept separate. This has been the practice of their business even in the past. This ensures that the pigsty and cooking area is always clean since pig slaughtering tends to be messy even after the area is cleaned out.

Team Acadeo definitely approves of Mommy Inday’s Kitchen Lechon!

The interview team of About Cagayan de Oro did notice that during the whole time the interview was taking place, they hardly got any whiffs of bad smells that usually permeate the area when hogs and slaughtering are around.

The price range for the lechon will actually depend on how large the pig is or how many people is involved in the event or occasion. A normal Lechon de Leche (around 6 to 10 kilos) is around P3,500 while a really large lechon can range from P5,000 to P6,000. Each lechon order comes with free dinugu-an and a homemade lechon sauce. This lechon sauce is the only one of its kind in Cagayan de Oro since no other lechon house in the city gives out free lechon sauce.

Mommy Inday’s accepts deliveries to any point within the city so long as the delivery point is very accessible. Naturally, there is a delivery charge, a minimum of P100 up to a maximum of P150, which is added to the lechon price.

Mommy Inday’s is the pioneer and still only one of the few lechoneros in Cagayan de Oro to receive orders and to deliver to as far as Manila, Japan, and Dubai. They are the only one that use a specially designed lechon box (as opposed to using only cardboard covers and wrapped in packaging tape) that ensures that not only will the lechon arrive at its destination still fresh but the airline company won’t complain of any smell emanating from the lechon. Normally they charge a P500 delivery fee. Branching out to other hog-related activities, Mommy Inday’s also accepts orders for paklay, halang-halang, and lechon belly. Orders can be coursed through the Yacapin-Burgos shop or at Pigterest.

Conclusion

You could say that Mommy Inday’s is synonymous with the word “lechon” in Cagayan de Oro. After all they are the first and pioneer lechonero and the longest running, long before Wadhu’s even set foot on CDO soil. If only the lechon of Mommy Inday’s could be made into a love story, we can all say, “First love never dies.”

The post Mommy Inday’s Kitchen – The Master of Lechon When it Comes to Taste and Flavor appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

Do you still have a hangover from the Christmas holidays and New Year’s party? Are you ready for something new this 2016? Looking for some fresh seafood to eat?

Image Source/ www.facebook.com/wildcatchUltimateSeafood

Well why not try to catch some of the freshest seafood the city has to offer. Wild Catch Ultimate Seafood and Asian Cuisine is the newest restaurant that offers not only seafood but also Asian cuisine just opened its doors here in Cagayan de Oro. Perfect for everyone who wants to enjoy good food and the best ambiance, Wild Catch is located in Door B 3 Lifestyle District, Corrales Extension, Cagayan de Oro City.

Image Source/ www.facebook.com/wildcatchUltimateSeafood

Image Source/ www.facebook.com/wildcatchUltimateSeafood

Wild Catch serves a wide array of seafood dishes, soups, one of their specialties Paella de Marsicos, ribs and a lot more. Everyone will really have the best dining experience here. Bring your friends and family and enjoy some of their well-known specialties like Catch to Match, Meat your Destiny and Boo Dle Catch.

Image Source/ www.facebook.com/wildcatchUltimateSeafood

Their dishes are just awesome as well as their drinks like Wild Catch cocktails and Hooker’s Shooter. So why don’t you grab your friends and catch the best food at Wild Catch Ultimate Seafood and Asian Cuisine: Home of the world class Master Baiters and world class Hookers Place where the fish we’ll serve peeps tomorrow.

The post Wild Catch Ultimate Seafood and Asian Cuisine: Home of the world class Master Baiters and world class Hookers Place where the fish we’ll serve peeps tomorrow. appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

In a media and history symposium held last year in this city, it was probably coincidence that two prominent speakers – one from the media and the other a noted historian – mentioned in their talks that “Kagay-anons probably inherited their palates and appetites from the god ‘Bathala’ who loved to eat and taste new cuisine.” Perhaps this sums up the fact that Kagay-anons love to eat, and eat they will.

New restaurants that open – big or small – will always get the normal deluge of Kagay-anons wanting to taste “what’s new” and “what’s up with this new one.” Word of mouth travels fast in Cagayan de Oro (it’s faster now, especially with today’s social media) and this “bamboo telegraph” can spell the difference between a successful restaurant and one that’s destined to be closed in a few months. But should the restaurant offer good food and perhaps something really different, people will tend to continuously flock to it intermittently, but not regularly though, in the years to come since Kagay-anons have a tendency to tire out after having tasted the same thing over and over.

Thus, for a restaurant to be continuously successful in Cagayan de Oro, it has to be able to offer something new every now and then. With the recent opening of Kogi-Q Luto-Luto Ta and Green Haven Shabu Shabu Restaurant, this business formula is again proven to be true.

Kogi-Q Luto-Luto Ta

Image Source | sixmoment.com

Kogi-Q Luto-Luto Ta is a restaurant line from Cebu that is an offshoot from the Cebu-based restaurant line, Choobi-Choobi Flavors Corporation. It recently opened at the 2^nd level of the East Annex Building (near Shopwise) at the Limketkai Center Mall and right beside its sister franchise, Choobi-Choobi. It is open during the mall’s business hours up to around 10:00 p.m.

Image Source | Facebook: Kogi Q

The dining concept of Kogi-Q is to allow customers to cook (grill or fry is more like it) their own food at their own table. So there is the combination of enjoying cooking the food, bonding between family, friends, or office mates, and enjoying the cooked food.

Image Source | Facebook: Kogi Q

The owners of the franchise equate this concept to family backyard or beach barbecues wherein everybody is chipping in with the cooking while animated conversation is going around. When it’s time to eat, the cooked food brings the bonding closer since the cooking was a group effort.

Image Source | Facebook: Kogi Q

This concept is termed as a “Yakiniku” style of eating. In fact the term “Kogi” is a Korean term that means “rowing” because when a group is rowing a boat everybody must be in sync. “Yakiniku” simply means “roasting. It’s sort of like a “cook and eat all-you-can” restaurant with prices ranging from P270 to P350 per head. There is a “no left-over” policy and if you do have left-overs you need to pay up an additional P150 and you can’t it take home either.

This is not the first time a restaurant with this concept has opened in the city. A “Sugba all-you-can” open restaurant opened some months ago along Corrales Avenue, but unfortunately, it fell flat on its face since the smoke from the cooking tended blow everywhere and the quality of the food was less than mediocre.

Green Haven Shabu Shabu Restaurant

Image Source | Facebook: Limketkai Center

Many Kagay-anons will probably remember the Green Haven at the Rosario Strip at the Limketkai Center Mall as an eat-all-you-can vegetarian restaurant that offered really big bowls that you filled up with different ingredients that you choose from and they would cook it for you. The restaurant has now reopened as the Green Haven Shabu Shabu Restaurant still located in the same area after a brief renovation closure.

Image Source | Facebook: Limketkai Center

Green Haven’s eat-all-you-can rates are P500 for adults and P300 for children 5 years old and below. What is now different with the restaurant is that you now have a choice between the Mongolian Bowls that they normally serve or you can partake of other foods and desserts that they serve for the eat-all-you-can. You have a choice of between the two, but you can’t mix up both. This is probably why the original Green Haven name has been added with Shabu-Shabu since the word literally means “to shove” in Korean.

Image Source | Facebook: Limketkai Center

This literally sums up the eat-all-you-can atmosphere as you attempt to “shove” as much food into your bowl or plate as you can. With the Mongolian Bowl, you need to shove in as much as you can and you need to be careful what you mix into your bowl since you’re only given one go at your bowl and once they cook what you mixed up you can’t go back to add anything. This is probably why there is a sign on the wall that says, “Don’t blame the cook; he just started the fire.”

Image Source | Facebook: Limketkai Center

Image Source | Facebook: Limketkai Center

For customers who don’t want to go into the buffet food, they can order from a menu lineup that offers Filipino and Korean food and even delectable desserts.

Image Source | Facebook: Limketkai Center

Image Source | Facebook: Limketkai Center

Even in the past Green Haven has received its flooding share of good reviews due to the really fresh and good ingredients and food it serves. It is open during the mall’s business hours up to around 10:00 p.m.

Conclusion

Perhaps if Bathala were still alive today, this deity would have agreed to partake of the food from Kogi-Q Luto-Luto Ta and Green Haven Shabu Shabu Restaurant. Since he’s gone now, Kagay-anons now get to enjoy what he has endowed to them from his palate spirit, assuming this story is true. But, ask any Kagay-anon and they’ll tell you that whatever the story, they all love to eat, and they will go on eating so long as restaurants such as these will keep up with the business.

The post Kogi-Q and Green Haven Shabu Shabu: Two Newly Opened Restaurants at the Limketkai Center appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

The venerable Steak and the venerable Baby Back Ribs; both are palate favorites of Kagay-anons next to the venerable lechon and seafood dishes. For those who don’t know the difference, the simplest answer is that baby back ribs are pork meat while steaks are usually beef. There are however, some pork steaks taken from prime cuts.

The generic term for a baby back ribs is pork ribs. Baby back ribs or loin ribs are taken from the top of the rib cage of the pig, between the spine and the spare ribs, just below the loin muscle. The meat parts are usually between the bones and on top of the bones and are considered meatier than spare ribs. Beef steaks are the meat part sliced perpendicular to the muscle fibers of the cow. While the word pork ribs originated from English dialects around the 15^th century, baby back ribs as a dish was invented by an Englishman, Robert Wilson, living in Brisbane, Australia in 1986. Steak is derived from the 15^th century Scandinavian word, “steik,” which means “meat slice.”

Ribs and Bibs

Image Source | Facebook: Ribs & Bibs

Searching for a rib and steak place won’t be hard when you enter this restaurant. Located at the corner of J.R. Borja Street and Corrales Avenue, the name is quite obvious as to its specialty dishes. What’s interesting is that upon entering the restaurant the customers are treated to framed old photographs of pre-20^th century and early 1900’s era Cagayan de Oro and some old personalities.

Image Source | Facebook: Ribs & Bibs

But once you delve into the menu, your eyes are immediately drawn to the house specialties: Daddy Back Ribs, Mommy Back Ribs, and Baby Back Ribs. Since they go by size you can order either by your eating capacity or share it with a group or another person. The usual side dishes that come with the ribs are buttered veggies, plain rice, grilled corn on the cob, coleslaw salad, sweet potato mash, tropical salsa, chili con carne, and java rice. They also serve great Pork steak, Beef burger steak, Mumsie’s Angus Roast Beef, and Angus Rib-Eye.

Restaurant Damaso

Restaurant Damaso is the new eating place in CDO that serves rich and palatable unique international dishes.

This restaurant hails from the same owners ofChino’s Deli. You can’t miss the place too because it now occupies the space of the former Mom’s Corner Restaurant at Pabayo corner Toribio Chavez Streets (ground floor of Casa Crystalla). Their famous Fuego-to-go Ribs is to die for!

Fuego-to-Go Ribs

Countryside Steakhouse

Image Source | Facebook: Country Side Steakhouse

As the name implies you don’t need second guesses to figure out what this restaurant serves up as specialties. They are located at the Rosario Strip at the Limketkai Center just outside the mall across from the west side entrance.

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They are one of the few places in the city that serves really good Sirloin Steak, Ostrich Steak, Rib Eye Steak, and Ostrich Salpicao.

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Oh, yes, and their Baby Back Ribs, Countryside Burger, and Mashed Potatoes are really worth the trip as well. This restaurant was one of the pioneers when Limketkai Mall opened back in 1992 during its “open roof” days and is considered one of the city’s oldest restaurants.

Sentro 1850

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Located almost at the corner of Apolinar Velez and Toribio Chaves Streets, this is one of Cagayan de Oro’s fairly old restaurants at 14 years when the place was started by Rene Sia and Eric Yap back in 2001.

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It is one of the first to serve Roast Beef Steak, Baby Back Ribs, Char Grilled Burger Steak, and Tenderloin Steak. Their Bric-A-Brac Baby Back Ribs is charcoal grilled Louisiana-style in smoked barbecue sauce so there’s no need for additional barbecue sauce.

Circa 1850

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Created by the same owners of Sentro 1850, Circa 1850 is located at the ground floor of the now newly named Tune Hotel, formerly the Red Planet, along C.M. Recto Avenue, just in front of the Mindanao University for Science and Technology.

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Like Sentro, the restaurant’s steak dishes are a combination of old school and new concepts, such as the Bistecca Florentina, a beef steak cut served like sashimi and topped with arugula. We do warn you about the delicious Beefsteak Tomato Salad that has no beefsteak in it.

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It’s the name of the salad tomato and is called beefsteak tomato because it is large and juicy and can be eaten fresh after harvesting. They also serve other steak dishes and baby back ribs.

Mooon Café

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The name is not a typo, though many people do notice that the name is spelt with three o’s. In truth it actually represents the three names of the owners.

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If you decide to go to Mooon out of curiosity, then get ready for your tongue and taste buds to be bamboozled by a variety of Mexican steak dishes and Mexican baby back ribs all cooked to real Mexican standards. You’ll find their new location at the Lifestyle District on Corrales Extension.

Mykarelli’s Grill

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With two locations at the Lifestyle District along Corrales Extension and on J.R. Borja Extension Highway, this restaurant is normally associated with grilled Filipino foods.

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While this is true, they actually have a specialty called the “Baby Come Back” Ribs, baby back ribs cooked in sweet sauce and chopped garlic and served with steamed veggies and rice. They also serve awesome Hungarian Beef Steak.

Bigby’s Café and Restaurant (International cuisines)

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The major concept of Bigby’s is to serve international cuisines, and their specialties are their steak and baby back ribs dishes. Bigby’s is one of the oldest restaurants to be established in the Limketkai Center, and presently with another branch at the Centrio Ayala Mall.

Rack-A-Bye-Baby

It was also the grand champion in the “Kumbira” International Competition for the years 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. Their specialties are their Full House Ribs, Wild West Steak and Gravy, Rack-A-Bye-Baby and Rack-A-Bye-Baby-Go Easy Ribs, Uncle Sam Roast Beef, Porterhouse Steak, T-Bone Steak, Gold Medal Steak, Captain Joe’s U.S. Rib-Eye Steak, and Porky Steak.

Brewsky and Fry

One of the newly opened eating places at the ground floor of the Empire Lounge at the Lifestyle District along Corrales Extension. It’s a dine-in restaurant where the customers can either eat inside the place or bring the food to nearby tables outside, especially at night. This restaurant serves really great steaks and baby back ribs dishes.

T.G.I. Fridays

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One of the most popular steak and ribs restaurant in the United States, the ambience and food is no different at the T.G.I.F. at the ground floor of the Ayala Centrio Mall fronting Capt. Vicente Roa Street.

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Their whopping and super delicious specialties include the Boneless Buffalo Bites, Jack Daniel’s Cajun-Spiced Baby Back Pork Ribs, Jack Daniel’s Steak, Jack Daniel’s Ribs, New York Strip Steak, Texas Ribeye Steak, and Peppercorn Strip Steak.

Capt. Richie’s Baby Back Ribs

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This restaurant’s name isn’t hard to figure out. Originally located at the corner of Tomas Saco Street and 16^th Street in Nazareth when it opened in 2012, it’s still there though the restaurant tried to open two other branches in Divisoria and at the Big Tree Arcade along Kauswagan Highway. These branches have since closed. They recently opened a new one at the J.R. Borja Extension Highway. They claim to serve the best baby back ribs in town (hence the restaurant’s name) as well as other specialized ribs. This is because unlike other back ribs restaurants that cook baby back ribs the old-fashioned American way, Capt. Richie achieved a somewhat American-Filipino mixed taste to its pork ribs. And because the place is owned by a Cagayanon, they call their specialty the St. Augustine’s Ribs.

Vienna Kaffeehaus

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The name might cast doubt at being a steak place since it’s a coffee house located along Don Apolinar Velez Street. However, they are actually a European inspired Austrian restaurant that serves some of the best steak dishes in the city. Their specialties include the Backhendl Steak, Kranier Steak, and Gulasch Steak. Another branch is at the Limketkai Center Mall, while there are five main branches in Cebu and another in Bacolod.

Conclusion

So there you have it, some (if not the best) of the steak and baby back rib restaurants that you will easily find around Cagayan de Oro, and need we say that these places are actually affordable. They may all look and feel like five-star restaurants, but when you see the prices on the menu you might get the surprise of your life that the food isn’t pricey after all. Naturally, you’ll need to spend a little bit more than your average fast food place, but the food is all worth it because, hey, pork ribs and Angus beef don’t come cheap on the market. But these restaurants cook so well you might desire to come back again and again.

The post The Best Baby Back Ribs and Steaks – Here’s Where to Find Them in Cagayan de Oro appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

Taiwanese milk tea or Naicha first came to Cagayan de Oro City around 2010 or 2011 and didn’t really pick up fast steam until around 2012.

While milk tea kiosks began popping around town, some coming from Manila, many Cagayanons remember only one true milk tea outlet that served really delicious and all-natural milk tea, and this was Kenko Naicha.

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Even as the milk tea craze became bigger, people began to see that not all milk tea shops are created equal, and on this note, Kenko Naicha truly stands out.

Kagay-anons normally think that Kenko Naicha Tea Lounge is a foreign company, when in fact it is conceptualized, created, and fully owned by Kagay-anons.

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It is the first home-grown milk tea shop in Cagayan de Oro to introduce pure and healthy milk tea using all-natural products without preservatives and artificial additives.

The Triumvirate Sisters

The Ang sisters, Julia Bettina, Julia Vanessa, and Julia Victoria, all bear a first name from their mother, Julia, co-business owner and who also owns One Yoga Wellness. (We only have pictures of Ms. Bettina Ang and none for the other two since they weren’t present during the interview.) The business was actually discovered by the sisters who loved anything about Japanese culture, especially the tea. Even at a young age the sisters unusually loved drinking tea. Eventually after working in Manila the sisters decided to follow their passion to set up a business focused on tea products. To study on their business concept, the sisters went around Manila, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Taipei to observe and taste different milk teas.

Ms. Bettina Ang

Bettina graduated from University of the Philippines-Diliman with a degree in Agriculture-Industrial Design. Vanessa graduated from Ateneo de Manila with a degree in Management Engineering. Victoria graduated from University of Asia and the Pacific with a degree in Advertising.

The three sisters do everything from mixing and creating up new drinks, marketing, creating new dishes and foods, and even with the construction and other concepts and ideas. This is probably what makes this sister triumvirate very effective for the business. However, the concepts for most drinks and foods would often come from Julia Vanessa. Advertising, marketing, logos, packaging, and the like would often be the expertise of Julia Betina. Extensive product development often fell on Julia Victoria, being a certified chef.

The first Kenko Naicha opened in 2011, which is now their main branch in Carmen. When they first opened, the idea of milk teas wasn’t even in its infancy in CDO. People ordering milk tea would often first ask what the ingredients were. This trend continued even when a second branch opened at the Robinson’s Center in Limketkai Center. The name is taken from two languages: “Kenko” is Japanese for “health” while “Nai Cha” is Taiwanese for “tea with milk.”

The Milk Tea Experience

Admittedly, even with a vast array of milk tea and other drink choices, the favorite and bestseller always seems to be the Wintermelon and Cantaloupe.

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They also have pasta meals and recently launched a Frappe line that includes strawberry and mocha.

Even while focusing on milk teas and other beverages, Kenko finally launched their only Brewed Coffee using 100% pure local arabica coffee beans.

Kenko Naicha New Line of Products

They also launched their new Banana Muffin with chocolate bits.

All the ingredients for all the Kenko products are either taken from different national suppliers or from foreign suppliers, but are never replaced with artificial alternates. They must all be fresh or organic or both with no preservatives and additives.

New Products

Bevato Egg Rolls

BEVATO Egg rolls is an Asian-inspired product originally from Taiwan. They are completely different from the more popular barquillos.

Also, unlike the Taiwan variants, BEVATO egg rolls are infused with grounded black sesame, Earl Grey Tea, and Japanese Matcha.

The eggs used for these are special hatch eggs only from the Vista Fresh Eggs farm (more on this below). These pasalubong egg rolls are manufactured only from fresh and organic ingredients with no preservatives and artificial ingredients added, hence the somewhat short shelf life. Except This pasalubong product line is now being sold at all Kenko Naicha branches, the Vjandep Store in Bulua, and at their new branch at the Laguindingan Airport.

The foreign sounding BEVATO name is taken from the names of the 3 Ang sisters that own Kenko: Bettina, Vanessa, and Toyang, though the latter is a nickname since her real name is Victoria.

Frozen Brazo is a play on the popular Brazo de Mercedes frozen cakes today being infused with ice cream. However, instead of ice cream, Kenko’s Frozen Brazo uses whole cream made from their special hatch eggs. It is now available only at the Kenko Nai Cha Carmen and Centrio branches.

Special hatch egg is the one on the right. The redder the egg, the healthier.

Special Hatch Eggs are enriched with Beta-carotene, Vitamin E, organic Selenium, and Omega-3. These nutrients aren’t normally found in traditional commercial eggs and have been proven to strengthen the immune system, reduce the risk of breast cancer, high blood pressure, arterial clogging, and high blood sugar levels, and aids in healthier skin. The chickens raised at the Vista Fresh Eggs Farm (also owned by the Ang family), are fed with organic feeds rather than commercial feeds, and so the eggs produced by the chickens have a creamier white and with a deeper orange colored yolk. The Vista Fresh Special Hatch Eggs are available at the Vista Fresh Eggs office at the Carmen branch of Kenko Nai Cha or at One Yoga Wellness.

Kenko Naicha for Today and the Future

Kenko Naicha now has 8 branches, the main one being in Carmen at the first floor of Vista del Rio Building at the corner of Waling-Waling Street and Patag Road (beside SSS). The other branches are in Iligan, Laguindingan Airport, Ayala Centrio Mall, Rustan’s Supermarket (Centrio Mall), SM City Mall, Limketkai Center Mall, and at One Yoga Wellness located at the 2^nd floor of the LT Fraternal Building, Apolinar Velez Street corner San Agustin Street.

All Cagayan de Oro and the Iligan Kenko Naicha lounges are centrally owned, but the sisters now have become open for franchising outside CDO. For inquiries on franchising, products, orders, and others, you can visit their office at the second floor, Vista del Rio Building, Patag Road corner Waling-Waling Street, Carmen (beside SSS) or call/text 09175491204 and 09173034377. You can also e-mail them at kenko.naicha@gmail.com, julia.vanessa.ang@gmail.com, and rk@rkfranchise.com.

The post Kenko Naicha Tea Lounge: The First and Only All-Natural Milk Tea and Beverage Place Fully Home-Grown from Cagayan de Oro City appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

To those who aren’t familiar with buffalo wings, they can be wings but they’re certainly not from buffalo meat. They’re made from chicken.

Up to the early 1960’s, people threw away chicken wings because they considered this part of the chicken only good to be fed for livestock. By pure accident, the famous Buffalo Chicken Wings was created. In 1964, in Buffalo, New York, The Anchor Bar, owned by Frank Bellissimo and his wife, Teresa – a family business since 1939 – received an order of chicken wings instead of necks by mistake. To avoid wasting the wings, Teresa decided to concoct a bar appetizer.

She cut and arranged each wing so they looked like flat drumsticks, deep fried them without breading, and then covered them in the bar’s famous celery and blue cheese hot sauce that they referred to as “Buffalo hot sauce.” Within weeks word spread around Buffalo about the delicious chicken wings and people began to try out what the bar now called “Buffalo Wild Wings.” When this trendy dish began spreading in popularity after more than a decade, some restaurants simply called it Buffalo Wings.

Today, Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York is still there and still serving Teresa’s old chicken wing recipe. Like other famous foreign dishes that often came in late to Cagayan de Oro, Buffalo Chicken Wings are just becoming popular as an appetizer or alcohol-paired dish in this city. If you want to catch the hottest and baddest (don’t worry, they come in mild, medium, and extreme spicy) buffalo wings in town, here they are.

Lefty’s Chick-N-Chops

Lefty’s is a comfortable, and cozy restaurant that serves one of the best Buffalo Chicken Wings in Cagayan de Oro, and the only way to prove that is by finding them at the Great Spot Arcade along J.R. Borja Extension Highway.

If this were Buffalo, New York, you could say this was your typical mom-and-pop restaurant that serves the best home cooked and original recipe buffalo chicken wings. Their buffalo chicken wings come in different flavors and can be served either mildly, medium, or extremely spicy.

Yellow Cab Pizza

And you thought this was only a pizza restaurant. They call their buffalo wings Hot Wings and they actually prove to be a nice accompaniment to their pizza.

Served in a cardboard box, the wings sport crispy, perfectly brown-colored skin and the chicken meat packs more spice than tang. This unassuming yet filling serving is less greasy and is served without any dipping sauce. There are Yellow Cab branches at the Ayala Centrio Mall, Limketkai Center Rosario Strip, and at SM City Mall.

Pizza Hut

You’re probably thinking now if all pizza places serve buffalo wings. Well, again, this one does. They call it Wing Street, and they can be served in traditional (like the original Anchor Bar cuts), Bone-Out (boneless), and Breaded Bone-in.

You also get to choose from 12 different sauces and cooking styles that can range from just mildly spicy to the “no pants required really spicy.” You can also pair the Wing Street with either French fries or waffle fries. Pizza Hut is at the SM City Mall.

Restaurant Damaso

This non-traditional restaurant whose owners also created Chino’s Deli also serves one of the best Cagayanon-created buffalo chicken wings that they call the Chicken Wings Sriracha.

It is an amalgamation of traditional buffalo wings and Vietnamese ingredients such as Sriracha. It is a must-taste dish that you need to savor. Damaso is located at the corner of Pabayo and T. Chavez Streets (at the former Mom’s Corner).

BonChon Chicken

This South Korean chicken restaurant will naturally serve a buffalo wing dish (we make a distinction by using “South” Korean instead of just saying ‘Korean’ since North Korea would rather plant bombs in the Philippines than franchise restaurants).

Their buffalo dish is called Soy Garlic Chicken Wings and is also called double-fried by South Koreans because they are first deep fried and on the second frying the soy-garlic-glaze marinade is added. It’s something different to try out on your bucket food list. You’ll find them at ground floor of the Ayala Centrio Mall.

678 Chicken

Another original South Korean chicken restaurant located at the Grand Central Arcade at the corner of Arch. Hayes and Pabayo Streets. Actually this restaurant serves spicy chicken in all parts as a rule, so you need to be careful in ordering and informing the staff if you choose non-spicy or only mild spicy.

Their Gochujang chicken wings is served in its sweet chili paste sauce (note: South Korean spicy can really be spicy). Another chicken wing dish is their bestseller Ganjang cooked and served in its special garlic, onion, and Korean soy sauce.

Bigby’s Café and Restaurant

One of Cagayan de Oro’s popular homegrown restaurants, they do serve a whopping Chili Flappers that is the equivalent of buffalo wings.

If you only go to Bigby’s either at the SM City Mall or at the Ayala Centrio Mall for their baby back ribs, you need to order their Chili Flappers. It’s actually traditional buffalo chicken wings but cooked using Bigby’s own chili paste. Something to put again on your bucket food list.

Shakey’s Pizza Parlor

Shakey’s at the Limketkai Center Mall has always been the house of pizza since the 1970’s, but the next time you go there, you need to try out their Buffalo Wings.

They’re a bit different but still worth savoring since they’re cooked in hot and spicy buffalo sauce. You can also order this Buffalo Wing dish served together with crispy Calamari and Belgian Fries.

Big Flat Bread (BFB)

Are you starting to notice that there seems to be a trend with pizza places and buffalo chicken wings? That’s because buffalo wings and pizza make a great pairing.

BFB has its own version of Buffalo Wings that is cooked the traditional buffalo spicy way. BFB is located along Corrales Avenue right outside Watever KTV and Lokal Grill restaurant.

TGIFridays

This a little bit pricey-but-really-worth-it restaurant at the ground floor of the Ayala Centrio Mall has its own version of American Buffalo Wings.

Its recipe and cooking is made from an original Super Bowl specialty dish that most Americans cook today when they watch the annual NFL Super Bowl on TV. It’s still the traditional unbreaded chicken wings cooked in its own spicy and tangy sauce but served with crispy celery sticks and blue cheese dressing. The Super Bowl is coming up in September so you might want to watch it with this dish.

Chez Marie Bar Café and Restaurant

Located at the Grand Central Arcade along Arch. Hayes Street, this is probably the last restaurant you’ll think of with buffalo wings.

Image Source | iheartcdo.com

But they do serve their version of Buffalo Chicken Wings and it’s cooked in traditional buffalo chicken style. Knowing how delicious the food in this place is, their wings are certain to be tasteful as well.

Conclusion

There you have it, the most mouth-watering places where you can find Buffalo chicken wings in this awesome city. And as tradition has it, it’s a real great pair for beer or other alcoholic drink, so go for it.

The post The Baddest, Hottest and Best Buffalo Wings in Town Can be Found in These Awesome Food Places appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

Image Source | Facebook: Bords’ Sizzling at Inihaw

There’s a new kid in town (sorry, can’t help play with words with the passing away of Glenn Frey), or rather, another new restaurant player in town for those who love home cooking-styled food or Filipino dishes cooked the “inihaw” way. The new kid in town is called Bords’ Sizzling at Inihaw and it’s also a nice place if you’re looking for delicious but affordable dishes for a night out with the family or just a quiet lunch with a friend.

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Some Kagay-anons might find Bords’ Sizzling at Inihaw familiar because this is where a former restaurant, Tsinoy’s Pares and Mami House, used to be located. That would be at the corner of Tiano and Mabini Streets, almost in front of Ruby Appliance, and the new place is now on soft opening.

Image Source | Facebook: Bords’ Sizzling at Inihaw

Once you enter the place and you’ve been to the old Tsinoy’s, you’ll see almost the same façade but with some renovations done to the place. It still has the open alfresco area at the entrance and the air-conditioned section looks a little bigger now. This same section can be converted into a large function area for large occasions or events, and this means making the section exclusive, leaving only the alfresco area open to the public during such exclusivities. The service crew is now wearing yellow instead of Tsinoy’s former red color.

The proprietor of Bords’ Sizzling at Inihaw is the same with Tsinoy’s, and the latter isn’t gone since it plans to move to new locations at the Gaisano City Mall and at the Limketkai Center Mall. During its soft opening last January 22 and 23, all their menu prices were slashed by 50%.

Image Source | Facebook: Bords’ Sizzling at Inihaw

Gawking at the Bords’ menu, the appetizers along already seem mouthwatering, and as your eyes scan down to the soups, you’ll notice that their Bulalo is definitely affordable compared to other restaurants. They have Shrimp Platter Specials that are good for groups of 4 and above. Naturally, they can’t go without having the Sizzling Favorites such as sisig, pork chop, pochero, chicken, spicy posit, and mixed seafoods. And this wouldn’t be complete without the Inihaw Favorites such as tuna belly, salmon belly, pusit, liempo, and pork barbecue.

Image Source | Facebook: Bords’ Sizzling at Inihaw

Even their noodle dishes look delectable, and of course, so do their crispy pata, lechon kawali, kare-kare, and fried chicken, just perfect for groups of 4 people and up. They serve the usual fancy Filipino desserts like buko halo, halo-halo, buko pandan, and leche flan. They’re one of the few restaurants that serve soda drinks in 1.5 liter content for the convenience of large groups. And for those looking to unwind with some beer, they do serve beer buckets, including assorted beer buckets.

So there, another restaurant has opened in Cagayan de Oro because this is the city filled with Cagayanons who love to sink their teeth into truly delicious foods. Bords’ Sizzling at Inihaw promises this, and probably much more later, when they begin to expand the restaurant further.

The post Bords’ Sizzling at Inihaw is Now Open for Kagay-anons Who Love Delicious Food Cooked the Homely Way and at Affordable Prices appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

Have you ever experienced going into a restaurant, ordering the food, the food arrives, the food is actually good, but something is still missing; there’s almost no fun to it. There’s nothing wrong with going into a restaurant and actually having fun while savoring the great dishes. Unfortunately, many restaurants in Cagayan de Oro simply take out the fun in eating out. It’s the same old order-wait-food arrives-you eat-and pay up routine. In the long run it gets kind of bland to just eat out for the food. If you ask Cagayanons, there’s no “lingaw” in eating out if it’s all routine.

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It’s a good thing that a new “lingaw kaon” place just opened in Cagayan de Oro, well, in two locations to be exact. Choobi Choobi – Lingaw Lingaw Kaon opened its first Cagayan de Oro branch at the Ayala Centrio Mall while the second opened at the Limketkai Center, on the second floor facing Shopwise. These two make them the sixth and seventh branches of the Choobi Choobi chain nationwide. The Centrio Mall branch opened last September 19 while the Limketkai Center branch opened last November 27.

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If you’re thinking in terms of Cebu’s famous Bucket Shrimps or Red Tail Shrimps then you’re on the right track because Choobi Choobi is one of Cebu City’s popular seafood restaurants that offer “bagged seafood dishes” are their specialty. This means that certain seafood dishes are served hot in special plastic bags. For instance, this restaurant’s best seller is the “Shrimp in the Bag” (at Php350). These bagged shrimps are flavored in different ways. Now some customers don’t like ordering fish dishes when they eat out because, well let’s face it, fish is usually a common viand fare at home meals, but in this case it’s worth trying their Flying Pla Pla (Php160). Another bagged treat you should try is their Singaporean Style Slated Egg Shrimps in a Bag that is cooked in salted duck egg. Another signature dish is the Stan’s Fried Black Pepper Shrimp; most of their shrimp, squid, shellfish, and fish dishes are so unique they aren’t found in other restaurants.

Reading the menu of Choobi Choobi is already fun in itself since much of it has funny names. For instance, the appetizers are called Kick Start.

Image Source | choobichoobi.com

Their star kick starter is Patrick Star’s Baked Scallops. Their Souper Soups will get you chuckling further especially with their Tinolang Manok Bisdak (local chicken broth that many swear is delicious), Utan Monggos, Utan Bisaya, and Sabaw sa Halaan (Clam broth with sweet corn).

Then your eyes find the License to Grill.

Image Source | choobichoobi.com

You chuckle even further when you see the Belly Dancer (grilled pork belly that will make you dance, according to the menu), Sinugbang Pasayan (imagine yourself at the beach, eating grilled fresh shrimps, according to the menu), and the mysterious Lola Nene’s Genghis Khan Chicken (5 pieces of boneless chicken thigh grilled with Lola Nene’s special marinade) that really has nothing to do with the former Mongolian ruler. And if you’re wondering what Grilled Sa-ang is, it is mollusk or cockleshell.

Image Source | choobichoobi.com

All of their bagged dishes are imported and you’ll probably be curious about the Giant Bamboo Clam and the Lobster Fish that they call Monk Fish. They even have Chilean Mussels in a Bag.

Image Source | choobichoobi.com

The House Specialties feature non-seafood dishes that are just as inviting and delectable, especially with the Choobi Pata, Mama Pina’s Fried Herbed Spring Duck, Lola Pepang’s Fried Manok, and Spinach with 3 Kinds of Egg. The Fry, Fry the Batter Fry features the House Specialties but served in fried form, as well as an additional Crispy Adobong Kanding. They also have vegetable dishes in their Tanny’s Garden. Of course the Rice and Noodles, Drinks, and Desserts round out their whole menu.

Image Source | choobichoobi.com

Image Source | choobichoobi.com

Choobi Choobi’s expansion into Cagayan de Oro all started when the Cebu based restaurant chain joined the Franchise Asia Exhibit 2015 last June 12 – 14 at the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia in Manila to open its doors to franchising. Obviously, two franchisers have answered the call to open “lingaw lingaw kaon” in this city. Like other major franchises, this restaurant chain already has a proven rate of success, a proven business model, and previously set up business systems. According to Choobi Choobi Flavors Corporation’s CEO, Stan Tanchan, aside from the present five branches in Cebu and the two ones in Cagayan de Oro, franchisers are set to open two more branches in Cebu as well as one branch at the SM Premier Mall in Davao and its first Manila branch along Panay Avenue in Quezon City. There are also plans to open branches in Bacolod, Iloilo, Cavite, Laguna, Las Piñas, and Baliwag (Bulacan).          

Though the name of the restaurant sounds Korean, Choobi Choobi is a Chinese Fukien derivation that means “to enjoy.” This is where its Cebuano tag line, “lingaw lingaw kaon” has been derived from. Far from being a Chinese restaurant, the chain cooks up mostly Filipino comfort dishes in a unique and special manner. The first Choobi Choobi branch opened in 2013 at Parkmall Cebu and the franchise hasn’t looked back ever since.  

For the Christmas season, there is even an opportunity to have your company Christmas party exclusively at the Choobi Choobi branches for around Php400 per person starting price. This means you’ll need to book the branch exclusively. Of course in the future this isn’t limited only to the holiday season but also for birthdays, meetings, reunions, and any kind of event or celebration. For their Christmas specials, when you order a bag of Scampi Baby Lobsters (Php 499 per pound, around half a kilo), you get a free pitcher of Iced Tea.

Image Source | choobichoobi.com

Also, if you add Php35.00 per head for any order you can get UNLI RICE for a large feast for everyone. All of the above applies only to dine-in orders.

What great timing for Choobi Choobi – Lingaw Lingaw Kaon to open two branches in the city for the holiday season. Now you have all the more reason for your family or friends to go out and have fun while eating great seafood and other dishes. Perhaps after you finish eating everyone will be saying, “na lingaw ka sa pagkaon” (I was amused with the food).

The post Choobi Choobi – Lingaw Lingaw Kaon: A Different and Fun Way to Eat Out with Family and Friends appeared first on About Cagayan de Oro.

There are many indicators that a tertiary city like Cagayan de Oro is really progressing rapidly aside from just having those tall buildings and malls around. A large factor indicator many people – and investors – are looking for are awards, citations, and certifications of excellence. Cagayan de Oro and its different establishments have had all of these in the past year. The most recent one in memory is the National Competitive Council (NCC) naming Cagayan de Oro as the number one “most competitive city” in the Philippines.

Image Source | www.tripadvisor.co.uk

Now, TripAdvisor Philippines recently has awarded four restaurants in Cagayan de Oro its Certificate of Excellence. This excellence certificate is only given to restaurants that meet their excellence standards based on traveler and customer reviews. These CDO restaurants are Sentro 1850, Bigby’s, Kagay-Anon, and Missy Bon Bon. Only last week, TripAdvisor also gave a certificate of excellence to the city’s main tourist attraction, the Kagayan Whitewater Rafting on the Cagayan River.

For those not familiar with the name, TripAdvisor (yes, it’s spelled like that in one word) is an American travel website that provides reviews of hotels, restaurants, tourist spots, and other travel-related businesses. It accommodates more than 170 million reviews from its more than 60 million reviewers and critiques from all over the different corners of the world, most of them just travelers doing local reviews based on their travel experiences.

Sentro 1850

Image Source | www.dreamworldtraveler.info

Of the four recipients of the Certificate of Excellence, Sentro 1850 is one of the older and one of the first restaurants in the city to offer affordable fine dining.

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It is located along Apolinar Velez Street. Like what is normal on weekends, the restaurant can be filled to the brim at 7:00 p.m. and customers can find themselves up to the fifth on the waiting list.

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They serve a mix of Philippine and foreign cuisines, focused mostly on their ribs, smoked barbecue, and roast beef lineup.

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The local lineup boasts of the best lechon kawali, crispy deep fried pork belly, and grilled pork chops in town!

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And their cake desserts are purely sinful. They’re open every day from 10:00 a.m. to 12 midnight.

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They also have function rooms for small parties and the like.

Bigby’s Café and Restaurant

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Bigby’s is locally owned but has expanded with branches in Manila, Cebu, Davao, and Bacolod.

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The restaurant’s ambience is actually a cross between fine dining and something out of an Indiana Jones movie, if you’re old enough to remember that movie.

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Anyone going there is advised to try out their house specialties and best sellers.

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Whatever they serve – pork, chicken, beef, seafood, veggies, etc. – will seem like specialties if your tongue is a true connoisseur for good food.

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They have two locations at the SM City Mall and at Ayala Centrio Mall. Their original location at the Limketkai Center will soon be reopening.

Kagay-Anon Restaurant

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This restaurant at the Limketkai Center has made a name with local Cagayanons as serving some of the most delicious and authentic Filipino dishes and delicacies in CDO.

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It is one of a very few select restaurants in the city that serves authentic ostrich meat.

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It is actually one of the biggest fine dining places in the city and still uses typical Filipino wooden furniture and serving utensils.

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Their menu may seem pricey at first, but the servings are quite large and may be too much even for two persons.

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Most notable at the entrance is the large number of awards for the restaurant.

Missy Bon Bon

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This restaurant isn’t really fine dining but they serve some of the best pastries, gelato ice cream, breads, cakes, and sweets in town.

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Located at the Limketkai Center, their specialty and best seller is what they term as their all-day breakfast meals.

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They also serve very good snack meals and really great desserts. They are actually the only place in CDO that serves really whopping gelato ice cream.

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The place opens early at 6:00 a.m. and easily fills up with breakfast eaters. They’re even filled in the evenings with people ordering the “breakfast” meals for dinner since they close at 12 midnight.

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