White Marlin Sashimi, Durian Shake, Cracking Cakes, and Boiling Shrimps and Crabs of Davao

This is my second post on Davao for this year. For the earlier post, click here.

Went to D'Farmer's and had my fill of D24

During this visit, I sampled Marco Polo Hotel's Malasugui Sashimi. There are two things I'm crazy about Japanese cuisine: ramen and sashimi. This is the first time I tried malasugui. The waiter told us it was white marlin. It looked like washed out tuna, but tasted like a more delicate smoked salmon. Yum!

Marco Polo Davao
Claro M. Recto Street
Davao City

(+63) 082 221 0888

We also visited durian delicacies purveyor, Apo ni Lola. Truth to tell I'm partial to Lola Abon's (yes, the owners are related), but they won me over with their durian shake, using the native and Puyat durian variants. 

Just look at how generous they were with the fruit pulp.

Then they added evap. The shake was so good and it was not cloying.

Apo ni Lola Durian Delicacies
San Miguel Street, Talomo District
Davao City
(+63) 082 298 5099

If Bacolod has Calea, Davao has Osvaldo's Cakes. I flipped over the caramel cheesecake.

Osvaldo's does not stint on ingredients. The cheesecakes were brimming with the flavor of cheese. Plus, they held back on the sugar.

Try the blue cheese cheesecake as well. The stinky stuff, if you are into that like me, was very pronounced.

Osvaldo's Cakes 
Ground Floor, Paseo de Legaspi
Legaspi Street, 3-A Poblacion, Davao City
(+63) 082 221 2695

Another new experience was dining at Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps, located near SM Lanang. I didn't know what to expect but some city-based acquaintances were raving about it. 

For starters we tried the pork riblets. You have to try this--buttery soft, moist, and garlicky. Two thumbs up!

We also ordered crabs, shrimps, and tuna belly (no pictures, gasp!) with the spice level on mild. 

The sauce was so tasty and good we poured it over the rice. The heat was just right, although I don't mind dialing it up a notch. 

Eating with your hands and wearing a bib are all part of the experience. 

For this dinner I gave up thoughts of dieting. It was impossible to enjoy fully all this tasty food without rice.

Also try the stellar kinilaw--spicy and sweet.

Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimp
Lanang, Davao City
(+63) 082 221 8360

That's about it. I'm looking forward to returning to Davao next year.

What I Ate in and Around SM Davao

I recently stayed at SM's Park Inn Hotel. Here's a post of the more noteworthy things I ate. 

1. Bistro Selera's Buchitaw

I already had dinner when I dropped by the restaurant, so I wanted a dessert that's interesting at the very least. The 15-minute wait was worth it for this mash-up, a curious hybrid of buchi (rice calls covered in sesame seeds with a sweet bean paste filling) at the bottom and palitaw (soft, round, and sweet rice cakes) on top. 

I love the textures--soft and chewy for the palitaw half, the desiccated coconut, and the sesame seeds--and the choco filling.

Bistro Selera

SM Lanang Premier

JP laurel Avenue Lanang

Barangay San Antonio Davao City
(+63) 082 285-2184

2. Mesa Filipino Moderne's Laing 2-Ways 

I know I broke my rule on posting only local-based restaurants in my travels, but this stellar dish from Mesa is just irresistible. Laing, one of my favorites from Bicol, is a dish made of taro leaves cooked in coco milk and seasoned with fermented shrimp or fish paste.

Mesa serves their laing topped with pork flakes and in original and crispy versions, although it appears to be either dry or creamy, but I love both.

Both were buttery and creamy and I can't decide which I liked more. The pork floss adds flavor and texture. This version is perfect with crispy pata (pork knuckles).

Mesa Filipino Moderne
SM Lanang Premiere Davao
JP Laurel Ave, Barangay San Antonio
(+63) 082 285-0493

3. Park Inn Hotel's Durian Cheesecake

Before going to Park Inn's ABG, I tried a coffee-chain, famed for infusing durian in its offerings, for their version. I left disappointed. Their cheesecake was dry and needed loving. Good thing Park Inn's version was consistent in taste, but it looked remarkably different from last time. Let me break down Park Inn's Durian Cheesecake: it was moist, with the undeniable yet delicate flavor of durian. The body is not too cloyingly sweet. I love the crumbly crust and the burst of freshness from the mint.

Their mangosteen cheescake was good as well, although the delicate sweet and tangy essence of the fruit did not come through. 

Park Inn Davao
JP Laurel Avenue
Agdao St., Davao City
(+63) 082 272 7600

Davao del Sur's Belito's Vineyard for Paella Negra and Crispy Spareribs

Last February I had to make a quick trip to Davao. Except for my hotel, I did not have much planned ahead. I only zeroed in on where to eat lunch after flipping through the pages of my plane's inflight magazine, where the black paella of Belito's Vineyard came highly recommended. Aside from pork, I love squid. You might recall a post I made earlier on paella negra here. 

Belito's Vineyard is tucked away in a residential compound, and perhaps because it was a Sunday (thank God it was open) it was unusually quiet. Only a couple was there when I arrived. I ordered the black pella and the crispy pork ribs.

The black paella, Belito's signature dish. It can handily serve 3-5 persons. Rich and dark, full
of squid meat. Onions and lime cut through the rich flavor. My favorite is the tutong,
rice sticking to the bottom of the pot made crisp.

Lightly battered pork ribs. I love the vinegary, spicy sauce which hint of fish paste.
This dish was also good, I can't help but eat with my hands.

They were short on home-made durian ice cream, so I made do with strawberry ice cream.
Rich and creamy--a perfect cap for a sumptuous lunch. 

Belito's Vineyard
Palm Drive, Bajada, Davao City
(+63) 82 227 6726
Opens daily, 11 am to 10:30 pm

Davao City's Galletas de Davao

I'm in training, and one of our lecturers is related to Wency Cornejo, the singer, who's now into a Davao-City based pasalubong business. They met in one of our trainings in the city, and she urged us to buy his crispy wafers called Galletas de Davao.

I bought two canisters from their Davao airport stall: one in durian, the other in ube-langka. I hand-carried these to Manila, and they barely survived intact.

durian, my favorite, now in wafer form

the ube-langka was delicate

Since I'm partial to durian, I tried it out first--it was melt-in-your-mouth and rich, like ice cream. I should have bitten into the ube-langka wafers first. The durian wafers overwhelmed the delicate taste of the latter. I tried these a few days later, and they're quite good, too. 

If you've ran out of ideas on what to bring from Davao City, consider these wafers.  

Davao City's Marco Polo Pool Bistro for Pizza Prosciutto

I love a good deal. Since I'm a sucker for fancy hotels, Marco Polo Privilege Club need not do much to convince me to join. They had me at free overnight stay. 

And thus, during work that brought us to Davao, I rustled up the necessary vouchers to treat a dear colleague to a birthday dinner. "Would it be okay if you stay by the pool? The bistro's closed for a private function," the Club staff inquired. I said I didn't mind. With a view like this, who would? 

Now on to the food post. The stand-out for us was the pizza prosciutto--it was the first item that we wiped out. The cheese was sweetish, tempered by blue cheese and the delicate flavor of dry-cured ham. It was a delight wrapping the leafy green with each slice, just like a panizza. 

Great company, wonderful ambiance, good food. I can get used to this.