Sooo Pinoy in Davao at Taklobo Restaurant at Jack's Ridge

A perfect ending to our third day of gastronomic discovery of Davao City, we went high up the mountainous part of the city referred to as Jack's Ridge. The land on which Jack's Ridge now stand once formed part of the headquarter of the retreating Japanese forces towards the end of the World War II. The Americans had landed in Davao on May 1, 1945, forcing the Japanese to beat a path to Matina Hills where they had a commanding view of the Davao Gulf where the American ships were anchored. (Source)

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, 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.

Taklobo is the main restaurant at Jack Ridge's and gives diners a breathtaking view of Davao City - day or night. As the resto's logo suggests, taklobo are giant clams that inhabits the depoths of the seas around the country. It offers Dabawenyo cuisine among others and it was what we came for during this Sooo Pinoy food tour.

How about this succulent sizzling pusit stuffed with spices?

Or the camaron rebosado which started our gastronomic night over the hills of Davao City.

But I really loved the seafood supreme - a medley of shrimps, crabs, squid and shells all embraced by a tamed bur appetizing creme sauce.

And despite our tuna overload within the last 3 days in Davao, Taklobo's grilled tuna tasted heavenly - not that were nearer the heavens then. It was seasoned and grilled almost perfect that no need to dip it in a sawsawan.

Finally, closing that night of gastronomy was leche flan but unmistakbly the aroma alone proved it wasn't just the usual leche flan. It's infused with Davao City's signature fruit - durian. It made this sweet Pinoy dessert more than the usual with a twist that is very Dabawenyo!

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

Adobong Pusit

Adobong Pusit or lukos is among the most popular ways of cooking squid. It combines the Pinoys favorite way of cooking - adobo , with one of the most delicious bounty of the sea. For some, the blackness of the dish is a sort of turn-off but to those who have discovered the gastronomic delights of this cooking; it's a taste of heaven - on a plate with hot rice! Here's a simple recipe for Adobong Pusit Ingredients Squid, "gutted" and cleaned Vinegar Soy Sauce Laurel (Bay leaves) Garlic, crushed Onion, sliced Chili Salt Pepper Oil Procedure Wash and drain the squid. Remember to remove the membrane - that sort of bony inside. In a pan, place the squid at the bottom then add garlic, chili and onions. Pour in vinegar and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Boil until the squid is cooked. Pour oil over the cooked squid and mix before serving. You can also separate the ink sauce and give the squid a sort of toasting in oil before mixing...

A tinapay called MONAY

Monay is a well-known Filipino bread and based on Wikipedia , it's the Filipinized version of the Spanish bread pan de monja or bread of the monks . I had to laugh it out upon reading that entry from Wiki. Coming from Western Visayas in which monay is more than a bread based on local dialect, it's hard not to. And here's why... A post from PinoyExchange forum "I had this funny experience a few years back when I was in Aklan. I bought a homemade peanut butter and I was craving to eat it so I immediately ran to a nearby bakery with a friend to buy some bread. I was hoping to buy pandesal but I saw this large "monay" and I said to the tindera " Miss magkano ang hot monay mo ?" My friend suddenly laughed and so did the tindera. I repeated it saying " Yan monay mo nga miss kung magkano and bibilhin ko ." They again laughed and I was left wondering why. Then on our way back with my "hot monay" I asked my friend why did they laughed...

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

Easy Century Tuna Recipes

If you're looking for simple, easy and delicious Century Tuna recipes online, congratulations, you've found it right here! How about spicy tuna sisig or tuna sinigang ? Maybe stir fried tuna with pickles or just yang chow fried rice . I love Century Tuna from its flakes in oil variety, the spicier the better, but when I discovered the versatility of its solid variant, it became an obsession. At first I was just into the usual tested recipes; pasta and sandwich filling, but then it got simpler – I just eat it straight from the can! Usually with a piece of bread or an apple. I just add a few drops of vinegar to spice it up a bit. Then came the experiments. Yup I got tired of that habit that one day, I decided to test my skills in the kitchen. Serendipity, you might call it yet most of them turned into good recipes that I have shared now and then. Satisfying my Palabok cravings had me experiment on this recipe on the spot. With Century Tuna in lieu of the us...

Ube brazo de mercedes from Lapaz Bakeshop

It was just an impromptu food trip in and around Lapaz market a few months ago when I discovered this ube brazo de mercedes from the Lapaz Bakeshop. I got to taste and take home this ube dessert that later on became a staple at home. Lapaz Bakeshop sits on the corner of Tinda Lapaz right across Grand Dame Hotel. A restaurant named Lapaz Kitchenette was the previous locator of the space and it was famous for it's PhP59 buffet . The bakeshop is among the bigger "small town" bakeshops in the city with it's wide range of breads, pastries and cakes plus shorts snack items. It even has branches in some towns in Iloilo including one in my hometown, Sta. Barbara. It was a quick side trip made by Sir Eugene that time that introduced me to this ube variant of brazos. He bought a few slices of this dessert and brought it inside Madge Cafe inside the market. It was perfect with the cafe's native coffee and the filling is somewhat like ube halaya. The meringue is jus...

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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