CTres Buffet Restaurant and Piano Bar and Blugre Coffee, Davao

Part 15 of a series

DAY 3.

G-Mall was huge and I wanted to explore but due to the power outage, I decided to transfer to NCCC Mall. Talk about mall hopping! So, I took a cab and I arrived in NCCC Mall in no time!

Since I was already very hungry, I stopped at the first fastfood outlet I saw, Greenwich!

So much about that… After lunch, I explored the mall and was surprised that it was too small. I mean, I knew that it was smaller than SM City Davao but I expected it to be bigger based on the photos I saw before my trip. Oh well, the mall was just one short line so after I walked from corner to corner, I got out and went back to the hotel.

At the hotel, I remembered that a SkyscraperCity Davao meet-up was scheduled for that day so I decided to text “dinabaw” asking if it was going to push through. He replied yes. He even asked me if I wanted to be picked up from the hotel but I said no and just asked for the name and address of the place where we’ll meet up and have dinner. Being the person that I am, I don’t want to be a hassle to other people. For that, I just googled for the place and I found it, yihee!

NAP MODE…

I had a very deep nap and I didn’t notice that my alarm was already ringing at 6pm! The agreed meet-up time was 6:30pm. So, I quickly got up of bed, freshened up and took a cab to the location. Phew, I arrived at C-Tres just a few minutes late.

Libotero, “Dinabaw”, “Xzibit31″, “Carrotz” and GF

CTres (read as “see-trehs”) is a fairly new “eat-all-you-can” restaurant and piano bar located at E. Palma Gil St., Barrio Obrero (fronting Urban Club), Davao City. For only P299, you get to enjoy to your heart’s desire a sumptuous array of dishes that includes lechon (roasted pig) and Cotabato crabs on selected days. The food and the ambiance is great and totally justifies the price. Buffet lunch and dinner is available everyday except Sundays. For inquiries, you may call them at 09083644637.

The SSC Davao guys were very accommodating. Thank you for the warm welcome! I was quite shy during the meet-up though as I’m always just silent and observant when I meet people for the first time but I hope to see you again next time! (Kadayawan? Hehe.) Part of the agenda of the meetup was the “premiere”/”reveal” of something that will totally change Davao’s landscape and lifestyle! It was such a bummer though that none of us brought our laptops so the “top secret” files couldn’t be opened. Grrr. LOL!

Anyway, after the dinner, the rest of the SSC-Davao peeps had to go on with their lives as it was a weekday of a busy work week, while Dinabaw introduced me to Blugre. We went to Blugre Landco, Blugre’s original outlet.

Before my trip to Davao, I once read in SkyscraperCity that Davao has this very deep and interesting coffee culture… It’s not just a small demographic that relies on coffee to either stay awake or keep them warm on cold days, it’s a culture, it’s a lifestyle, it’s a massive and wide adoption of coffee! There are tens of local/homegrown coffee shops all around Davao and there’s no Starbucks yet! Hmmm, I think Starbucks or any other multinational brand will find it difficult to enter Davao’s already-well-established coffee scene.

It is said that Blugre jumpstarted Davao’s Coffee Culture. It’s been there for 12 years now and it was actually the eve of their 12th anniversary celebration during my visit. Blugre Coffee is Davao’s first and leading specialty coffee shop, founded in 1998 by husband and wife, Gatchi and Larcy Gatchalian, both Manileneos but consider themselves Davaowenyos by heart.

Blugre Coffee has three branches in Davao: Landco Corporate Center, Matina, SM City Davao.

Established in June 1998, Blugre Coffee claim to fame is its signature drink, Durian Gatchpuccino, a hot cappuccino concoction that blends espresso and the fruit durian wonderfully. (Also available is Durian Larcepuccino, the cold version of Durian Gatchpuccino). It is dubbed as the king of all coffees (durian being the king of all fruits).

Durian Gatchpuccino (P140)

Sir Ambie (Dinabaw) made me try the Durian Gatchpuccino. I was quite hesitant at first but then, when I tasted it, my impression on durian has totally changed, LOL. It’s perfect! It’s heaven! A must-try when in Davao… Don’t overdo it though as the Gatchpuccino is quite strong.

Now, with three branches in Davao and now expanded in General Santos with their two franchise branches (JMP South Osmena and Robinson’s GenSan), I’d say good luck Starbucks!

(…to be continued)