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Sooo Pinoy in Davao City at Flyover Ihaw-Ihaw


It was a feast of Davao delights and specialties as we ended our second night at Flyover Ihaw-Ihaw. Conceived almost 20 years ago, the restaurant aims to impart delectable savory food at the same time generating employment for economic progress. Its main specialties are the chicken and pork barbecues thus the "ihaw-ihaw". An open kitchen greeted the Sooo Pinoy foodie team when we went in and there was a rhythmic gastronomic chaos as the cooks were all busy preparing orders here and there. 
I was part of Sooo Pinoy, Food Trip na Pilipinas! which is set to visit 300 restaurants in 10 key regions/areas in 10 months all over the Philippines. Davao is the 4th food stop after Iloilo, Boracay and Cebu that started last March. The goal of the Food Trip is to show that Filipino dishes per region have different identities based on the culture, lifestyle and history of the area.  The Food Trip also aims to show that there are many Filipino recipes from different regions of the Philippines, each having its own specialty that has to be recognized for the unique flavor it adds to the Filipino Cuisine.
The "grillery" was on the other side of the open kitchen and I didn't brave because there was plenty of smoke coming out. I even smelled like barbecue that very moment. Then their specialties came - chicken and pork barbecue and it was time to do our "work". Even with all mixture of aroma through the restaurant (from the smoke and kitchen), the aroma of the two barbecues stood out - appetizingly. Even more with each bite as they oozed with flavour and their respective juices as they may look somewhat burnt outside, inside the juices were still "packed in".
And the staple of our Davao food trip - grilled bihod. As tuna is abundant in the area, the roe from this fish are part of the Dabawenyo food culture and cooking it over the grill is among the many ways of serving bihod.
And now comes the sizzling specialties and another always present on the Sooo Pinoy table was bagaybay - the male counterpart of bihod. This time the even those who have second thoughts about bagaybay would have been tempted as even just the sauce was savoury enough to mask the gooey texture of this tuna fish "insider".
Those who weren't into bagaybay, had this mix of sizzling seafood - clams, shrimps and squid among others. It had the more familiar ingredients in a melange sooo good, it outright disappeared in front of me (naubusan yata ako-lol).
Good thing the sizzling sisig was on the other side out of anybody's reach so I savoured every forkful of it.
A bowl of piping hot bulalo was placed beside me and it was one the evening's gastronomic highlights for me. Even in its simplicity, I really like the flavourful broth and the tender meat that almost comes rioght of the bone though the photo might not show it. 
Another specialty was the Ox Tail Kare-Kare to which everybody devoured with gusto. It had indulgent (creamy at the same time oily sauce) but it was sooo good with bago-ong and rice. I also enjoyed the "cartilagenous" ox tails and pata that got my lips sticky almost all night.
We also had chop suey with seafood that completed the specialties Flyover Ihaw-Ihaw has to offer the Dabawenyos and for visitors, in our case then. Just looking back at this awesome spread of the restaurant specialties, I can't help but reminisce all the wonderful dinner we had at Flyover Ihaw-Ihaw in Davao.


FLY OVER IHAW-IHAW
Buhangin, Davao City, Davao Del Sur, Philippines 
Phone: +63(82)2271156


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

DAY 1: Round up | Dencio's Kamayan | Grand Regal Hotel | Barbeque Boss
DAY 2: Round up | Probinsya | Ahfat Seafoods Plaza | D'Leonor HotelThe Ritz at Garden Oases | E.Y.'s Tuna | Flyover Ihaw-Ihaw
DAY 3: Round up | Patok sa Manok | Marina Tuna | Waterfront Insular Hotel |  Paradise Island Park | Garden by the Bay Resort | Taklobo at Jack's Ridge
DAY 4: Round up | Kusina Selera | Binggoy's Lounge | KusinerosGlamour Crabs Buffet | Tiny Kitchen | Pansititoy | Kookel's
DAY 5: Round up | Harana | Penong's | Chippen's | Yellow Fin | Fiesta Dabaw

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