Spicy Ribs

A new one that I’ve tried twice in the span of a week is Barrio Bistro. The first time, as I’ve mentioned in an earlier post, I wasn’t impressed at all. Together with a couple of friends, we had their Kaldereta, Spicy Ribs, and two kinds of pizza: Barrio Pizza (their house special, I presume) and Hungarian & Onion. Only the ribs made the grade, in my opinion. So the food trip was rather disappointing.

The spicy ribs was a hearty, enjoyable meal. It was indeed spicy, and the meat was tender. And, the rice was perfectly steamed: soft, moist, with just the right stickiness — a lot of times, no matter how good the main dish is, if the rice is bad the whole meal is ruined. The kaldereta would have been good if it had been cooked with more care, and time. I definitely detected an interesting flavor that I’ve never tasted in other kaldereta recipes before.

The two pizzas we had, unfortunately, were a disappointment. They have a buy-1-take-1 promotional offer, but that’s not going to keep their customers happy if the pizzas don’t get better. The crust was just too crunchy, like crackers, and the flavor of either pizza we had was nothing to rave about at all.

But I’m not one to dismiss a restaurant just after one visit. Plus, my close friends did say their non-pizza food was good. So off I went to Barrio Bistro again for a reprise.

This time, I had Grilled Pork Chops, and my dining companions had BLT Burger, Barrio Pasta, Spaghetti Bolognese, and Ham and Cheese Sandwich. The pork chops were tasty, if a bit dry because it was obviously overcooked. But it was a decent meal — and affordable at ₱140 for two big pieces of pork chops. And the rice was still perfect. I like it when restaurants are consistent.

I had a taste of the Barrio Pasta that my friend ordered, and it was satisfyingly good. Basically, it’s spaghetti aglio e olio, but enhanced with bite-sized bits of chorizo. On the other hand, the bolognese was a tad on the salty side. I think the cook may have underestimated how salty parmesan cheese can be. It was flavorful, though, so if you like this spaghetti, don’t forget to remind them about using less salt in the sauce.

Barrio Bistro is open everyday. They serve breakfast food as well, so I suppose they open early. To get there, drive from McDonald’s in front of Victoria Plaza, straight towards Obrero on Lacson St. You’ll pass two intersections (Porras and Cervantes streets) and you’ll see the bistro on your left.

The place is not very big — to guesstimate, maybe good for a total of 20-25 people, comfortably seated. They have an al fresco area out back (good news for smokers!). The service is pretty good, too. Free wi-fi available.

It’s an open-air affair, right along the road behind Victoria Plaza. It’s smallish, and can only accommodate about 20 to 25 people comfortably (although the seating capacity is about 35).

Rikki is the one who does all the cooking. And boy, can he cook! (In fact, this is the same Rikki who shared his cabbage dumplings recipe for Davao Delicious.) His specialty is Filipino cuisine, but he can also do other Asian dishes, such as his famous Bang Hoi noodles. (More on that in a future post!)

As carinderias go, you don’t really know what’s on the menu until you get there. There’s a buffet spread, but it’s not an eat-all-you-can thing: you tell them what you want to eat from the warmers, and you get served. Most of the dishes are only ₱35 each. My favorites there (having known Rikki’s cooking for some years now) are adobo, mechado, sinigang, pinakbet, … but there’s more!!

I know it’s a cliché already, but honestly, their food is home-cooked goodness. :hungry:

Vianda Buena is open Mondays to Saturdays, serving lunch and dinner. They’re located on Veloso St., in between the corners of Cervantes and N. Torres streets, in Barrio Obrero. If you’re coming from Victoria Plaza, they’re on the right side of the road. Tel. no.: 305-4263.

The Vianda Buena business is up for sale (or “for assume”). Interested parties may contact Hubert on (921)494-4624, (932)956-4660, or 305-4263.

Grub Resto•Café used to be located in another part of town, but has now transferred to Gov. Duterte St., across the street from Shakeys, in downtown Davao City. This area has always been known as a food district, and is showing no signs of slowing down.

You will surely love their large portions and the tastiness of their dishes. The Dino Chops (₱185 for the regular; ₱110 – Junior; ₱300 – Senior, which is served with two slabs) that I had was humongous! But more than that, it was prepared lovingly with finely-chopped parsley and golden garlic. It comes with brown rice, but I think you can order a side of mashed potatoes instead. Oh and the apple sauce thats served with this is a total taste match (but there’s no stopping you from asking for the good ol’ Filipino-style dip of soy sauce, calamansi and siling labuyo).

The appetizers that we had were winners — Cheese Loaf (₱140) and Buff Wings (₱128). The Cheese Loaf is a basket of sliced french bread, sprinkled with herbs, with two types of cheese melted over, slice of ham, and a dash of Tabasco.

The buffalo wings were promised to be very hot spicy, but, for me, it was just normal fare (well, I do eat chili for breakfast, so…). Still, it was finger-lickin’ good!

Weekends, they have special items not on the menu, and currently it’s Seafood Chowder, which has baby clam, fish, abalone. I still have to try it, but knowing that they prepare it from scratch, I will certainly be back very soon! Their coffee brews are also on my to-do list.

Proprietors Elisa and Dotty have created a comfortable setting for intimate gastronomic gatherings, one that will not fail to please both eyes and palates. The service is personalized, especially when the two ladies are in attendance. Do give Grub Resto•Café a try soon! They’re open everyday except Sunday, from 11:00 AM to 10:30 PM.

Nagagalak naman akong ipag-alam na ang Google, na siyang pinakamalaking search engine sa kasalukuyan, ay nakipagdiriwang sa atin ngayon. Sa pamamagitan ng Google Doodles, naipararating ng Google sa buong mundo ang halaga’t diwa ng ating kasarinlan at dangal bilang Pilipino.

Heto po ang isang magandang paliwanag mula sa kababayan ko’t kapwa blogger na si Andrew dela Serna, ukol sa Google Doodles.

Mabuhay ang Pilipino! Isulong ang ating Kalayaan! Pugsain ang anumang balakid sa ating Kapayapaan!

NO TO CON-ASS!!!

Last night I went to eat at Antonio’s for the first time, and a couple of food-tripping friends joined me. We had a lovely meal and enjoyed the ambience (it’s always nice to have a good number of other diners around, don’t you think?) and the excellent service. The waitstaff who attended to our needs were very helpful, polite, and always wore a smile.

For starters, we had the Shrimp Tempura. They’re not a Japanese restaurant, so I tried not to expect too much. It was good, though, not bad at all. The shrimps were big and the batter was crispy enough and not soggy with oil. The el cheapo hot-sauce dip was a bit of a spoiler… but like I said, Antonio’s isn’t a Japanese restaurant. One order is good for two people.

The Inihaw na Liempo was a pleasant surprise. I found it good that they serve the pork belly in thin strips, marinated well and grilled just right. There was a bit of toughness around the edges, but that’s sometimes to be expected in barbecue. The smoky flavor was really good, though, and it was all I could do to keep myself from stuffing my face! And, I appreciated very much the care they apparently take in preparing their dipping sauces. In many other restaurants that serve grilled food, they just give you out-of-the-bottle stuff for dipping. At Antonio’s, the inihaw orders come with a soy-sauce dip that’s mixed with some spices and other condiments (but I couldn’t quite identify them…). Lip-smacking good!

What my friends and I found suspicious right away, however, was the Inihaw na Bangus that we had. The way the milkfish was prepared and presented seemed really delectable, but the fish itself was, well, fishy. The meat didn’t look the way it should — grayish, crumbly — and after trying some of it, it made my tongue itch a little. The fish wasn’t very fresh. Too bad. On the flip side, the staff was really concerned about it and promised to look into the matter. Judging by the way they take care of their customers, I’m sure it won’t happen again.

What made our meal most satisfying was our order of Stir-Fried Vegetables. The broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, bell pepper and other green goodies were really fresh and succulent. It wasn’t too oily, and I loved the subtle flavoring (oyster sauce, pepper, and very light on the salt). It’s the dish that I would recommend to round off a table full of grilled and fried food!

The family-style garlic rice, I should also mention, was fabulous. For me, rice can make or break a meal. Sometimes, no matter how good the food is, but if the rice is bad, everything goes down a notch. At Antonio’s, the garlic rice is steamed to perfection, and lightly cooked again with golden garlic and sprinkled with a little celery. Yummy!

I’ve heard that Antonio’s is also known for their steaks and Crispy Tadyang. That I will have to see next time I dine there.

The Antonio’s Bar & Grill branch at the Metro Lifestyle compound has a conference room, which can also be used for small parties. For reservations, call 225-4394. Both branches are open all week for lunch and dinner.

Food-tripping at Tunalicious

It’s very refreshing to see food establishments in Davao that come out and offer new things to stimulate the taste buds — those that veer away from the typical chicken barbecue that you see all around. This is what my friends and I have discovered at Tunalicious, a relatively new ‘native’ restaurant in town.

From the outside, the place doesn’t look very impressive (especially because there’s still some construction going on around it). Also because it looks much like all the chicken-barbecue places out there. The tables and chairs aren’t anything you might find terribly comfortable, and the surroundings look decidedly low-budget. But the food–! Delicious!

Pinutos na Adobong Baboy

I had the Pinutos na Pork Adobo, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. They have 3 kinds of Pinutos: pork adobo, chicken adobo and, of course, grilled tuna. And get this — the price tag on this dish? Only ₱38 for a generous plate of rice and meat (or fish) wrapped in banana leaf! I loved the banana-leaf-infused flavor of the steamed rice, which was cooked just right. For the price, I wasn’t expecting it to be that good, but it was.

I was able to talk to the manager, Rainier Bello, and he said something that made a lot of sense. He said that, instead of offering “unlimited rice” — a common tactic hereabouts to attract patrons — they decided to serve the Pinutos dishes with a healthy amount of rice. Aside from the fact that rice isn’t cheap anymore, large intakes of rice isn’t really very good for the body.

I will surely be back to sample the other Pinutos (which literally means “wrapped”) dishes soon!

Sinuglaw

The Sinuglaw (₱108) was also quite enjoyable. The tuna was very fresh, and the grilled pork blended quite nicely in the whole ensemble. Sinuglaw is a concatenation of “sinugba” (‘grilled (pork)’) and “kinilaw” (the term used to mean ‘eating raw food’, usually fish).

The vinegar they use in their Sinuglaw is sukang tuba. It’s the kind that comes from ‘coconut wine’ — fermented coconut sap. And they don’t scrimp on the ingredients: chili, radish, cucumber and everything that makes kinilaw a uniquely Filipino appetizer.

Tuna Chicharon

True to their name, Tunalicious also serves Tuna Bopis (₱88), Tuna Sisig (₱88), even Tuna Chicharon (₱68)! Rainier, who has helped set up other restaurants in Davao City, said that they really want to specialize in various tuna preparations, to provide Davao with a healthier dining alternative.

The Tuna Chicharon was good. It tasted just like the real thing. And, it’s guilt-free! But the Tuna Bopis was rather fishy… Their sisig, however, was a hit. Even Andrew, who gets queasy about unfamiliar food, found it to his liking.

Tunalicious is actually just one of the shops in what is now known as “The Strip” at the old “The Venue” (couldn’t they get even more generic??). The place is on Jacinto Extension, across the road from the Bangko Sentral complex. But, Tunalicious seems to be the one that people look for when they go there. Aside from their tuna dishes, they also have what they call Sabaw Republic, or their line of stimulating soup dishes for the after-party market, if you know what I mean.

Tunalicious is open daily, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, then from 5:00 to 11:00 PM. Sabaw Republic, on the other hand, is open until 4 in the morning — although, Rainier said they’re thinking of keeping it open until 8:00 AM in the near future.

For takeout or for catering requests, here’s their phone number: 225-8588.

Typical of early Davao dining places was the turo-turo, or buffet spread. But it’s not the type where you eat all you can — you choose what you want and you pay for what you eat. Yellow Fin still has that, as well as à la carte servings. Their huge selection of Filipino dishes, from superb soups to grilled goodies, is something to look forward to, and the place is perfect for big or small gatherings.

Fried Chicken Meal @ Yellow Fin

It is a seafood restaurant, but curiously enough, Yellow Fin is quite well-known for their fried chicken meal. They could actually give restaurants that specialize in fried chicken a run for their money! For less than ₱200 per plate, you get half a chicken, a side of salad, and perfectly cooked steaming rice. You’d appreciate it, too, that they serve huge portions.

Like all Davao seafood joints worth their salt, Yellow Fin has tuna and other types of fish on the menu (as well as on the turo-turo spread). And those dishes are always worth the trip to their place. But what really makes my mouth water just thinking about it is the Tinolang Imbao at Yellow Fin. When I was there with fellow foodie bloggers last weekend, I was so happy they didn’t care much for clam soup — more for me!

Imbao Soup @ Yellow Fin

You could tell that they pick only the choicest clams, fresh and lusciously delicious. For the thin soup, they put just the right amount of leeks and garlic and other spices to complement that tangy taste of the clam. My father also knows how to prepare clam, and I’ll let you in on a secret he shared with me, in case you find yourself in a wet market looking for imbao. Buy only female clams, and look for those that are fat and whose shells are not too smooth. Don’t ask me why, but it’s always worked for us.

Yellow Fin has grown from a small, open-air affair to what it is now. Today they even have function rooms, as well as an enclosed restaurant space for those who’d rather order off the menu. Marco, whose family owns Yellow Fin, is also experimenting with coffee. So they now also have a coffee shop in the al fresco dining area.

Ask Dabawenyos who know about good food, and they will always recommend Yellow Fin.

Yellow Fin Seafood & Restaurant
Sandawa Plaza, Quimpo Boulevard
Ecoland, Davao City
Tel. 297-8777, 298-0299
Operating Hours: from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM, daily