Ang Dabawenyo

My last stay in Metro Manila was my busiest this year, even counting my stay in the nation’s capital for the WordCamp Philippines event on 6 September. On the plane back to Davao last Saturday, I was mildly surprised at my count of the number of restaurants I’d gone to: 18!

My new favorite cheap, hassle-free fast food joint is now Tapa King. There’s one on Burgos St., which is near my buddy’s condo where I stayed. I had brunch there more than a couple of time, and my choice order: the Tapa Queen, because it’s spicy. They may even be better than Rufo’s… but then again, I’ve never eaten at Rufo’s except after a night of drinking, so it wouldn’t be fair to compare.

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Andrew, Migs, Ria and I had another organizational meeting for WordCamp Philippines 2008 yesterday, this time at Café Andessa. It was also a mini food trip for the four most intrepid bloggers of Davao City (we’re missing Winston, who’s in Cebu). My friend Sue Anne Orig, whose family owns this restaurant, graciously agreed to host our dinner — and it was such a feast!

We were served Caesar’s Salad, Rosemary Pork Chops, Laing, Callos, Hot Chicken Wings, Buttered Chicken and Deep-Fried Buntot ng Bariles (tuna tail), Garlic Rice, and my favorite Bagoong Rice. The chicken wings weren’t very spicy, but they were really tasty — perfect for opening a meal. Read the full story

Attention bloggers in Davao!

We have an invitation from Kangaroo Coffee Company for a food trip at their coffee shop this Saturday, 12 July 2008 at 7:00 PM. We’ll get to try their civet coffee and their food offerings!

Only 10 bloggers will be hosted, so please leave a comment here to join us! I will email those who will be part of the food trip. Remember: participating bloggers will have to post about their food trip experience. All posts will be linked from the official Davao Food Trip blog.

Kangaroo Coffee is located on Tionko St., right across from Sunburst.

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. Read the full story

Yesterday — the 3rd and final day of DavaoFAT — found the adventurous bloggers at Eden Nature Park for buffet lunch and some well-deserved fun. There were 14 of us, including Aileen (Google Country Consultant) and Jay of TitikPilipino.com, as well as Avel and Mars of General Santos City.

Eden Nature Park is Davao’s pride. A mountain resort only 45 minutes away from downtown, it’s not merely a breath-taking tourist spot, but an ecological sanctuary and a cultural bedrock as well. The family behind Eden Nature Park has clearly endeavored to preserve a piece of nature as faithfully as possible, thereby providing both Dabawenyos and visitors to the city a healthy and refreshing respite from city life. Read the full story

The second day of the Davao Food Appreciation Tour was a whirlwind romance between bloggers and food. From breakfast to dinner and beyond, the group was all in a mindset of palate-pleasing activities. From Taps for breakfast to The Marco Polo for dinner, we not only sampled but heartily partook of Davao’s gastronomic offerings.

After a fine-dining spread and much conversation at the Polo Bistro, some of us proceeded to my family’s ancestral home for…… Can you guess? …… Yes! more food!! This time, it was from Sugar Munch, whose owners gave us several boxes of mini-cakes and a few rolls of silvana (hint: it’s like sans rival). We took our time enjoying the various cakes, and played poker while we were at it. Read the full story

I’m blogging live from Kasagingán Kapehan, on Torres St., Davao City. We are here for the 2nd day of the Davao Food Appreciation Tour. I’m with Aileen, Jay (the “sweetie”), Andrew, Ria, MiGs™, Angel, Mikko, Gerwin. Read the full story