An epic Davao food trip with Sooo Pinoy Day 3

I woke up packing everything in a rush – swimwear, suntan lotion, shades, and my Havaianas. But wait, I don’t have Havs! Now that’s the time I really woke up! Seeing what’s on the eatinerary, it will be another day of non-stop eating and the promise of the sand, sea and surf, was what everybody was looking forward to.

And it started with a break”feast” at Patok sa Manok – makers of Davao’s original Lechon Manok. I was expecting another grill type restaurant – smoky and al fresco. But seeing a nicely interiored food place with air-conditioning and big function rooms – a déjà vu of “being in the wrong place again”.

But we weren’t, the mismatch just occurred in my thoughts that was immediately erased when I saw what they prepared us – lechon Manok, Kare-kare, Kilawin and Kalderetang Kambing, Hot Seafood Roll (my fave), Squid with Sambal, Crispy Pata, Kilawin, … and the list goes on and on. We even had halo-halo, ube turon and leche flan, indeed breakfast is always a feast!

For lunch, Marina Tuna showcased their 10-ways of preparing tuna. Let’s see - tuna sashimi, tuna eye soup, sizzling tuna tendon, tuna kare-kare, kinilaw na tuna, grilled tuna belly, crispy tuna tail, sizzling tuna bagaybay, sizzling bihod and yes, grilled tuna PANGA.

And we even had a VIP in the house – former Sen. Ernesto Maceda who gamely spent time with us, foodies. Back to the lots of tuna, I enjoyed the tendons for they didn’t taste like tuna at all – lol. But the tuna belly and panga tasted much better this time.

It was time for our own “panga” to open just as big as the tuna’s as our next destination looms from a distance - the posh Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao. Just about a month then, I stayed in/with its brother in Cebu – Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Lahug, but this one in Davao offered a much more relaxing, more private ambiance with the same high standard of service.

No wonder even the food they prepared for us reflected grandeur and provided a new perspective on the usual Filipino dishes. Waterfront Davao came up with Laing Espesyal with the Bicol specialty “garnished” with Prawn and Lechon Kawali. But the Crispy Pata de Paella was the bomb – deep fried pork trotters filled with paella!

From the grounds of Waterfront we saw our next foodestination – separated by a kilometer or two of deep blue sea.

Good thing the wharf was just on the grounds of the complex and that we just walked and took the boat for a few minutes.

There the white sand and blue sea of the Island garden City of Samal (IGACOS) waved at us.

The Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort was breather in our eatinerary, not only it gave an entirely different ambiance; our first food was halo-halo -really nice and soothing. The food served tasted more like home - Chicken Binakol, Combo (fried banana in batter), Tinu-om na Bangus Belly, only to find out that the resort manager hails from Iloilo.

They also had kamote chips, seafood curry, Fisherman’s basket (assorted steamed seafood in a wrap) and fried calamari. It was indeed a relaxing part of the food route we had that day – we even had time to lounge, others had dip in the waters, while others really fell asleep. Indeed, a paradise …

Going back to the mainland but still within reach of the sea was Moray’s Bar and Deck at Garden by the Bay. A panoramic view of Samal Island looms from afar with a large ship in the foreground reminded us that we just crossed a deep blue sea. That’s why true to their promise of surviving a “bumpy” banca ride, we all witnessed someone swearing to enjoy and appreciate PANGA.

Indeed Grilled Tuna Panga was served at Garden by the Bay complemented with Inihaw na Pusit, Pork Barbecue and Eggplant Torta. The latter provided something new to our taste buds that even thought it seems ordinary, it tasted something special.

And finally, from the sea we went up the hillside and had dinner with a breathtaking view of Davao City at Jack’s Ridge. There the resort on the side of Matina Hills gave a scenic Davao nightscape from the main restaurant - The Taklobo.

With its logo like that of an open oyster shell, we deduced it’s really the one. But they didn’t serve oysters but dished up Seafood Supreme (a mixed of seafood in special white cream sauce), Camaron Rebosado (shrimp tempura), Grilled Tuna Belly and Durian Leche Flan. The grilled tuna was one of the juiciest and tastiest we had so far and the durian leche flan was heavenly, not because we ‘re on top of the hill much nearer to the heavens, but each bite had was a gastronomic symphony. Alleluiah!

But our food trip didn’t end there yet for we dropped to Davao’s homegrown coffee shop Bluegre Café to sample their famous Durian Cappuccino with cheese balls on the sides. Not just durian essence or flavour, but there were really durian bits in our cups of coffee, until the very last drop.

Day 3 of our epic Davao food trip with Sooo Pinoy has just ended and we can’t wait for what our fourth day has in store for us. I took a peek on our menu – crispy pata, crispy tadyang, chicken binakol, caldereta espanyol and crabs. “C” you tomorrow

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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