In recent years, there has been a rise in hole-in-the-wall restaurants and cozy, unpretentious establishments in the culinary scene of Davao City. This is a beautiful concept, merging the new generation of dining with the classic “labas ng bahay”/”carinderia” style of eating. There is beauty in unpretentious and simple dining, and this is what Blk.21 Cafe’s charm is.
Nestled inside Guadalupe Village in Lanang, Blk21 Cafe provides a welcoming backyard space for adventurous foodies seeking comforting meals away from home. It’s an al fresco setup, seating around 20 to 30 diners, capturing the essence of traditional Filipino backyard dining while serving a diverse menu that takes you on a culinary journey across Asia.
Dining at Blk21 Cafe reminded me of a food documentary I watched about Singapore’s hawker centers. The secret behind its success is that the Hawker Center’s food stalls specialized in a single dish that has been perfected over time. Similar to Blk21 Cafe, it offers a limited yet curated menu that they have progressively worked to perfection over the years. Though significantly new, which I assume started in 2021, their Laksa has been hailed as one of the best (if not the best) in Davao City.
For people in Davao, this has been the go-to spot for a bowl of this rich and flavorful Southeast Asian soup. Though Laksa is an uncommon dish in the Philippines, people who have traveled and tasted authentic laksa say that Blk21 offers the closest experience to the real deal. Laksa is a hearty soup of shrimp and coconut-milk based soup that packs a satisfying level of heat.
They are also well-known for their takoyaki and chimichangas. While the menu may not follow a specific theme, Blk21 has carved out a solid reputation in Davao with these items when searching for these dishes in the city.
Menu
Food Review
Laksa is a flavor profile that is entirely new to my palate. As someone who enjoys exploring different cuisines, I find that venturing beyond familiar dishes such as Filipino, Chinese and American food, can lead to exciting culinary discoveries. Laksa, for instance, is a complex flavor which can be appreciated through repeat exposures and opens a new gateway of new flavor experience for anyone willing to step outside their comfort zone with regards to food.
Supreme Laksa Noodle Soup – 9.5
One of the things you would need to know if you want to try laksa is that this dish has allergen ingredients to it. The broth is made out of seafood, particularly shrimp to make a rich seafood stock. The dish contains seafood balls such as fish tofu, sea urchin balls, and lobster balls to name a few and it also has eggs.
That said, it is a pot of hearty seafood soup but will require taking antihistamine. It’s a roulette whether your allergy will trigger this time or not. Their supreme laksa noodle soup is amazingly big for a solo bowl at P280. It is sufficient and can be shared by two people. The broth has a rich flavor of coconut milk tempering the spiciness of the broth. I expected the broth to be spicier due to its very bright orange color, but the spice level is very tempered. I personally preferred to have more heat in it. The noodles are thick and filling and were prepared al dente, giving a perfect bite. It is also topped with some bean sprouts that were blanched perfectly to add some crunchy texture.
It has a good selection of balls. One of the balls they added to the dish is the one that explodes with cheese inside, which is a nice flavor. The tofu used is also firm. One of the downsides, however, is that it lacks noodles. It’s a heavy yet comforting dish. Though it is a seafood soup, it’s not fishy because of the spices used that mask it, yet the herbs and spice are balanced in that one herb doesn’t supersede in flavor against the other.
Octobits Takoyaki – 9.5
For four pieces of perfectly sized takoyaki balls, P99 is a price I am willing to pay just to munch on this umami and flavorful takoyaki. It has a flavorful batter and has a softness that melts in your mouth. It doesn’t have any vegetables, just generous bits of octopus. The cheese topping as well is very generous yet doesn’t overpower the takoyaki but just enough to complement and bring a layer of saltiness to the dish. The katsubushi flakes are also a layer of flavor adding umami and sea flavor to the dish. This is well balanced by the sauce that has a smoky, tangy, and barbecue like flavor. The only downside comes to personal preference wherein I like my takoyaki balls having firmness to the bite.
Chimichangas – 6
One Chimichanga, which is sliced into two, is priced at P150. Being centered in Asian food, they jumped to a far-off cuisine of Tex-Mex dish with their chimichanga. It is one of their best sellers and one they are known for, but I did not like it that much. Chimichangas are deep fried burritos that has a similar flavor profile to a Filipino empanada.
Their Chimichanga version has a really good pita or tortilla texture as it is flaky and crusty like a croissant. It is divine to munch on. However, the detraction to this food is due to its flavor and its dryness. It lacked some salsa or beans to it. Though, it was very meaty, the flavor is a little bland. It could use some salsa or tomatoes for the acidity to cut the fat and greasiness of the meat. This dish is a good selection for those who are not in the mood for trying an unfamiliar cuisine.
Drinks
Strawberry Hibiscus – 6
Strawberry Hibiscus is a thirst quencher drink that had a lot of potential but fell short. It is a good option for those who avoid artificial drinks. It is also an iced tea drink that is not from a powder mix and tastes like coming from a tea bag. The downfall of this drink is that it felt it was not steeped too long for the flavor to mix well with the water. It also lacked the sweetness for an iced tea.
Mo’s Strawberries and Cream – 9
Their version of strawberry milk drink is something I’ll highly recommend unless you don’t enjoy strawberries or is lactose intolerant. Their milk drink despite it being milk based is light to the tummy. It is sweet but not saccharine which is a delight because it has a good balance of flavor. It also had good chunks of strawberry. It did leave a little artificial strawberry flavoring though which I dislike. It was not as ice cold and demerits the refreshing factor.
Restaurant Rating
Food:
We tried almost everything on their menu when it comes to their meals and can attest that although this restaurant is small and has a humble space, they serve really good food that they try to consistently perfect. Their laksa is one of the best I’ve tried though not too spicy. Though only little selection, generally most of their food is great.
Value for money:
Their food isn’t as expensive and provides a generous amount of serving. Their food is also great and of quality.
Location:
Their location is within a Subdivision and is a little difficult to go to if you don’t have a car. It doesn’t have that many tricycles, and you would have to walk from the main highway inside the subdivision to reach their location.
It is also small, hot, and humid because they don’t have any air conditioning. They also don’t have that many electric fans and it would be really helpful if they add more to give an enjoyable experience to their diners, especially as the food they serve is hot and spicy soup.
Overall, the aesthetics are okay.
Service:
Generally, good service. Just lacked some electric fans and proper heat circulation.
Variety:
They only have a really small selection so if you are someone who got invited and have an allergy, you are left with very few options.
Recommendations
Recommended Food – Supreme Laksa, Octobits Takoyaki, Mo’s Strawberries and Cream
Information
- Payment Method: Cash, Gcash
- Budget: P300-P700 for 2 pax
- Type: Asian, Singaporean
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/blk21cafedavao
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