DFAT 2014 : RBG Bar & Grill at Park Inn by Radisson

The Davao Food Appreciation Tour (DFAT) is a yearly event organized by bloggers for the bloggers. It aims to gather bloggers from all over the Philippines to sample some of the best Davao food. This year, DFAT has kicked off with a lunch at RBG Bar & Grill at Park Inn by Radisson hotel.

RBG offers delectable modern cuisines with Davao twist. During our lunch at the restaurant, we were able to sample some of their best-selling dishes. We feasted on some of their appetizers, entrees and decadent desserts.

Appetizers

Fo appetizers, RBG has offered us with Pizza, Mini Burger with Fries and Tuna Ceviche. The ceviche was mouth-watering. After my first  bite, I knew right there that the ingredients used were fresh. Ceviche is a seafood dish made from fresh raw fish cured with calamansi juice and vinegar and mixed with onions and ginger. RBG added a Davao twist to their ceviche by adding fresh pomelo in it. I must say it complements well.

Pizza

Mini Burger with Fries 

Tuna Ceviche

Soup

RBG has served us with one of Filipino favorites soup, sinigang, but with a little twist to make it a uniquely Davao dish. Instead of using the usual tamarind, RBG uses mangosteen which made it more flavorful. It has the right amount of sweetness and sourness. It's definitely a must-try when you visit Davao.

Seafood Sinigang sa Mangosteen

Pasta

RBG offered us with two options with white and red sauce. Again, they made it sure that it has a unique flavor. Pasta de Davao has a creamy white sauce with imbao, bagaybay and bihod. The Lechon pasta on the other hand has a tomato-based sauce with lechon flakes.

Pasta de Davao

Lechon Pasta

Entree

For the main course, we were served with a chicken, pork and beef dish. We tried their grilled chicken, crispy pork belly and beef salpicao. The presentation and the herbs and spices made these dishes more sumptuous. My favorite among them is the crispy pork belly. It's savory and it was deep-fried to perfection. 

Grilled Chicken

Crispy Pork Belly

Beef Salpicao

Dessert

Dessert was my most favorite part of the meal. RBG served us with slices of durian and mangosteen cheesecake. I must say they are heavenly. I like the creamy and cheesy taste as well as the mangosteen and durian flavor which are just right and not over-powering.

Durian and Mangosteen Cheesecake

RBG Bar & Grill Park Inn by Radisson Davao 

Ground Floor, Park Inn by Radisson Davao Lanang, Davao City 

Operating Hours: 6:00 AM - 11:00PM 

Contact Information: 082 272 7600

*Thank you to Chamee Pecson of MissLitratista.com for sharing me her photos.

**Disclaimer: RBG Bar & Grill is one of the partner-restaurants of DFAT 2014.

iPhone 6 is now Available in the Philippines

Smart Infinity subscribers in the Philippines are the 1st to own iPhone 6 in the country.

November 14 marks a special day for the SMART Infinity subscribers as they were treated with a VIP experience. A nationwide event was held simultaneously in Manila, Cebu and Davao. The Davao party was held at the newly opened Echelon Bar at The Peak, Gaisano Mall of Davao. Smart Infinity subscribers and some media and bloggers were invited to an exclusive cocktail party. At exactly 12am, Smart Infinity subscribers were offered with the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus.

With friends from the media | Photo by: Madie of Gadgetary.com

With blogger friends | Photo by: Madie of Gadgetary.com

New Infinity subscribers have the option to get the iPhone 6 (64GB) or the iPhone 6 Plus (16GB) with an additional P5,000 worth of GCs or bill rebates compliments of Smart Infinity starting on their fully consumable Prestige Plan 5000. On the brand's fully consumable Premium Plan 8000, new subscribers can choose to receive two 16GB units of iPhone 6, or an iPhone 6 16GB plus a Macbook Air. New sign-ups at P3,500 pero month, or the Aspire Plan come with a 16GB iPhone 6.

Julie Carceller, Head of the Smart Infinity Business Group at Smart said "The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Pus, the year's most awaited smartphones, truly deserve the VIP welcome from Smart Infinity. Now, our members can enjoy a bigger and better iPhone experience only from the country's biggest mobile network."

VIP Privileges

Those who avail of the new iPhones from Smart Infinity can expect a wide array of perks and privileges unmatched by any other mobile networks. 

• Infinity Relationship Officer. Members have their own account manager, whom they can call directly for any issues related to their Infinity plans. This service is exclusive to Prestige Plan 5000 and Platinum Plan 8000 members only.
• Priority Hotline & Smart Store Service. Members enjoy the privilege of having an exclusive 24/7 dedicated call-in service.
• Smart Infinity Worldwide Concierge. Smart Infinity fulfills both mobile needs and lifestyle needs as well. Members simply call the concierge for dining reservations, gift deliveries, travel bookings, business services and more, here and abroad.
• Smart Infinity Lifestyle App. Access your Smart Infinity services, privileges, account information and international roaming rates with just a touch.

Interested to avail of these amazing privileges and premium membership services? You may contact 848-8806 or infinitysupport@smart.com.ph. You may also visit www.smart.com.ph/infinity.

Community welcomes arrival of clean toilets in “Fiesta” video

It’s a scene typically played out during fiestas: People rushing to the streets, drawn to the sound of a marching band. Everyone is smiling, eager to see the “star” of the celebration. But instead of showing the face of a movie celebrity, a beauty queen or a politician, the video reveals an unlikely, yet welcome sight—a new, clean toilet facility.

Aptly titled “Fiesta”, the Domex video, produced by Unilever Philippines, is available on Youtube and shows how underprivileged Filipinos welcome the “arrival” of clean toilet facilities in their communities. “The video aims to make people realize the value of a toilet which most of us, unfortunately, take for granted,” said Dennis Chua, Domex Brand Manager.

The “Fiesta” video contributes to the efforts of Domex’s One Million Clean Toilets Movement. Each unique view translates into a pledge for the advocacy campaign which collects pledges from households to conscientiously maintain their own hygienic bathrooms. For every pledge received, Domex will donate P5 to UNICEF’s sanitation program, towards improving access to basic sanitation in deprived areas around the world, including the Philippines.

“By watching the ‘Fiesta’ video and asking our friends to watch it, we are not only raising awareness for toilet appreciation and sanitation, more importantly, we are helping less privileged communities gain access to clean toilet facilities,” said Benjie Yap, Unilever Foods and Home Care Vice President.

Clean toilets, germ-free communities

All over the country, people are welcoming the construction of new toilet facilities and the repair of dilapidated ones, since becoming aware of its role in disease prevention, especially among children.

According to the Department of Health, of the estimated 3,420 diarrhea-related deaths among Filipino children under 5 every year, around 2,000 could have been prevented by access to safe water, improved toilet sanitation and personal hygiene.

“This video should serve as a wake-up call for most of us. The little things we take for granted, like having a clean toilet, could mean the world to others and could definitely help save lives,” Chua said.

10th Mindanao Film Festival

On November 7, 2014, Mindanao Film Festival (MFF), one of the longest running independent film festivals in the country has kicked off its 10th year celebration with a press conference held at SushiDito in Davao City. The MFF is an annual event produced by the Mindanao Film and Television Development Foundation, Inc. (MFTDFI) with the support of the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA). This year's theme is Regional Imaginations. Participating film makers will showcase the best of the region. The MFF entries will be screened in three locations : Gaisano Mall of Davao, Tagum, and Toril on December 3 - 9, 2014. Films to be shown this year will be a combination of full length films from Davao City's veteran film makers like Arnel Mardoquio and Bagane Fiola as well as student documentaries, short films, and animated shorts from all over Mindanao.

Participating Filmmakers in the Mindanao Film Festival 2014

During the event, Rudolph Ian Alama, the festival director announced that the opening night feature film will be Adjani Arumpac's "War is a Tender Thing". It is an award-winning documentary of the second-longest running conflict in the world: the Mindanao War. 

Rudolph Ian Alama - Festival Director

The event also served as an orientation for the participating teams to the first Guerrilla Film Making Competition. It is a brand new addition to the competition this year. It is a 24-hour Filmathon among previous Guerrilla Filmmaking Workshop participants. They will be leading a team of five members of which three are professionals and two student film makers. Universities participating in the competition are University of the Philippines Mindanao, Ateneo de Davao University, University of Immaculate Conception, Holy Cross of Davao College, Jose Maria College and University of Mindanao. The teams will only be using Microsft Lumia 1020 smart phones to complete the challenge.

Dax Canedo, one of the founder of MFF talked about  the Guerrilla Filmmaking Competition

For more details and inquiries, please contact:

10th Mindanao Film Festival Secretariat

Mindanao Film and Television Development Foundation, Inc.

Aala Building, Anda Street, Davao City

Tel No.: (082) 225-3456