A Celebration Of Exceptional Feast @ Davao Gourmet Collective

August 16, 2013 - To be part of a gastronomic feast is always a treat as I was invited in the opening of Davao Gourmet Collective where we had a taste of the best artisan food in Davao. In this event, top chefs all over Davao gathered in one place at SM Lanang Premier atrium and showcased their best products to their guests who were in attendance on this event.

Formal opening of Davao Gourmet Collective with the Top Chefs

The formal opening took place just in front of the venue where the Top Chefs in Davao had a toast with Sir Art Boncato, head of Department of Tourism in Region 11.

Here are the participants of this year's Davao Gourmet Collective:

Bangkok Wok & Blugre Coffee

Bangkok Wok - Unlike other Thai restaurants here in Davao City, Bangkok Wok serves Thai cuisine in its most unpretentious form. They had their 1st branch in Robinsons Cybergate before it closed down. It was founded in 2009 by Raffy and Carmina Mapa-del Rosario.

Blugre Coffee - This is the first and the leading coffee shop here in Davao. Founded in 1998, it changed the lifestyle of Davaoenos who are into coffee. Aside from the usual espresso, latte, mocha, cappuccino and more usual coffee shop menu, they serve ice-blended drinks and concoctions which the customers love.

Villa Margarita

When it comes to gourmet dishes, Villa Margarita leads the way. It is owned by chef and entrepreneur Baby Montemayor who had interest to learn professional cooking in 2007. In their booth, I had a chance to try their Quattri Formaggi Lasagna which is translated to "Four Cheese Lasagna". It was a yum! You should also try their Tablea Flan. It's one of the most delicious flan I've ever eaten.

Osvaldo's Cakes

If talking about one of the best dessert places here in Davao City, we're talking about Osvaldo's Cakes. They opened last October 2011 at the Paseo de Legaspi. They're known for creating edgy, artistic cakes and pies. It is owned by Joel and Jose Marie Rodriguez with wife Dindin. I tried their Durian Cake and that was so delectable! I would love to eat it soon. :D

Cellar de Boca

Cellar de Boca exclusively serves Argentinian Lagarde wines and comfort foods. In this event, they served Empanadas and steak rice. I bought their Steak Rice for 50 Pesos and it was really good! I want to try their empanadas soon. :D

Malagos Cheese

Malagos Farmhouse is known for cheeses and chocolates. They're once featured on Kris TV when they had an episode about the products in Malagos and one of them are the different kinds of cheese. They're being sold in Metro Manila but made here in Davao City. I tried one of their cheese and it was a delight!

Hog's Breath Cafe

Last December 2012, Hog's Breath Cafe opened its first branch in the Philippines here in Davao. They serve Australia's best steaks cooked to perfection. For this event, they served mocktails, smoothies and other specialties such as steaks and calamari. I tried their smoothies and it was so good! The steak was tender and tasty and the calamari was soft and easy to chew.

Morisco Ristorante Italiano

Morisco Ristorante Italiano offers all-authentic Italian dishes created by Chef Giuseppe Morisco who happened to be one of the finalist of Masterchef US Season 2. They're now open in the Fountain Court Area of SM Lanang Premier. For this event, they served pizza and other pastry goods.

Beko's Biik

Beko's Biik is one of the pioneers when it comes to boneless belly lechon. They gained a following for serving tender, succulent and juicy Lechon de Leche which is available in regular and spicy flavors. We were able to try this one and it's indeed delicious. I like the "crunchiness" of the lechon skin and it's all belly! :D

Jr. by Jonathan's Cupcakery

Jr. Pastry serves delectable desserts which everybody will just fall in love. Created by the owner of Jonathan's Cupcakery, they're available through order. I tried their Cream Puff and it was oh so goody! It was soft unlike other cream puffs I've tried. A box of cream puff costs 100 Pesos.

Barrio Burrito
Image from: www.davaofoodtrip.com

If clamoring for something Mexican, then Barrio Burrito is for you! It serves mainly mexican food. The one who creates them is Monica Floirendo and is one of the Davao City's young and most promising chefs. At the event, she served tacos/burritos filled with sisig and pulled pork.

Crazy Cook

Crazy Cook is one of Davao's food catering service providers. It's owned by mom-entrepreneur Carmina Mapa-del Rosario. These Baos are filled with chicken sate, bulgogi, adobo, flakes, liempo and roast beef. But for this event, I had the chance to try their Angus Bao and it was superb! It was so delicious that I want to have one more! :D

This was a fun event for everyone who attended the opening of Davao Gourmet Collective. We had the chance to taste the best artisan food here in Davao. This event ran from August 16-18, 2013. Hope to see them again soon!

Arrivederci! Thanks for reading!