Sooo Pinoy in Davao at E.Y.'s Tuna

From a small tent in Tagum City, Eloisa Yee started her food business during night markets and from then on it started to expand and in November of 2010, E.Y.s Tuna was born. Among the most competitive restaurants in Davao offering tuna and other grilled specialties, EY's Tuna gives Dabawenyos the healthier choice in its line up of local cuisine focusing more on non-pork dishes. But for the Sooo Pinoy visit in one of their branches they dishes up something very exotic; Chicken Adobo ala Mode - that's adobo with CHOCOLATES!

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.

And Davao it is as we were again gastronomically bombarded with tuna at EY's Tuna - no need to argue. So there was this cripsy buntot ng tuna which was deep fried tail of a tuna which had the crunch in every bite.

There's inihaw na panga ng tuna - grilled tuna jaw which I can smell from afar and even looking at this photos the aroma still lingers.

There's there version of kinilaw de Cebu using tuna and it was another festive kinilaw with fruits and vegetables giving a dimension in taste and texture.

And of course, there's adobong bagaybay - which is the male counterpart of the bihod (roe).

At last something different - inihaw na pacol. Its a big fish, maybe like a big tilapia that is simply grilled and its the sawsawan that will truly bring out its goodness as it did that time.

And now for the chicken adobo with chocolates - I'm sure you'd been wondering how it tasted. At first I thought these white "bilog-bilog" were hardboiled quail eggs upon closer inspection and tasting they were actually chocolates. They were more of garnish rather than mixing with the adobo concoction so they taste remains to be adobo and just put some chocolates - they don't have to be in these egg-like forms. You'll have your own version of adobo with chocolate. Now what will it be? Hersheys, Toblerone, Cadbury, Lindt or maybe Valrhona?

Another thing that caught my attention then were these brownie bihon like strips they garnished over the rice. I was told they were also rice that were made into these strips then toasted. Indeed they tasted like rice - just a bit more on the toasty side.

We also had some familiar dishes like sinigang na hipon and fried crablets.

There also was a plate of fried calamares waiting to be devoured.

Good thing they also had some fresh vegetables so we concocted our own salad to have some fiber intake then. And fresh fruits for dessert - pineapples, melons, watermelons, papaya and green mango with bago-ong - all giving us the sweet (and sour) side of Davao.

Another barrage of tuna and some "kakaibang" recipe completed our visit to EYs Tuna in Davao City. But they were just a portion of the long list of specialties this restaurant has to offer. And maybe next time I'll be back in Davao, I'll discover more of them.

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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