Look at the crabs! They seem to be calling your name for you to devour them. One our last day in Davao City, no, we didn't go back for another crabs buffet but crabs greeted us when we arrived at Chippens Buffet Restaurant. I thought we were at the wrong place for the place was fancy for a buffet but indeed we were at the right place. And then we began another gastronomic adventure ...
I was part of Sooo Pinoy, Food Trip na Pilipinas! which is set to visit 300 restaurants in 10 key regions/areas 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.
Chippens is among the most popular buffet places in Davao City and named after one of the owners' sons. Its a catering business that gave birth to this buffet restaurant as the familyis one of the best caterers in town. As we arrived after the lunch hour, meryenda specialties at Chippens welcome us.
The quintessential Pinoy combo of dinugan at puto was first to greet us. And even though we were still full from the previous gastronomic engagment, I personally can't help but take a cup of this this pig's blood stew and a piece, not two pieces, of their puto and enjoyed the cupful of black with a bite of white.
As if trying to call us from afar was this appetizing Pancit Palabok. I heard it is among the best sellers of the catering that patrons of the buffet restaurant looks for them that eventually became a staple. After some tasting portions of this meryenda noodles, I could eat even eat the pancit with sauce only. It was truly delectable, forkful after forkful.
That made me stomach full to almost full capacity that I only took just a piece of their Pork Adobo.I trooped down to their buffet spread and saw this Glazed Pork slices in one of the trays. Instinctively, I got one small slice and enjoyed every bite of it.
But these crabs were the star of the early afternoon food trip as everybody crowded to have their photos taken. And immediately after they just disappeared - some of us ended more busog than the usual, I guess.
Finally, to cap our delicious visit at Chippens Buffet Restaurant, our already "full capacity" tummies were again tempted by a delicious looking buko-pandan. And most of us gave in to temptation but just enough to prevent us from bursting all over the place as we just shared servings of this luscious buko pandan. Indeed Chippens had us all bursting with with gastronomic delights that one fine afternoon...
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
DAY 1: Round up | Dencio's Kamayan | Grand Regal Hotel | Barbeque Boss
DAY 2: Round up | Probinsya | Ahfat Seafoods Plaza | D'Leonor Hotel | The 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 | Kusineros | Glamour Crabs Buffet | Tiny Kitchen | Pansititoy | Kookel's
DAY 5: Round up | Harana | Penong's | Chippen's | Yellow Fin | Fiesta Dabaw