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Sooo Pinoy in Davao at Garden by the Bay Resort

Leaving the island Garden City of Samal for our next gastronomic destination, the sea was sort of rough as the boat we took almost took a dive every other wave. There I heard a fellow Sooo Pinoy foodie swear that if she survives the "rough sea crossing" she promises to devour and pay homage to the grilled tuna panga (jaw).
Reaching our second to the last restaurant on our third day of the Sooo Pinoy Food Trip in Davao, as if her prayers were answered, a large serving of grilled tuna panga awaited us at Garden by the Bay Resort overlooking the Davao Gulf. Indeed she paid gastronomic homage to the tuna panga, even if it was just a forkful of it.
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, Boracay 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 tuna panga, we had their Pork Barbecue and even though we had among the last few sticks it was all worth it. They also gave us a taste of their Grilled Stuffed Squid.
But their simplest item on the menu was the one that made the most impact for most of us - Tortang Talong. Maybe the fact it provided a familiar taste and something that we haven't eaten for a while. Even with just banana ketchup as dip, we enjoyed having more than a serving of this Filipino specialty.
Garden by the Bay as we soon found out is also under the auspices of  Garden Oases, the same owner of the The Ritz Hotel which we visited the day before. It is a mixed used complex - resort and restaurant among other having a good view of IGACOS across the Davao Gulf and started its operations three years ago. Serving both local and international clientele is the Morays Bar and Deck that serves Filipino dishes like the ones we had for our brief stay.
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

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