Hello Muggles! I'm back! :D
It's been a year since I did my blog and I've decided to be back.. again.. and.. again.. It has always been like this lately since there are times that I just don't have enough drive to blog like what I used to before and to be honest, it's exhausting mentally since I've used up my brain for blogging years before. Now, I'm back into this wonderful world of blogging where my job is to write for you guys! :D
I was invited by Dianne Luceñara for a event where it's all about Mediterranean cuisine and this is right up in my alley! I love everything Mediterranean especially Italian and Spanish cuisines! They're my go-to cuisines especially if it's authentically made by a restaurateur who has a vast knowledge about Mediterranean cuisine.
This resto just opened last November 2019 and it's still a baby in this gargantuan world of food but they've already made great impressions with their customers who have dined in this resto. Even Dianne couldn't hold the hype about Red Tomato to which we're also excited about the dishes they would serve us on this special day for bloggers.
They're located at the The Woodlanes, Diversion Road, Davao City. They can be easily seen as it's just on the Diversion Road. :)
Interior photos
The FOOD!!
We've started with the appetizers with Hummus. This appetizer has a chickpeas spread accompanied with small pita breads on the side. If you are into strong flavors, behold, this may not be for your palate BUT if you're an explorer of flavors, this might be your first step! :D
Eating Hummus can be done according to how you eat it but I prefer to spread the chickpeas onto the pita bread and eat them. The flavors are not that strong but it's more subtle that I was able to appreciate how light the flavor is which is actually the right thing since I still had to eat more food thus this was a great start to more meals to come!
You may wonder why this soup is a big deal here in Red Tomato where it's just a Pumpkin Soup! Yes, it's just a Pumpkin Soup but this one is at its own league. If you're in this resto, this is a must order since it has a secret ingredient that they revealed themselves and its the reason why this soup really is a big deal! I don't know if I'll divulge here but I'll describe it anyway. :D
When I tasted this Pumpkin Soup, it's something else that I haven't tasted in other restos! I'm not exaggerating here but really, it felt home when I get sick and I was made to take a sip of Pumpkin Soup that has secret ingredients that made me feel better. It's a hearty soup that I would want to order twice and buy again for me to consume in my room.
If there are Onion Rings, they made their own version which is Onion Fries. They told us that since the crumbs of onion rings would disintegrate from the onions, they made their version which is better in taste and texture thus the Onion Fries was born in existence and I'm here for it!
When I say it tastes better, it does taste better than the onion rings and dipped with its sauce, it's in another level! I would love to have a bowl of this Onion Fries and have it for myself.
Pizza Rottola is literally rolled pizza and it's something new to me since I haven't seen a restaurant doing a rolled pizza (well, I dunno about the other restos) and it's still in the appetizers! It does have its greens, caramelized onions and sausage and what to do is to place them on the pizza and roll them. It's described as a sushi pizza since it's rolled just like a sushi.
Even though this is an appetizer, I would say this would be perfect as a meal itself since I love pizza and Pizza Rottola hit the mark of everything that I love: The thin crust, caramelized onions, the sausage, just everything! I would say, the caramelized onions completed the entire pizza and it's perfect! In fact, we were given another plate of Pizza Rottola like, why not? It's just that delicious!
When I say I love pizzas, I mean it 100 percent and this five cheese pizza topped the bill and exceeded my expectations! Ai Cinque Formaggi is by far, one of the best five cheese pizzas I've tried. The cheeses that are used here are Mozarella, Pecorino, Provolone, Fontina and Gorgonzola. The pizza crust has to be made a night before the actual serving or else there would be no pizza served which we don't want to happen. :D
I've tried different five cheese pizzas here in Davao and so far, they tasted great but THIS has distinction over everybody else. The one cheese they've added which was Gorgonzola was the game changer in this pizza as it gave another dimension of flavors.
The Gorgonzola cheese is like the blue cheese which has a mold thus it has strong flavor and smell that may be overpowering to some people but in this case, this cheese blended beautifully and effectively when it comes to flavor. It countered the tastes of other cheeses to the point where it dominated just a bit but I have no complaints! :D
I love paella and I was happy when this was served to us since I have Spanish heritage and everything that screams Spanish is always a good news to me! Paella Roja is actually "Red Paella" and it's served with egg, chicken, mussels, chorizo bilbao and shrimps.
It's a heavy meal but it's perfect for someone who loves Spanish cuisine! Also, they have Paella Verde and Azul that it's quite interesting and I'm really curious how they look like. Let me say this paella is also delicious and it's like other paellas that I've tried. I would love more spoonfuls of Paella Roja and walk happily like a little kid. :D
Osso Buco is a braised beef shank in tomato sauce with mixed veggies. It had strong flavors which I expected already based on how it looks and this is so perfect for dinner time like I could see myself eating this with my friends and family and share this dish together. For the meat itself, I love how I can slice through the meat easily and as what I've said, it had strong flavors that is up in my alley.
Pasta Cartoccio is a spaghetti with mixed seafood cooked in a tomato cream sauce. I'm a sucker for pasta and anything that is a pasta dish is already in my list. The interesting thing about this pasta dish is it's baked in an oven which is something unusual although I knew few pasta dishes that are baked in an oven but this is something else.
For the flavor wise, I only ate a few of this as I'm so stuffed with so much food in my tummy but this one is also a delicious pasta dish. Pasta Cartoccio is also one of the dish that's up in my list to eat in this resto. It's just that good! The combination of the seafood and the pasta made up for the flavors of the sea for those who love seafood-flavored pasta. As for those who are allergic of seafood, you may eat just the pasta itself and it's still so good! :)
I love lengua and this dish is just so divine! I've never eaten a savory lengua dish that is literally a melt-in-your-mouth dish and up to this day, I'm still amazed on how the lengua in this dish just melted inside my mouth! Lengua con Setas has an ox tongue with mushrooms and olives served with mixed veggies and mashed potatoes.
If we talk about the flavor, it has this savory taste that I usually fall in love with. It had too much olives which is actually the best thing that happened since I love olives so much that I ate a lot of it! No complaints from this side though! The mushrooms are just perfect and the sauce? A big check and the tongue? No more words.. I just said it. Would love to order this one again. ;)
For those who love kebab or has been familiar with it, they also have it here and it's a Beef Kebab. It's a grilled ground beef with tomatoes, onions, bell pepper served with mayo garlic sauce and butter rice. For the taste test though, they didn't serve with rice since we ate a train of dishes already. It's okay though. :)
If you're accustomed to its smell, promise, you'll love it. For those who'll eat this for the first time, it has this pungent smell that is usually familiar to a kebab and don't hesitate to eat it. It's actually savory and juicy which you'll love later on. If you're into it gradually, you'll learn how lovely the dish actually is. This might not be the shredded kebab you're familiar with but the smell and taste makes up for it as it's really similar to a usual kebab you've known for.
AAAANNNDDDD.. Let's talk about this lovely risotto right here as this dish captivated my dear heart! This Risotto Funghi Porcini is made with arborio rice and porcini mushroom and if I say this made me feel like a kid for minutes, it's legit! Actually, cooking a risotto itself is laborious as it has to be continually stirred for twenty minutes with water or wine (depends on the choice of liquid). When this was served to us, it reminded us of comfort food cooked at home which is actually a comfort food! It's like an equivalent of lugaw here in the Philippines.
We had to mix it first then we smelled the risotto and I tell you, the smell itself made me fall in love deeply into the deepest part of the ocean. I was like hypnotized by its wonderful aroma and I couldn't stop myself from it! (It's like a drug or whatever you think of it!) And the exciting part is tasting the risotto and.... There...
I.fell.in.love.much.deeper. My inner kid was fully exploded as I was gushing all over this bowl of risotto with so much gusto and praised the risotto on how it smelled so lovingly, tasted so deliciously that it reminded me of home that someday, someone will cook me a bowl of delicious risotto and would eat heartily like a little kid whose only thing to do is to eat more risotto! The word of mouth at the event was the risotto and couldn't stop mentioning in every second! I couldn't stop myself from it and can't blame me because, everyone agreed how delicious their risotto is! It's that GOOD! Whew!
Here we are in this part where the temptation reigns supreme: Desserts! Well, I love a good dessert but here in Red Tomato, good is not an option. They only serve the best ones! Tiramisu is one of the desserts that has all the flavors that you want to get accustomed first. Why? It is because, this dessert is not all sweet. The sweetness is just part of it.
You see, Tiramisu has coffee in it thus you have to get accustomed of the coffee flavor in it which is bitter and it's why, when you taste it, it has a bit of bitterness BUT don't fret, you'll love this dessert as the sweet and bitter flavors are perfectly integrated with this dessert. I ended up loving Tiramisu more and yes, I would order this dessert in a heartbeat! :D
Here are the other cakes that were served to us.
Too bad, I don't have the names but I could describe the ones that I have tasted. :D
When I hear smores, it is a dessert with graham crackers and marshmallow toasted in an oven. Well, it's turned into a Smores Cake which I was excited to taste! The frosting is thick though but I love thick frosting! When I tasted this cake, it's actually really delicious and to my surprise, it's not overwhelmingly sweet for me. I know my limits on sweetness but this one fitted the bill. If you find this to be too sweet, just eat little bits but if you're a sweet tooth, this will be a great treat!
I'm pretty sure that when I'm seeing something purple, in my mind, it's the Ube Cake and I think I got it right based on how I tasted this cake. But what surprised me is the filling in the middle which it gave a contrast on the sweetness of the ube. Its taste negated the usual sweet filling of the cake which I have no complaints and I usually do like how it controlled the flavor of the cake. I ended up enjoying this cake and the others also loved it! Well, I'm sure my mom will love this too. :D
Here are the other cakes that they've served to us.
I would like to thank Ms. Dianne Luceñara for the invitation to this wonderful event and to the owners and staff of Red Tomato for being such wonderful people around, explaining the food thoroughly to us which we enjoyed listening! I had a great time feasting the gastronomic world of Mediterranean cuisine which I will cherish for a lifetime! If given a chance, I would love to be back again and eat the risotto with the bowl all by myself. No regrets. :D
Thanks for reading guys!
Until the next food adventure! ;)
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