Sooo Pinoy in Davao City at Patok sa Manok

Even though I know we will be visiting 6-7 restaurants in a day, I can't help to have a heavy breakfast especially in one which serves this mouth-watering lechon manok. These were so juicy inside-out, with the skin, cholesteroliffic as it may seem was a big hit, as everyone went scrambling to have a piece Our third day in Davao City commenced in an almost 30-year old restaurant that started with only a singular item - roasted chicken. "We are are the first lechon manok in Davao." says owner Lena Benedicto."During the peak time then we can sell as much 50 lechon manok an hour". The locals were so gastronomically engrossed that we really lived up to our name - Patok sa Manok!

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, Bora cay 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.

I was expecting to be in an al fresco, grill restaurant but was really surprised to be in an air-conditioned tur-turo that can seat hundreds of patrons and more in their functions rooms for private gatherings just like ours. That's where the Sooo Pinoy Foodie Team gathered and did our thing - taking photos, interviews, taste test and had breakfast. Patok sa Manok served us a breakfast consisting of Dabawenyo cuisine and of course their specialties.

One of the first to catch my attention was this Adobong Buntot ng Bariles (tuna) with that distinct tuna aroma and taste. It was so big it almost occupied the whole pan.

Then there's Kalderetang Kambing - saucy, soft and flavourful they say. I passed on this despite my hunger,

Again there's tuna but in Kinilaw form which is a staple in almost all Davao restaurants and food joints.

The Fried Liempo looked very appetizing because of its almost chicharon like skin and indeed it was delicious.

I also liked the saucy Pancit Canton which had very generous amount of sahog - almost a complete meal it self.

Even the Pork Barbecue sport the trademark Patok sa Manok timpla for the marinade making it as delicious as well.

A surprising item on the menu which at first I thought to be just any fried meat like chicken cordon bleu turned out to be a Seafood Roll. It was a light fried item with every bite, you'll have vegetables (they're still fresh), crabrolls and others. A very "refreshing" fried dish - ironically.

Despite being Goat Kinilaw, I still tried this dish because it was appetizing to look at and the aroma was just too enticing.

And now the Spare Ribs swimming in savoury sauce - need I say more? Yes, and it's very delicious!

And here are Squid in Sambal Sauce. Sambal is a condiment that is chili-based. Typically made from a variety of chili peppers, it is sometimes a substitute for fresh chilis and can be extremely spicy for the uninitiated. Some ready-made sambals are available at exotic food markets or gourmet departments in supermarkets in many countries.(Wikipedia)

And finally desserts! I thought we would never get to this point as Patok sa Manok simply gave us a breakfast fiesta. And we also feasted on their leche flan and turon which were so indulgent that i had more than one serving of these two (and I won't tell how many). Indeed it was a delectable ending to our gastronomic stint and I just remembered this was just breakfast and we have 5-6 restaurants to go after. it was a breakfast Sooo Patok, Sooo Pinoy!

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

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?"

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.

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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