Sooo Pinoy in Davao City at D' Leonor Hotel

Right after lunch, we proceeded to our next destination - D' Leonor Hotel. It was just supposed to be just outside the Victoria Plaza Complex but we went farther and further that we got lost. But that was a blessing in disguise it provided us time to rest our stomachs for our next gastronomic (mis)adventure.

The D' Leonor Hotel along JP Laurel Avenue in Davao City is just one of the many properties having the D' Leonor brand. There's an inland resort and a beach resort among others - our van went to the inland resort which was almost "a world away". But after around 40 minutes of having an unplanned tour of Davao City, we finally came back to almost where we started. It would have taken just a 5-minute walk.

While the owner and manager of the hotel were giving the 101’s about the hotel (Conveniently located in the heart of Davao City, has almost 40 spacious rooms having 5 different categories, free wi-fi, some rooms have even two bathrooms, amenities like mini bars, microwave oven, etc), the sight of their specialty was a distraction I cannot turn my eyes away from.

D’ Leonor Hotel gave samplers of their Special Roasted Chicken with Napoli Sauce, which even if we just had lunch, we were already salivating as we took turns getting its photo. It tasted as good as it looked - the chicken was tasty even with out the sauce. But it was really the sauce that made it more delectable. No wonder it is among the hotel's signature offerings - it may just be "roasted chicken" but it was a really special one!

The Fiesta Lapu-Lapu came next and it had crisp fillets mixed with assorted veggies. I just love the combination of the perfectly fried lapu-lapu "fillets" softened and flavoured with the garnish. I could have asked for rice then ...

Finally dessert and D' Leonor Hotel's leche flan with lemon zest was quite good – or maybe it was the fact it was of different taste - still the same good ol' leche flan flavour with a lemon twist. Nonetheless, it was it made up for our “lost gastronomy”.

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

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

A native (foods) welcome in Guimaras

Even after having breakfast less than an hour that time, we couldn't say no to this lot of native delciacies that welcomed us in Guimaras. First and foremost, Guimaras best known produce is their sweet mango famous almost worldwide. And it comes with it's best partner, ibos. This brown baye-baye variety is made from toasted rice thus giving it a more disctinct flavour compared to it's more "caucasian" cousin. I like the one wrapped in banana leaves compared with the one in plastic for it gives it a more native feel. So when you're in Guimaras, be sure to check out the markets for these native delicacies that can make your trip more gastronomically satisfying.

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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