Sooo Pinoy in Davao City at Binggoy's Lounge

Aside from durian, another fruit that brings Davao to mind is pomelo or suha and for the Ilonggos, it is known as kabugaw. And the Pomelo-Seafood Salad was a fitting appetizer that welcome us to our next food trip destination - Binggoy's Lounge located at the Villa Margarita Hotel. The cozy restaurant served us local Dabawenyo specialties that excited our palates and certainly satisfied our cravings.

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.

After the very appetizing Pomelo-seafood salad, it was another salad that gave us another chance to look at tuna. The tuna jaw meat salad was a simple mix of greens, onions, tomato and shredded tuna panga - all drizzled in Caesar dressing. A totally healthy salad!

Another appetizer was next in the gastronomic line up - Davao Wow Kinilaw. A kinilaw made with na malasugi or blue marlin and served in shot glasses. The blue marlin was blended with calamansi (or lime powder), onions, radish and salted egg to give it a distinct sour-creamy-salty flavour.

And we meat Tuna Panga once again but this it was cooked Adobo style. I loved how the adobo flavour seeped in the tuna that made the tuna more flavourful in every bite.

Dessert was a showcase of Dabawenyo specialties as well. We had Tablea Flan which is a version of leche flan made with tablea or native chocolate. Then there were the Kamote Durian rolls which were sort of thick crepes made with kamote and filled with a durian based cream and sprinkled with "tablea" powder if I remember right.

It was indeed a delightful showcase of the best local cuisine with a twist. Our host, Baby Montemayor of the Davao Regional Tourism Council, didn't only satisfied our appetites but also gave insights for each dish prepared and there's more to come ...

The Sooo Pinoy Davao gang at Binggoy's Lounge.

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

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FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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