An epic Davao food trip with Sooo Pinoy

An epic Davao food trip with Sooo Pinoy - Day 1

Mention Davao and an image of durian comes to mind. There’s also tuna and a lot of assorted barbecue. But there is really more than the king of fruits or tuna in this city as I have recently discovered. Last June, I embarked on a gastronomic journey of epic proportions in Davao with the Sooo Pinoy, Food Trip Na Pilipinas.

This campaign by Unilever Food Solutions aims to show that Filipino dishes per region have different identities based on the culture, lifestyle and history of the place. Davao City is the fourth stop (after Iloilo, Boracay and Cebu) of this food trip around the Philippines and as a melting pot of religion and culture, there is surely a lot to discover in this part of the country.

MY FIRST TIME IN DAVAO

It was my first time in Davao City and my second on the island of Mindanao (travelled to Cabadbaran through Butuan City via Cagayan de Oro almost five years ago). Good thing Cebu Pacific now has direct Iloilo-Davao (v.v) flights in the morning while Airphil Express in the evening. I arrived around 20 minutes earlier than the rest of the Sooo Pinoy contingent (from Manila) so I just waited at the arrival lobby.

My “home away from home” during the food trip was the Microtel Inn and Suites in Lanang – a bustling district built around some BPO centers, if I’m not mistaken. The location is great as everything was just within reach – banks, groceries, restaurants, service shops, etc. A humongous mall – SM Premiere Lanang, is set to open very soon.

And I really loved my room – big bed, large closet, a personal ref, a window side “lounge”, and big bathroom – all to myself. I enjoyed having a nightly “spa” turning on the hot water faucet for that effect and snuggling under the triple-blanket cover.

THE YELLOW BRIGADE

Donning our uniform, we had a courtesy call with Mayor Inday Sara Duterte at the Davo City before we started our epic food trip. I just love how the Davaoeños refer to their mayor as “Inday Sara”. Even on TV, captions are always “Mayor Inday Sara Duterte”.

Despite her infamous moves ala Pacman months ago, she was amiable to her constituents. As we were waiting in line to have our courtesy call, she was entertaining various problems of various people and providing solutions upfront.

The Sooo Pinoy Team with Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte

DENCIO'S KAMAYAN

My gastronomic baptism on Davao cuisine started with the grilled specialties of Dencio's Kamayan. We satisfied ourselves with the perfectly charbroiled and delectable Ribs Espesyal, Chicken Barbecue and Sizzling Sisig. It was the ribs that left a mark in my taste buds that I’ll surely have them on the table if ever I’ll be back. Read More about Dencio’s Kamayan.

THE GRAND REGAL HOTEL DAVAO

Over at The Grand Regal Hotel, which is home to a PAGCOR Casino, we then sampled Dinakdakan (crunchy pork meat smothered with mayonnaise and pig’s brain), Fiesta Pompano and Crabs in Coconut Milk and Chili Sardine Sauce. The latter proved to be the most interesting for usually “ginisang sardinas” and “hotels” don’t usually come in one sentence. Read More about The Grand Regal Hotel.

BARBEQUE BOSS

Our day ended with dinner at Barbeque Boss where we had assorted steaks, Grilled Bangus Stuffed with Salted Egg and the specialty of the house – Pork Barbecue! I was really curious about the bangus for it’s the first time I’ve tried one but for a restaurant (of this set up) to sell their pork barbecue (their specialty) for only 6 pesos apiece – now that’s really interesting. But you’ll have to have a minimum order of 5 pieces. Read More about Barbeque Boss.

So Day 1 of our epic Davao food trip with Sooo Pinoy has just ended and what more Day 2 would bring. See you “tomorrow” …

Filipinos are encouraged to join and support the Sooo Pinoy movement, a partnership between Unilever Food Solutions and the Department of Tourism, and go on a gastronomic adventure that both fills the stomach and enriches our awareness of our own identity. To know more about the campaign, food lovers are invited to like the Sooo Pinoy page on Facebook and follow @SoooPinoy on Twitter

Sooo Pinoy Epic DAVAO Food Trip: June 25-29, 2012

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