I was in Davao City exactly this day a year ago, to be part of Unilever Food Solutions' Sooo Pinoy Food Trip. 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.
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| PATOK SA MANOK |
The promise of sand, sea and surf, perked us all up on our third day of discovering Davao gastronomy. 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 for us that started our third day with a break"feast". Read more about Patok sa Manok.
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| MARINA TUNA |
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. Read more about Marina 10-way Tuna.
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| WATERFRONT INSULAR HOTEL DAVAO |
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. 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! Read more about Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao.
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| Island Garden City of Samal |
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. And we arrived on the Island Garden City of Samal and this pristine beach was a very welcoming sight and break to our Davao food trip!
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| PARADISE ISLAND PARK & BEACH RESORT |
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! Read more about Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort.
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. Read more about Garden by the Bay.
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| TAKLOBO at JACK'S RIDGE |
And finally, from the sea we went up the hills 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! Read more about Taklobo at Jack's Ridge.
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
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| The Sooo Pinoy Davao foodies at Waterfront Insular Davao |
Sooo Pinoy Epic DAVAO Food Trip: June 25-29, 2012
DAY 4: \Round up | Kusina Selera | Binggoy's Lounge | Kusineros | Glamour Crabs Buffet | Tiny Kitchen | Pansititoy | Kookel's