Ang Dabawenyo

The culminating dinner of the Davao Food Appreciation Tour, on 16 March 2008, was at Bryan’s Grill & Café. At this al fresco poolside restaurant, my good friend Bryan Bajado served the bloggers samplers of his fine cuisine.

For appetizer, we had three samplers: grilled pepper-crusted sashimi (my absolute fave here!), shrimp in white wine and pesto, and a refreshing preparation of sausage and corn. And then there were two kinds of salads: shrimp cocktail and Caesar’s. The inspired presentation of the dishes wowed our group, and the variety of flavors impressed us even more. It was truly a fitting concluding event to DavaoFAT.

For the main course, the samplers were a cutlet of steak and the tastiest mashed potatoes ever, chicken on pasta, and the clincher, grilled salmon in a heavenly sauce. All of these are in fact available at Bryan’s as individual orders in huge servings. For DavaoFAT, I’m glad that Bryan presented it to us as samplers — after three days of feasting, good food at just the right portions was very welcome indeed!

Photos by Andrew dela Serna, the DavaoFAT official photojournalist.

Bryan’s Grill & Café is in Arturo’s Bed & Dine, 91 Narra St., Bo. Obrero, Davao City. They have a pool that’s ideal for lapping, or even for more vigorous swimming. The place is WiFi-enabled, and access is free, naturally. For inquiries and reservations, please contact (82)221-2943 or text/call (917)700-1817.

After a luxurious dinner, more samplers of desserts and refreshments, we transferred to Aling Foping’s in Matina Town Square, where we had their yummy halo-halo. I simply cannot fathom where we’ve been putting away all that food… We were even looking forward to Aling Foping’s famous bibingka, but it was already unavailable (it was already past 11pm when we got there). To cap the night and the whole DavaoFAT event, we stopped over at Kopi Roti for their perky coffee and irresistible roti buns.

Kudos to Ria for a job well done! Thank you very much to all bloggers who participated in the Tour! And, special thanks to those who came all the way from Manila and General Santos to be with the Davao bloggers: Aileen, Jay, Avel and Mars. Most importantly, from all of us, our heartfelt gratitude to the restaurants and shops that made the Tour possible:

1. Lachi’s Sans Rival Atbp.
2. Taps
3. Kasagingán Kapehan
4. Food Processors Association of Davao
5. Polo Bistro @ The Marco Polo Hotel, Davao
6. Sugar Munch
7. Eden Nature Park
8. Bryan’s Grill & Café

The Davao Food Appreciation Tour is now concluded. It was a success and a landmark event for Davao’s bloggers. But more importantly, it’s a statement that blogging has become a mainstay in the Davao scene. Watch out for more events and activities by the Davaoeño bloggers!