after 5 and a half years, our website has undergone a major facelift. still no flash or other moving stuff, so ipad fanboys and fangirls, you are not missing much. hehe! we like that it is brighter and more food centric, as it should be, because we have awesome food. and it pays tribute to the best wait and kitchen staff on the planet.

we owe this change to the best and most awesome photogs on the planet, jojie alcantara, rhonson ng, joyce mariscal, bogs san juan and arthur yap for the almost ad-hoc photo session! the end result can be found here and here we had no choice but to raise the bar a bit. many thanks once again!!!

We just wanted to pass along the latest food and wine pairing article from Cork’d. Please feel free to share this with your readers – some really solid advice to follow for planning your next meal!

I was recently out to eat at a restaurant in downtown New York City that inspired this piece. While the name of the establishment will remain nameless, I’ve noticed this particular restaurant’s downfall becoming a trend, sweeping across both Manhattan and the nation as a whole. The issue that I’ve experienced is with the pricing and quality of wine lists that are completely out of line with the pricing and offerings from a kitchen. The following description of incongruity between food and wine is not unique to restaurants. This same principal should be applied when preparing a meal at home…
My friend and I showed up for dinner decked out in our finest jeans, t-shirts and sneakers. A casual spot, we were led to our table by an unkempt, disheveled looking teenager and presented menus and a wine list. For food, we had an assortment of gourmet dishes to choose from, including a “chicken cutlet sandwich” and a “cheeseburger with sweet fries”. Nope, these were not kids menus.
After a quick dinner menu perusal, I flipped open the wine list. With over 150 wines by the bottle and 20 wines by the glass, there was a major French influence to the list. The least expensive by the glass pour was a Loire Valley Saumur – priced at $11 per glass. By the bottle there were verticals of Dom Perignon and Opus One. Suddenly I asked myself, “should I be wearing a collared shirt?”
You wouldn’t serve Beluga Caviar with Lay’s potato chips for scooping, would you?
For that very same reason, you shouldn’t serve a bottle of 1990 Dom Perignon alongside Popcorn. The two may complement each other. In fact, the two might even enhance one another. Like your Uncle Charlie who always seems to have a gas-attack when company is around; it’s funny, it might even work in the right situation, but it’s just plain inappropriate… read the rest on Cork’d

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For those of you contemplating on going into the bar and/or restaurant business or are already in it and wondering where the profits are going, this article by Martin of LIP is an invaluable checklist of dos and don’ts, and may save you some cash in the long run. A definite must read.

Here at the ‘ole Avenue S, we like to celebrate the smallest of achievements as we do large scale ones.

This week, join us as we celebrate. . . . . .

tadaaaa!!!

What say you??? Join us as we bid farewell to old, ratty seat-covers and say hi to shiny new ones installed by our very own in-house upholstery team. . .total savings of 85%!!!!

For a limited time, do-it-yourself consultation is “free” with drink and meal purchase. See you soonest

Here are some of our thoughts on this subject as published in the business section of a popular Davao based Blog called LIP

The old adage “location, location, location” certainly holds true in our case. Four and a half years ago, we opened our little bar/restaurant operation in the remote, suburban North part of Davao City.

While the initial buzz of a new place brought people in in droves, eventually, the crowd reverted back to hanging out closer to home or closer to the downtown area, in big-box entertainment venues and other areas where clusters of similar establishments already existed – to see and be seen, so to speak.

It was not an easy task going against other flashier, better funded establishments.

Four and a half years later, with the transformation of this part of the city running at full speed, we’re finding that we’re not as stretched. The new malls (new or under construction), major IT hub across the street, new restaurants and hotels, not to mention, the McDo within crawling distance (that hot caramel sundae sure sounds good after a half-a-case of San Mig Lights, haha!), certainly help in increasing visibility.

But what kept us alive in these last four years was primarily sticking to our plan of offering a nice, comfortable place to unwind and hang out, a cozy atmosphere – not too trendy (we have a new air-con btw) haha! And making the customer feel right at home.

It’s a good business to venture into if you enjoy a constant challenge, which can mean it’s not for everyone.

It’s also highly competitive, especially in a burgeoning market like Davao. You have to enjoy working long nights and enjoy what you do (a lot!).

Thanks to Martin for the fine article and to Bob for a wonderful website.