Budget Pizza? Pizzakaya yan!

Pizzakaya at Lachmi Food Court,
San Pedro Street, Davao City

Been trying around different pizzas for quite some time and I haven't seen any negative thing about pizza. Masustansya dahil maraming gulay! Unless you're for the all meat pizza, of course. Hehe! My first pizza love is Mommy's Pizza which I already blogged about. I've been looking all over Davao for Mommy's Pizza but I really haven't found a single stall anymore. Few years back, during my college days, I saw this stall at Lachmi. Pizzakaya. "Cool! Another pizza parlor," I thought. The place looks like the prices are for people who are on low budget so I went in and asked what their best seller is. The lady said Italian Deluxe has always been their customers choice. So I ordered an Italian Deluxe combo meal consisting of four pizza slices and a cup of Iced Tea. Well, very budget-friendly indeed as their combo meal only costs 35 pesos.

Italian Deluxe Combo Meal:
4 slices of pizza and a cup of Iced Tea

When I tasted their pizza, it somewhat reminded me of Mommy's Pizza only that, Pizzakaya's crust is thinner. I fell in love with their pizza that I frequented Lachmi just because of Pizzakaya. I even brought friends and relatives with me so they, too, will enjoy the good food that I enjoy. Pizzakaya also have other pizza flavors, too, like Hawaiian, and Ham and Cheese. I can't remember them all but I'm sure they're equally good as Italian Deluxe. All their combo meals, regardless of pizza flavor, are priced at 35 pesos only and their pizza sold by the box (eight slices in a box), has the price range of 75 pesos to 90 pesos. Maybe that's why they go by the name Pizzakaya, because their pizza are all abot-kaya (affordable, in English ) for everyone. If, like me, you also miss Mommy's Pizza and you want to have a bite or more again, then Pizzakaya is the answer to our prayers!

Mind you, I could eat up the eight slices by myself, that's how tasty their pizza is. Please don't take my word for it, go try Pizzakaya yourself. I believe Pizzakaya has 2 branches only. One at Lachmi Food Court, San Pedro Street, Davao City and at City Triangle, C.M. Recto Street, Davao City. Tara!

Budget Snack? Burger Dine it!

An afternoon of boredom struck the Kuripot Laagan. Too lazy to go out, too bored to stay at home. What to do? Go online? Yes, but eventually, I got tired of the click-click-type-type-click mechanism. Still going out para mag laag (gumala, in Tagalog) is still not part of my choices. Then I considered movie marathon. Since there's a shop nearby that offers 3 DVD copies for 100 pesos, the Pirates of the DVD (WARNING: DO NOT IMITATE. Hehe!), I decided to get me a copy of 3 movies that I haven't watched yet. After minutes of scanning on the store's wall of DVDs, I finally decided which 3 movies to watch. Pero ano naman ang movie marathon kung walang snacks, right? Popcorn would have been a great snack to munch on while on a movie trip but there's no convenience store nearby that sells popcorn, and don't expect to find one on a sari-sari store either. Luckily, there's a burger junction just almost across the street. Burger Dine!

Nauuso na ngayon ang buy one take one burgers kahit saan ka pumunta. Burger Dine is one of those junctions that offers buy one take on burgers. Yes, all their sandwiches are sold on buy one take one basis, except for the footlong, but Burger Dine sells the cheapest buy one take one compared to two burger junction giants that offers the promo. They may be the cheapest in price but the taste isn't. Their most expensive, the Double Burger, is priced at 36 pesos. Yun na yung pinakamahal ha, double patty on each burger sandwich pa yun. Unless of course you'd request for add-ons like extra cheese (add 7 pesos to add cheese on both burgers) or extra coleslaw (add 3 pesos to add on both burgers). As for my order that afternoon, I had one buy one take one Double Burger with cheese and coleslaw add-on valued at 46 pesos all in all. Saktong sakto lang for my movie marathon.

Burger Dine is open 24 hours. Their busiest time of the day is when everyone is awake but that doesn't mean walang customers kapag tulog ang karamihan, because some people who are not from the same area even come to Burger Dine place to satisfy their burger cravings. They serve orders in less than 10 minutes, even during their busiest times. Just in case you wish to eat your burgers at their shop, they only have limited seats, so eat-and-go yung mga diners. Also, they have a large TV so dining and waiting customers won't get bored. They also serve coffee, hot choco (Milo) and softdrinks for people who wants to dine at the shop.

Curious about Burger Dine? Visit them at their outlets at the following areas in Davao City: Garcia Heights, Agdao, Ecoland, Times, and Matina Aplaya. As mentioned earlier, they are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Pizzang Pampamilya at Pizza Pamilya

Top: Friendly Service Crew and the author
Bottom:  Kitchen Crew

Okay, so I'm blogging about another pizza parlor again. But each pizza parlor have their own specialty pizza, right? And that's why I went to check out another pizza parlor in the city. At Pizza Pamilya, everything really is pampamilya. The place made me feel like I was just in some friend's dining room. Even the servings are pampamilya.

My first visit at Pizza Pamilya was with my cousin, Joyce. We were warmly greeted by smiling crew and a very homey atmosphere. The place is well-lighted, you'll notice everything in the store. And it feels like the whole place is germ-free. This is also the only pizza parlor that has a mini-play pen for kids. Their staff/crew are all very friendly and helpful with food suggestions. Walang suplada. Plus, the complimentary appetizers are definitely plus points. Sa lahat ng napuntahan kong pizza parlors, sila lang yata yung may ganun. We were lucky on our first visit, kasi birthday ng anak ng may-ari, we were given a huge slice of cake. San'n ka pa? It's the only resto that treats their customers as part of their family. They really live up to their name, Pizza Pamilya.

From top (left to right): Pizza Pamilya Menu,
Free Appetizer
Bottom (left to right): Pizza Pamilya,
Free Cake (during date of visit)

The servings are also pampamilya. For families with 4 members, one or two whole pizza would fill up 4 hungry tummies. They serve thin crust pizza but they top them generously with various toppings. Their house specialty is Pizza Pamilya, one of the most interesting pizza that I've encountered. Ever tried sweet potato and corn on your pizza? It sounded odd to me at first but when it got to our table, the pizza was actually very tasty, one of the tastiest pizza I ate. Pizza Pamilya (the house specialty pizza) has sweet potato, corn, sausage, salami, bell pepper, tomato, mozzarella cheese, gorgonzola, ricotta, and parmesan cheese as toppings. A very interesting pizza that would keep you coming back for more.

My second visit was with a friend. I introduced to her Pizza Pamilya's house specialty and it surprised her that those toppings would taste good together. Plus, their house specialty is just 320 pesos. Best value for families and barkadas on food trip.

Top (L-R): Signage, Garlic Bread with Salsa
Middle (L-R): Pickled Veggies, Quesadillas
Bottom (L-R): Spaghetti Carbonara,
Solo Hawaiian Pizza

My third visit was still with the same friend, my fellow Ninja Turtle, fellow pizza monster. This time, we opted for more food choices, not just pizza. I wasn't so hungry so I decided to take on something light. I've been looking for Quesadillas and thought of trying theirs. 250 pesos is quite expensive for a pica-pica, I thought, but still gave it a try. My friend went for their Combo Meal A which consist of Spaghetti Carbonara, Hawaiian Pizza and Iced Tea, priced at 150 pesos. Not bad, she said. Kasing presyo lang ng Greenwich Big Time Meal na may isang slice ng pizza, small serving of pasta at drink. Or so we thought. We didn't know why the lady who took our order was smiling but when our food was served, we understood her smile. Napagkamalan yata kaming mga barakong patay gutom. Their pampamilya servings applies to all their foods, they're all definitely for sharing! The Quesadillas are larger than the large plate, the solo pizza is more or less same size with Greenwich's Double Pizza, and the Spaghetti Carbonara is served on a platter that's good for two (or three, maybe). Napalaban kami sa kainan! Haha! Sa sobrang dami ng pagkain, may pabalot pa kami. After that incident, my friend and I realized another thing about Pizza Pamilya, they also value their clients' hard-earned money by not serving sub-standard food and commercialized quantity. Presyong pampamilya, lugar na pampamilya, serbisyong pampamilya, a total package that everyone is looking for.

Hindi rin magpapahuli sa promos ang Pizza Pamilya. They offer the best deal in Davao, longer pizza happy hours than other pizza parlors offering buy one take one pizza. Pizza happy hours are from 2PM to 10PM, Mondays to Thursdays, and 2PM to 8PM Fridays to Sundays. They are open from 11AM to 11PM daily, so buy one take one pizza offer is available almost the entire day of store operations. The best part is, pwedeng ipabalot/i-take home yung tirang pizza slices ng inorder na buy one take one, unlike other pizza restos.

View from outside

With their kind of service, food quality and quantity, and affordable prices, I'd definitely go back and even share to other people about Pizza Pamilya. Takam na takam ka na rin bang mag Pizza Pamilya? Sugod na sa J.P. Laurel corner Bacaca Road, Bajada, Davao City. Their store is almost across Abreeza Ayala Mall. You can get there by your car (parking spaces are available), by taxi or by jeepney (along the highway lang sila). If you want wish to hold any celebration there and want to use more than one table, you may call (082) 224-2319 for reservations. I assure you, after dining, you'll come out with a smile. Kainan na!

I had Coffee For Peace

One of my personal favorites, probably the best coffee shop I've been to (thanks to my cousins Eileen and Joyce for introducing this place to me) is Coffee For Peace. Their place isn't spacious but seats and tables are just enough if you and your friends would like to own the place for a day. Their interiors are elegantly decorated with native crafts like native scrolls, baskets, some white pebbles on the side, and native racks for some displays. The place is so peaceful, you'll forget you're still in the city proper. It makes you feel like hanging out at a place far from the noisy traffic when in fact, their location is so much of the opposite. Nasa business strip ng Matina area yung location nila.

Everything about Coffee For Peace made me fall in love with this coffee shop. From the taste of their food and drinks, to their crafts (decors and those that are for sale), to the ambiance of the place, to their service, to their cause. Yes, the coffee shop exists for a cause. Unlike other coffee shops, Coffee For Peace isn't all about profit. They help Mindanao coffee farmers by fair trade education and buying coffee from them at the price that they truly deserve (fair trade). Of course, we all know about the hard work that they go through growing coffee and taking care of those trees and fruits, isn't it just fair for them to get the price that they truly deserve? They went through a lot of hard work just to give us the best cup of coffee that we want, that should be equaled with right price. Coffee For Peace isn't about capitalism. From their name itself, they exist to share peace, to spread peace in Mindanao be means of livelihood for our natives. As mentioned earlier, apart from buying coffee from the Mindanao coffee farmers, they also orient/educate them about proper and fair trade, the business to put an end to the capitalists' scheme of taking advantage of our natives' good heart.

Also, about what I mentioned earlier, Coffee For Peace exists to share pace, to spread peace in Mindanao. You might be wondering, "through coffee? Like how?" Diba nga kapoag nagkakape tayo, nagkakaroon tayo ng pagkakataong magnilaynilay o mag meditate, lalo na kung nagkakape tayong mag-isa? So we feel peace and eventually feel that aura the entire day. Wag nga lang ma-stress sa trabaho. Also, drinking coffee has been Pinoy's habit. Kape sa almusal, kape sa meryenda, kape sa gabi dahil may tatapusin, kape para magmukhang sosyal (at bibitbitin yung baso, iikot sa mall kahit wala nang laman yung baso, maipakita lang na nakapagkape ng mamahaling kape). Coffee has been a big part of Pinoys' lifestyle. Kape nga rin yung inihahain kapag may padasal at nag-uumpukan, nagkukwentuhan pagkatapos ng padasal. That kind of concept, having good conversation while having coffee definitely brings peace. That's the Coffee For Peace's idea of sharing peace with coffee.

When it comes to the price, they are just like any other coffee shops in Davao, excluding Starbucks, of course, because Coffee For Peace is cheaper than Starbucks. They have a lot of entries in their menu to choose from, all reasonably priced. Plus, the thought of patronizing products that our fellow Filipinos worked hard for (talking about the Mindanao coffee farmers), helping them build trust in their abilities of doing business, would make you forget about the price and just enjoy your food and drinks. Enough to put a smile in your heart and theirs, too. Everything they serve are healthy. Walang maalat, o sobrang tamis sa mga binebenta nila. They serve only fresh ingredients, like fruits and veggies, o the products that they serve.

Aside from the foods and drinks, they also sell souvenirs like native necklaces, shirts, mugs, scrolls for your home, calendar, etc. And if you still can't get enough of their coffee, coffee beans are also being sold by bag (I think 100 grams per bag). Their coffee is great to stock at home, at work (if your office's pantry has coffee maker), or give it as a gift for your coffee-holic friends.

Coffee For Peace is conveniently located near Ateneo de Davao University Matina Campus, they are fronting McDonal's Matina. They are beside Eastwest Bank at McArthur Highway, Matina, Davao City. They are open from 8 in the morning until 10 in the evening, daily. Wifi is also available in the shop, so nothing to worry about your deadlines that needs to be sent through email, or have a video chat with your boss. You can always combine leisure (or even relaxation) at Coffee For Peace.

Value for your bucks? Try Buckstab.

My blog site might be mistaken as a pizza blog site because my previous posts are about pizza. Yes, I am a self-proclaimed pizza monster but, no, this is not a pizza blog site. So I came up with this blog about a coffee shop not far away from my place.

This newly opened posh coffee shop put an end to the danger of converting a certain street into a motel strip, somewhat like a red light district. I am so relieved that a sossy coffee shop sprouted in the middle of the motels used for "short time", just by the nest of the budots/budats (term only Dabawenyos would understand and no, I'm not translating it for you).

Buckstab opened last August of 2011. It was inspired by the success of the world-renowned Starbucks. According to the staff whom I asked, the name Buckstab was even derived from their "idol" coffee shop, Statrbucks. "Supposedly, Buckstar yung name but it sounded baduy, kaya pinalitan ng may-ari ng Buckstab. Madali ring tandaan.", says their staff. On a personal note, it's really better than Buckstar, so they don't have to live in the shadows of Starbucks, being the gaya-gaya at walang originality version of Starbucks had they thought of retaining the name Buckstar. That way, Buckstab would create noise of their own, and not be compared to Starbucks all the time. It's also going to give negative impression to the patrons, making their name sound funny to most hinawayon (mapanglait, in Tagalog) if they kept the name Buckstar.

Anyway, Buckstab may not be of the same level as Starbucks but they are closing in, in terms of service, and quality of foods and drinks they serve. Their prices on their menu may be cheap but the  quality isn't. Here's an overview of their menu:

Price range for:

Sandwiches: 55 pesos to 110 pesos

Desserts: 50 pesos to 75 pesos

Pastries: 35 pesos to 50 pesos

Cold drinks: 90 pesos

Hot drinks: 60 pesos to 90 pesos

Frappe: 100 pesos

Sandwiches: 55 pesos to 100 pesos

Other foods, like chips are also available.

With their minimalist concept in their interior design, plus such affordable prices on the menu, who wouldn't be lured to come and spend some time there? The place, by the way, is excellent for friends who want to spend some quality time and catch up, lovers on a date, family who wants to take a break from the noisy atmosphere of the city, or business meeting with colleagues.

Buckstab also offers computer rentals (a.k.a. Internet Cafe) inside the shop. For or coffee shop customers, nothing to worry regarding the shouting and howling of gamers inside. The computers are at the other side and clients renting PCs are asked to mellow down voices so as not to shoo away the coffee shop clients. If you wish to go online but you want to use your own laptop, PDA or phone instead of renting their PC, you may do so using their WiFi connection at no extra cost. Their WiFi connection is really fast, so you can post status updates or upload photos while waiting for your date. You may even take a photo of yourself alone and upload it as an evidence that you got there hours before your date. Hehe! =D

If you happen to feel like spending the day at a coffee shop with a great value for money, stop by at Buckstab, just by Bonguyan Times Beach , Matina Aplaya, Davao City. And oh, you might want to reserve your favorite table/spot before going there, you may call them at 295-2712. They're open from 8am to 12 midnight daily.

Picobelo Ristorante Italiano

One of my favorite Pizza Parlors in Davao is Picobelo Ristorante Italiano. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Picobelo already exists even before Pizza Hut came to Davao. It's a fine dining Italian resto but dress code is not implied. The place has a touch of classy Italian ristorante at the price of a trattoria (medium priced Italian resto) or locanda (simple resto serving simple dishes). They serve different varieties of Italian dishes from rice meals to pastas, to pizzas. Most people go there to have their pizza. If you and your company are in the mood to have lots o' pizza, between 2pm to 5pm (any day) is the best time to go there as those hours are considered as their happy hour. Dig this: BUY ONE TAKE ONE PIZZA. And if you're a pizza monster like me, you'll probably enjoy their brick oven-baked, uber yummy pizza. Masarap na, mura pa. The price range for pizzas are just between 250 pesos to 300 pesos. If you're ordering two different pizzas, then you'll just pay for the more expensive pizza. Remember, 300 pesos lang yung pinakamahal. Isang basketball team ba kayong pupunta? No problem, it's just like paying half of your bill. Do the math. ;-)  Their best selling pizza is the Calzone. It's a stuffed pizza, somewhat like a whole pizza folded into half.

Apart from A-grade wines, they also serve healthy fruit juices and shakes. My personal favorite is the Four Seasons fruit juice.  I forgot to note the price of their wines but they sure are considered affordable for the wine aficionados. As for their fruit juices, they're all priced at 55 pesos per glass only. At ang laki ng glass nila. I'm sure enough na yung isang glass unless you're a camel. And oh, back then, they used to add 10% for their service charge but recently, I noticed they dropped the service charge, billing you to pay only for what you ordered. Now, if you're satisfied with their service, it wouldn't hurt to leave some tip naman diba? ;-)

Picobelo Ristorante Italiano has been serving great Italian food for, if my calculations are right, about 10 years, or maybe more. They've been in the business for so long that they already have a lot of suki already. Not convinced? Go visit them and find out yourself. I'm sure they'll be glad to serve you the best. Picobelo Ristorante Italiano is located at the 5th floor of Gaisano Grand Citimall (former JS Gaisano), Ilustre street, Davao City.