DAVAO CITY: Foodtrip and pasalubong

Davao City has vast fruit markets selling fresh produce such as mangosteen and pomelo but among them, Durian, the 'king' of fruits, dominates. I visited some homegrown restaurants and tasted their specialties. Here are the following items in my little foodtrip: 

1. Durian Bibingka

I've tasted different kinds of steamed ricecakes, but this one is unique, as they infused durian in it. Imagine when I went out of cathedral after attending morning mass, I followed the unique smell. The churchgoers then led me to this vendor. I immediately bought a piece and it was heaven in a bite!

2. Durian Candy

Before going back home, I made sure to bring with me sweet delicacies especially these candies from Davao's famous maker, Lola Abon's. My former officemate led me to this and we're glad we made it before closing time.

3. Durian Halo-Halo

Their famous local halo-halo topped with homemade durian ice cream is very refreshing. No wonder they opened branches like this in SM Lanang Premier. 

4. Durian Sans Rival

Commuting within the city can be tricky but with the help of locals, I was able to locate this dessert place. It was then packed with diners, but I waited for my turn to eat their specialty. That slice of sans rival with crunchy meringue layers, cream and pistachio bits was made flavorful with kick of durian. Somewhat unusual but delicious. 

5. Kinutil at Puto Maya

Most public markets in Visayas and Mindanao have breakfast stall called painitan (from root word init meaning heat). Hence, from what I read in a blog, I searched the Bangkerohan Public Market and sat at this stall to order local favorites. The hot chocolate drink mixed with coconut tuddy or tuba, a native liquor extracted from coconut trees will surely invigorate you for the whole day. Gulp it with a slice of puto maya for a sticky breakfast.

6. Lugaw at Tokwa't Baboy

This homegrown restaurant serves the best snack pairs in Davao City. The plain white rice porridge is mixed with pork-tofu combo akin to chopped lechon. I took this meal for lunch.

7. Grilled Tuna Belly

It was not a splurge but to eat something this good is a great reward for exploring the destination of your dream. Tuna grilled to perfection with pickles on the side made my lunch with a smile.

8. Mangosteen Candy

Another product from Lola Abon's is this mangosteen candy. I bought few packs of these for my loved ones.

As I said earlier, Davao has freshest fruits sold in their markets that's why they brought some back home. In my case, I bought a pomelo and mangosteen fruits to eat as snacks while exploring the city.

Trinkets from Davao at cheaper price. Some were bought a a souvenir shop in Philippine Eagle Center.

You can always but native products at their pasalubong center located within Davao City proper. :)

NOTE: Davao City was grouped under Province of Davao del Sur for convenience, as it was geographically located in it.

Leyte Island: Foodtrip and Pasalubong

When I hear of Leyte, delicacies that come to my mind are moron and binagol. I’m familiar with moron because my office friends always bring back some when they had a vacation from Leyte and Biliran. Since now I have the chance to land at their home province, I took this opportunity to taste other native delicacies and curiosity on the taste of binagol. What I know initially is that it uses halved coconut shell like kalamay-hati from Jagna, Bohol. Here are some of the delicacies I’ve tasted:

1. Sagmani

It looks like a heavy suman for me, as it is packed with mixture of cassava and taro. The texture is smooth like binagol and sticky when it gets to your palate. It was my breakfast when I watched the Pintados parade on my last day in Tacloban.

2. Moron

One of my favorite Leyteño delicacies and one piece is not enough. Suman smothered with chocolate makes me wanna consume the whole bunch! I shared this with my housemates when I got back to Manila. The moron from Abuyog has a good blend of glutinous rice as the cocoa complements. For me, it tastes good when chilled.

3. Binagol

Don’t confuse it with binakol, a coconut-based chicken soup. Bagol or half-coconut shell (in Waray) is used to make binagol, where a vanilla mixed with syrup is put within the shell, topped with talyan root crop or taro pudding (similar to sagmani). Marasa! I can’t believe that plain-looking pudding would have its secret unravel as you consume the contents. It’s like digging a treasure over a pile of mud (just a simile). I’m very full after I ate this as my dessert after having dinner at Jo’s Chicken Inato. This delicacy is a specialty of Dagami town.

4. Pastilas De Leche

This crumbly candy made from pure carabao’s milk is a bit hard to eat. Due to its dry texture, you can eat the whole candy and just chew. Pastillas making is a cottage industry in Carigara, Leyte.

5. Bibingka

A fluffy baked rice cake that resembles puto. The difference is the burnt mark on top and its smoky flavor taken from hot charcoals. I bought this from junction in Mahaplag, when I went back to Tacloban. Peddlers would rush into your van for stopover and sell these, piping hot!

6. Salvaro

I mistook this for an otap, a type of flaky biscuit. When I took a closer look, you can see bits of coconut in its very thin piece. The taste is nutty, and I ate the whole pack after dinner in Maasin City.

7. Suman Tinambiran

I got famished while waiting for a van in Baybay City bound to Hilongos. I searched the nearby public market to check native delicacies section and I found stalls selling rice cakes. The lady showed me a piece and I noticed a symphony of black and white glutinous rice in a roll. I bought 3 pieces for just 20 pesos. The taste: heavenly! I wished I bought some more. Maybe next time!

8. Hopia Malitboganon

This rather unusual delicacy was bought from Maasin City Terminal. While I’m waiting for a van bound to Baybay City, peddlers selling crackers and mineral water approached our van. I noticed that she was carrying packs of flat round bread (about a foot in diameter) with tag “Hopia Malitboganon”. I wanted to buy one but I thought it was too big to handle (may crack during travel) so I opted for a smaller one. Three pieces per pack costs Php35. At first look, it may look like a piaya (flaky pastry with mung bean filling), but when I took a bite, it was hard but crunchy. A delicacy from Malitbog, Southern Leyte, the filling was simply made of caramelized muscovado sugar. I bought two packs and brought the other one at office for sharing.

Hoping to add more delicacies soon and you’ll have a taste of these, too. Marasa hin duro!