We almost “breathed“ tuna during our food trip in Davao City and it all started with this grilled tuna panga we had for lunch at Ahfat Seafoods Plaza. Located at the Victoria Plaza Complex carpark are three Ahfat restaurants – identifiable by just 1, 2 and 3. While the first one serves traditional Chinese specialties, we had ours at one that offers grilled seafood.
I was part of Sooo Pinoy, Food Trip na Pilipinas! that made it’s stop in Davao City the last week of June. 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. In the long run, it 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, Boracay and Cebu that started last March. 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.
It was nearly named “Ahpat” to play on the owners name but a Taiwanese suggested to use fat to mean “prosperity” and it did really prosper. Ahfat is now synonymous with lip-smacking seafoods cooked both the traditional and non-traditional Chinese foodways. And one can see how these all are prepared through their open kitchen with all the seafood and vegetables on display.
But we didn’t linger much longer as we had another fiesta waiting on our table as Ahfat served their best grilled seafood and meat specialties. It was a tuna festival as there were tuna panga (jaw), tuna buntot (tail) and tuna belly – all grilled to mouth watering and eye popping goodness, not to mention how delicious it smelled.
Getting fresh tuna daily employs a suki system at the market and for a restaurant that can sell more than a hundred grilled tuna parts in a day, it’s really a must. That goes the same for the other tuna parts like bihod and bagaybay.
Bihod is fish roe (egg) or can be loosely referred to as the local caviar. I’ve had some of these before here in Iloilo (grilled or sautéed then folded with native chicken) but eating bihod is almost a way of life in Davao. As tuna are big fishes, so are their egg sacs so one can expect a plate of bihod coming from a single tuna.
While the bihod is associated with the female, the bagaybay comes from the male tuna anatomy. Its texture really contrasts that of bihod as it is ranges from gelatinous to creamy. It can be mistaken for chicken meat that had gone soft and creamy.
The grilled stuffed squid brought us back to the familiar side of gastronomy as well as the saucy pork barbecue that gave us a break on the taste of seafood. The pineapple rice served as both our carbo load as well as hints of desserts as the pineapples were breathers from the grilled specialties we had for lunch.
I’ve heard and read so many delicious things about Ahfat and now it is my turn to share some delectable stories of my own – from the all tuna galore we had and rice served inside a pineapple to how this restaurant became big-time because it has delighted the taste of the Davaoeños; it was indeed one unforgettable lunch at Ahfat’s Seafood Plaza.
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
But we didn’t linger much longer as we had another fiesta waiting on our table as Ahfat served their best grilled seafood and meat specialties. It was a tuna festival as there were tuna panga (jaw), tuna buntot (tail) and tuna belly – all grilled to mouth watering and eye popping goodness, not to mention how delicious it smelled.
Getting fresh tuna daily employs a suki system at the market and for a restaurant that can sell more than a hundred grilled tuna parts in a day, it’s really a must. That goes the same for the other tuna parts like bihod and bagaybay.
Bihod is fish roe (egg) or can be loosely referred to as the local caviar. I’ve had some of these before here in Iloilo (grilled or sautéed then folded with native chicken) but eating bihod is almost a way of life in Davao. As tuna are big fishes, so are their egg sacs so one can expect a plate of bihod coming from a single tuna.
While the bihod is associated with the female, the bagaybay comes from the male tuna anatomy. Its texture really contrasts that of bihod as it is ranges from gelatinous to creamy. It can be mistaken for chicken meat that had gone soft and creamy.
I’ve heard and read so many delicious things about Ahfat and now it is my turn to share some delectable stories of my own – from the all tuna galore we had and rice served inside a pineapple to how this restaurant became big-time because it has delighted the taste of the Davaoeños; it was indeed one unforgettable lunch at Ahfat’s Seafood Plaza.
Sooo Pinoy Epic DAVAO Food Trip: June 25-29, 2012
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