If you are in Davao City, and missing the best of NYC that you might have left behind, then Kopi 82 is the place to go. Just like the writing on the wall says, they have coffee, beer (Heineken on draft, only, by the half-pint), and wine (in the form of at least one good looking Merlot). If the wine is anything like the rest of my meal, with which the ice water came without me asking, it's all worth the trip & then some. When I go somewhere new, I like to order the most basic things I can, because when you get the basics delivered right, the possibilities for what dreams may come expand exponentially. And my dreams have not been disappointed! The spaghetti with beefy meatballs was done just right. Look at that closeup. Fresh tomatoes (NOT catsup), olive oil, fresh spices, and real grated parmesan cheese (which I know from experience is nearly impossible, and fairly expensive to do here in the PH). The bread you see riding on top of it all was dead-on focaccia that was ideal for soaking up the gravy that the pasta & meatballs left behind. Nothing was out of balance. And the chocolate cake wasn't just a pretty sculpture sitting on a plate, it was a chocolate explosion with little grace notes of chocolate chips just waiting to happen. I almost left my spaghetti in the bowl when I tasted a bit of the cake after moving it into landscape perspective from the portrait position in which it was severed. In all honesty, it was hard to wait until I had the last of the gravy down. This is a place where folks know what they're doing (and have stack of aging glamour mags on track to support their mystique). The decor, the music, and the service are all calming, cool, and just laid back enough to make you forget your in the tropics & make you think your in the best bistro that New York, Rome, Paris, or any other culinary hotspot in the world could offer you. So if you are in Davao for any reason at all, stop in & you just might find me here... because when you take a vacation with KasoyTuba.com, this place will be on your all-inclusive land package tour & even when I'm not leading your tour, I plan to make this a regular stop on my daily travels through this "City of Paradise" that is my new home. I hope to see you here, and I hope to see you soon! read more