Food Trip in Davao

Travelling will never be complete without chibugan, or in a modern slang, food tripping. It's trying out something new, or introducing a foreign flavor to your taste buds with something exclusively found in that place, or perhaps something the place is known for.

Before exploring Davao City, I seem to get amazed that aside from the ever-famous durian, this city is getting known for famous western dishes. Buffets are scattered all over the city, and some ala carte restaurants offer beef, baby back ribs, brick-oven made pizza which makes it more commercialized and 'Manila-themed' place. However, there are still pinoy style diners that serve fresh seafood and Pinutos (Visayan for Binalot, cooked delicacies wrapped in banana leaves).

During our first night in the city, we spent our first dinner at Let's Crab Eat in F. Torres St. It's only found here in Davao and no tourists leave the city without tasting their superb unlimited crabs and seafood buffet every weekend for only 395.00. However, I thought they are serving unlimited and different crab dishes. But they actually only serve one crab dish (Szechuan Crab), and the rest are just supporting dishes (chicken, shrimps and pork). Nevertheless, it is still worth the price, especially for real hungry people and certified crab lovers. They also offer wide range of desserts from fruits, cakes and Pinoy Panghimagas. The Mango with sago and milk is indeed a must try among all the desserts served in the bar. I was not able to capture more pictures because I have to eat with bare hands. It came to myself realizing if the owner can provide a lime and a basin of hot water to take the crab stenches off our hands, or perhaps a bib to avoid getting stains on our clothes from cracking the crabs.

Szechuan Crab, the specialty.

Other courses from the buffet

The Diner's Dedication Board. Some
famous celebrities left their names
 in there. True enough that this place
is a must-visit for tourists.

Moving on, we were still craving for sweets that we actually still managed to spare a space for more desserts in our tummies. That was the time we decided to try the famous Durian ice cream in Pinutos Republik, just a few steps away from Let's Crab Eat. They also offer buffet during evening, and they one of the famous filipino diners in the city. Since we are all stuffed from the crabs-all-we-can, we just ordered for a small cup of durian ice cream for 25.00. The price was way too costly, but the taste was very real and faithful to the durian's bittery-sweet flavor. If you can't stand the smell and rich taste of the real durian, this can be perfect remedy for you! No stinky smell, and tastes just right. The meals we had truly left a big smile on out tummies before we retire for the night.

A cup of Durian Ice Cream. P25.00 each

Had four cups after the sumptuous crab buffet

We woke up early the next day so we can have a longer tour of the city. Too bad, most of the establishments were still closed at that moment. Since we were looking for something exotic and onli-in-Davao type of dishes, we tried searching for turo-turo style eatery and we came across this Burger Machine type of stall named Boyong's Special Balbacua. We never encountered Balbacua ever in Manila since it is an original Cebuano Speciality Dish so we ordered for a bowl of it as our breakfast. I am really poor with giving descriptions for food, but basically it is a spicy beef broth soup. It looks very plain however it's full of flavor because it is rich in ginger and garlic which add more taste to it. The flaming temperature of the soup plus it spicy flavor will surely make the rest of your day full of energy and enthusiasm. Therefore, I strongly recommend eating Balbacua for drunken people to eliminate their hangover when they wake up in the morning :D

Boyong's Special Balbacua

Of course, people will not feel the Davao presence without tasting (or smelling) the popular durian, langka, marang, suha and mangoosteen. I am personally not fond of eating fruits but I really had a love at a first taste with durian. It's bitter sweet flavor will give you a milky-candyish taste of it. Great but unhealthy in a way. Did you know that a single seed of durian is equal to eight duck embryo or balut? So better beware and refrain from eating too much, especially for people with high blood pressure!

The night before we departed, we fished around for a best place to eat in the city. According to some food bloggers, tourists should also never miss Marina Wharf, which is famous for the best seafood in the city, particularly tuna delicacies. However, it is quite distant from our place so we better have to find another one. While we were riding a taxi on our way home from Samal Island, the taxi driver suggested to dine at Penongs Seafood and Barbecue Grill, since it is very affordable and famous (evident enough, they have quite a number of branches around the city).


Penongs somehow brought me a Mang Inasal Ambience. They also serve grilled chicken (Davao-style), and offer an EAT-ALL-YOU-KAN-ON (Rice all you can) and free broth soup on all meals but they offer more food choices than the familiar Mang Inasal. They offer baby back ribs which indeed made my night. The meat was very tender and well-marinated that made it so flavorful and mouthwatering. Other must try food choices include the grilled squid, adobong kangkong and manggang hilaw with bagoong. Indeed the best, a must try and a good choice to spend my last day in Davao since there are still no branches established yet in the capital city.

OTHER MUST TRY's:
The time did not permit us to experience all the must try's delicacies in Davao since we spent most of our time of stay in Samal Island. 

Pizza
Aside from the finest diners I have visited, brick-oven baked pizza in Davao should never be missed. Pizzerias are scattered all over the city but Pizza Pampamilya has been the bloggers' choice according to my research.

Marina Wharf
Tourists should save some bucks to experience the most sumptuous seafood dishes and delicacies. Though the menus are way too costly, it will definitely worth the price!

Pinutos
Binalot dishes are popular in the place, so everybody must really explore what's in it. :) I recommend Pinutos Republik because I have seen a lot people dining there during the buffet every night, plus they also offer durian ice cream for dessert.

I personally started to watch out my diet and food intake by the time I reached my 20. However,  I eventually tended to forget this promise during my five days of stay in Davao. Truly, this place is also a haven for our tummies and tastebuds.