Soothing breeze. Relaxing atmosphere. Sumptuous food.
This is how I would imagine Gardena Fresca Garden Pond & Grill before we visited their place. After months of fickle-minded decisions, we finally dropped by the restaurant last week.
The place offered an al fresca dining experience, with the restaurant sitting at the center of a garden paradise. It reminds me of Eden Nature Park, although smaller and cozier. Unfortunately, its strongest edge also proved to be its slight downfall. We were disturbed by a few insects and fruit flies while eating.
When we asked the waiter for their specialty, he gallantly said, “Adobong Tahong”. While we were not seafood lovers, we reluctantly tried the shells. To be safe, we also ordered Grilled Spare Ribs and Sevilla Chicken.
As it turned out, we both loved their Adobong Tahong! Each shell was coated with sticky and mouth-watering adobo sauce. I could tell the freshness of the mussels, based on the aroma and sweetness of the meat. At P85 fit for two persons, this was a surefire winner.
The Grilled Spare Ribs was tender and succulent. Its flavor is similar to pork barbecue, which is great but not as memorable as Davao Ranchero Grill‘s Baby Back Ribs. It also paled in comparison to the superb mussels.
With all of the great things we have come to love about Gardena Fresca, it’s sad to say that the service was a downer. When we arrived, only about 40% of the seating capacity was filled. Despite this, our orders took too long to be served. We resorted to canceling our order for Sevilla Chicken, because it practically never came. Our bill also took an excruciating length of time to be issued. Gardena Fresca’s unique dining experience would all go to waste, if clients would be discouraged just because of crappy service.
Overall, Gardena Fresca offers a welcome departure from the city confines to serve delicious fresh food in the midst of nature.
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Gardena Fresca Garden Pond & Grill
114 Morales Compound, Morales Village, Matina, Davao City
Phone (082) 297-4628
Sobrang sarap ng tahong nila dito. Hindi naman masyado matagal yung orders namin nung pumunta kami, pero medyo may mga insects nga. Bago ka sumubo, tingnan mo muna pagkain mo kasi baka may nakapatong na insect! Hehe!
daming lamohk!
hi!
ask lang…
pwede ba jan magheld ng celebs like bday parties, bebut, etc.?
if pwede, kindly tell me kung mgkano???
Hi Jin. There was a party (christening, I think) when we visited the place. You might want to call them up, through the number listed above, for more details.
Thanks for dropping by DavaoBase!
I dont mind much on the waiting, i think what’s best with the place is the ambience and the food.
i can’t be distracted if food comes a few minutes longer than the average time an order is expected as long as one’s gastronomic expectations is satisfied to the fullest.
the grilled spare ribs and sevilla’s chicken is a must taste for any one who’s had a round of these type of food in Davao.
As to the mosquitoes, we must have been lucky enough over the number of times we’ve been there that we weren’t pestered by these insects.
if your looking for relaxed ambience in a garden setting in the middle of the city, this is the ‘must go to place’ in Davao!
i agree with you.. for me this is the most relaxing place.. ung tahong super sarap.. about the mosquitoes.. so far
wala naman akong kagat kahit naka shorts lang ako non kumain kami don..
Can i have the pricelist of your full menu.. thanks a lot. Business hour pls?
Gardena Fresca will be serving snacks starting March 18, 2011 from 10am until 9pm. Check it out guys. See you there!!!!!!
binbaha ba dito kung uulan ng malakas?
Nag.heheld ba ng debut party ang Gardena Fresca? May limit ba sa no. of guest?
Thanks for this informative post.. though i think mussel is tahong while oysters are talaba..
Thanks for pointing this out, ran! 🙂