Philippine Eagle Center of Davao, Malagos Garden Resort, and HITO!

Davao City is known for 4 things:  the hellishly delicious Durian, the Waling-waling, majestic Mt. Apo, and last but not least, The Philippine Monkey-eating-Eagle.

of late, [meaning: probably in the past decade or so]  "Hito-an"s have become popular as well.  A Hito-an is a place that serves Hito [catfish] as it's specialty.  Hito, being fresh-water fish have become very abundant in Davao because it can be easily farmed, hence it is also very affordable.  It is cooked in numerous ways but is most popularly ordered either deep-fried or grilled.

I have had the chance to revisit three places which are a 'must-do' by tourists and locals alike in the last 2 months and i must say, though a bit far from the city-proper, they were worth every second of my visit.

Philippine Eagle Center of Davao

Home to the king of all eagles as well as many other birds and some native wild animals.

This beautiful bird greets you as you enter the main park area.

Lush bamboo, also a rare sight nowadays

Meet Dakila, he peers right back at you

It is located at the Davao City Water District’s (DCWD) Watershed Park in Malagos.
Travel Time from city proper: 30-45 minutes without traffic, go south and take the Calinan road at the Ulas Junction
Entrance Fee: P20.00 per person
My recommendation:  go there either really early in the morning or around 4pm to avoid the intense midday heat; more importantly, slather on mosquito repellent lotion.  There are souvenir stands at the entrance area selling everything from sari-sari store products to batik to souvenir shirts.  There is also a boa constrictor at the entrance you can take a picture with, hold or drape over your shoulder for a 'donation'.  i steered clear of this one as snakes freak me out, but there was quite a crowd gathered around the brave of heart.

Malagos Garden Resort

i had the chance to visit the place because of my daughter's recent field trip. Please click on the name[link] for details about the place.
Entrance fee: P120.00
My experience:We were treated with a nature show which showcased the animals living in the resort, and they provided us with a good background on each specie and some trivia about them.  It was very interesting especially for the little ones.  The place is huge and the tour was quite exhausting but worth it just the same.  they had a huge playground which the children enjoyed the most.
My recommendation:  same as with the Philippine eagle Center, it is better to avoid the midday heat but if you still opt to go there to enjoy their restaurant offerings for lunch, there are many shaded places and covered buildings to stay in.  and DON'T forget the repellent lotion!

the welcome dance at the start of the show

a miniature pony and his mama

a family of ducks running for show

a family of birds who ran away as we neared them

a finely-plumed bird, the picture doesn't do it justice

i would still recommend that you take your lunch or dinner at one of the Hito-ans that line the main road [Calinan] either before going to Malagos or right after your trip there.  The deep-fried Hito alone will make the whole trip worth your while and will be a very satisfying ending to your little nature trip!

grilled hito

my personal favorite - deep-fried hito,  add steaming-hot rice and spicy soy sauce and calamansi dip and you are in gastronomic heaven!

Durian, the king of all fruits

it's already mid-september and durian season is still at it's peak.

but then again durian is no longer a seasonal fruit.  you can find them practically anytime in fruit stands all over the city.  but all fruit loving people know that durian, like most fruits, is at its best and sweetest [not to mention at its CHEAPEST too] when it is in its original season [am i making sense or what, anyway, you all know where i'm going here].

question: is there a relation as to why we celebrate Kadayawan on the month where the now ubiquitous fruit is at it's peak season.  Durian, anyway is one of the few things our city is known for.  It is one of the symbols which we proudly carry, along with the Philippine Eagle and the Waling-waling.  anybody wanna answer that?

only in davao!

i kinda get why some people find it repulsive, thankfully i am not one of them.  my sister has headaches if she gets a whiff of the fruit, while i try not to wash with soap after eating it so i can smell my fingers every so often.  it's such a pity that a lot of people find this creamy, bittersweet, and heady fruit disgusting.  they even compare it to rotten unmentionables.

i 'pshawed' at the fact that Mario Batali, who is a world renowned chef, hates it.  and Andrew Zimmern, who is supposedly one of the most adventurous foodies ever, failed miserably not once but three times in his meeting with the king of all fruits.  That is why i adore Anthony Bourdain who is the REAL deal for me; he immerses himself in the typical-everyday-life of every city he visits, eats the food that the locals eat, in places where the locals eat them and that to me, is how we should experience places we visit.  Oh, and he loves durian too. Check out this link and pshaw with me now. =P

so i dare you to take that first step, give durian a try.  i promise you that one bite into its creamy flesh will transport you to another level of gastronomic pleasure, go ahead, close your eyes and enjoy it as it melts in your mouth and lingers in your taste buds long after.  in this case, there is nothing to fear but fear itself.

p.s. yes, you love the taste but still hate the smell, the trick is to rub your fingertips on the white, inner side of it's shell, i repeat, the white inner side of it's shell.  we don't want you bleeding now.

get rid of the smell by rubbing your fingertips against that white part of the inner shell, and no, that part can't be eaten.

note: first and last pictures from here.  middle photo is courtesy of my trusty phone camera.  Cello's Doughnuts and Dips is located at Gov. Sales St.  in front of Chimes.

Davao, my love

in one of my friend's posts over at multiply, another friend asked her if it would be nice to live in Davao.  my friend, who is from Cebu, told her that i would be the best person to ask since i think i'm the only friend in our circle who is from here and who actually lives here now.

so this was my answer to her question:

if you want: to get many things done in a day; less smog; less traffic; more nature; a simpler life; a more laid-back life; inexpensive restaurants; easy access to cool mountain air; quick trips to the islands and white sand beaches; a typhoon-free life; cheap and abundant fruits and veggies; to live near a church, a school, a mall, a bank, a supermarket; and everything else good in between, he he,come live in DAVAO.

of course, it's much less exciting than life in bigger cities like manila and cebu ; less variety in terms of venues for gustatory delights, bars, and shopping destinations;  less 'fabulous'-looking people [meaning: people who look like they just stepped out of the fashion runway]; there aren't any skyscrapers to marvel at, and the city streets are practically devoid of cars by 2am on a weekday.

he he, i just wanted to tone it down a bit, people might think i love DAVAO too much. =P

it made me realize once again how lucky i am to live in a city like davao.  and this is something big coming from someone who always daydreams about traveling far and wide, and finding the perfect quaint little city where i can settle and live in.  and i daydream all the time, even if i'm in the middle of my thousand and one activities each day.

i realize now that each and every word i wrote about why i love DAVAO is precisely what i imagine my dream destination to be.  i'm actually living in my dream city!  of course, Davao can never be called little nor quaint, but i have everything i need here and woe is me for having only realized this now. =P


the above pic borrowed from here.

Manila's top secret buffet place [you wish!]

when my mother-in-law, told me we were going to have dinner in a buffet place which charged only P195 per head for adults, i wasn't sure what to think.  you won't find a decent place serving buffet for that low a price even here in davao.  the cheapest here is atleast P270++ per person.  so when dinner time came, i convinced myself not to expect anything and prepare for what might be a night of gastronomic disappointment.

i happily realized that my fears were unfounded as soon as we stepped into the restaurant.

 

The buffet table was filled with unexpectedly good mostly chinese fare.  and the variety was surprising!  from the more common ones like sweet and sour pork, yang chow fried rice, and pancit canton to oyster cakes, a tofu dish, steamed lapu-lapu in soy sauce.  they also had siomai, congee and bird's nest soup and even japanese chopstick-food like sushi and maki rolls complete with wasabi and kikoman.  and mind you the california maki's orange-colored roe was real [sorry, i don't know what they are called].  there was also green mango with bagoong, i thought it out of place, but many seemed to like it there.

and the dessert spread was not bad either, from fresh fruits to filipino desserts like buko pandan to chinese buchi.  i 'met' and tasted for the first time steamed egg  in a cup, i found it strange that it was in the dessert area because it was not sweet at all.  but i liked it anyway.

of course, there is a but.  with a price like that you can't expect the ambiance you get from a pricy restaurant.  you can't expect an abundance of space, nor can you expect to be able to eat in peace with soft music in the background.  we shared the place with a big group which was celebrating somebody's birthday.  of course they sang and accompanied it with a birthday cake and loud cheering and clapping as the celebrant blew the candle.  on the other side of our table was a group of co-workers probably in an impromptu after work dinner escapade, so they also contributed to the noise.  and of course add to that the other sounds you expect to hear in a busy chinese restaurant.

well, obviously it's not really a secret dining destination.  the place was filled to the brim when we arrived.  Luckily, a big group was just starting to leave so we managed to get a big round table fast.  we were 18 in all [yes, the hubby's side of the family is a big one, we weren't even complete that night] so we were kinda scattered into different tables.  we spent only P3kplus that night which really amazed us as we rang up more than double that amount in the past nights.

i would normally advise you to go there early as buffet places usually fill up easily and the quality and freshness of the food usually deteriorates by the hour, not to mention the quantity and variety.  But here it is happily different, they constantly refill all dishes and they serve them freshly prepared until an hour before closing.  so don't worry about the traffic or being late, you're sure to get good food when you arrive.

Tramway Tea House 
76 Sct.Alcaraz Street Cor. Banawe Street, Quezon City
[02]411-1565 / 410-3717
Opens from 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

welcome home!

okay, the pancake house did not originate in davao but i can't help but write about it.  i don't know why but it is one of the places i like to eat and hang-out in especially when i have to go at it alone.  the food rates are not that affordable i know but the homey-ness of the place and it's bright clean interiors just make me feel right at home.  and the food selection si so varied that studying their well-made menu is one of the things i love doing before i make my order.  there's always something interesting and new to try.

but being the segurista and predictable diner, most times, i order the same thing 99% of the time.  a refillable cup of brewed coffee and my favorite [for years now] - the chicken asparagus sandwich.  until just recently [read: yesterday and today] i ended up ordering this combo, even if i intend to try something else once they hand me the menu.

yesterday afternoon, as i was not that hungry, i wanted something less filling.  i ordered the classic medley which is 2 pancakes with butter and syrup, a side order of sausages and a cup of brewed coffee.  i was careful to just put a couple of drops of syrup but i smothered on the whipped butter.  every bite was a sweet, creamy, fluffy forkful of comfort.  sure, i could make tastier pancakes with bisquick mix, but the magic of Pancake House is this:  you get what you expect.  from the pictures in the menu, to the way the food looks when it is served to you, to that first bite that you make, to the last drop of strong, freshly brewed coffee.  it is consistent, just like home.  until today that is....

today was sadly different, i had to go to SM after fetching my daughter from school.  it was 4pm and my first and only meal was a quick brunch.  i was hungry and my daughter wanted pasta.  we went straight to Pancake House   and i ordered white-sauce pasta for her [i forgot what they called it], it had shiitake mushrooms, asparagus and bacon.  i ordered a taco for myself and the usual strong coffee.  to cut my story short, only the coffee was good.  the pasta was bland and tasteless and the taco filling was 90% garnish and just 10% meat [more of meat paste, actually].

for the first time i was disappointed in my 'home away from home'.  but, no permanent harm done.  the magic is still there, i guess i'll just stick to my good old reliable chicken asparagus sandwich till the next time i'm brave enough to try something else. =P

 [that man is sitting in my favorite booth.  see me in the mirror?]

 my beloved sandwich


Pancake House
2nd Level, SM City
Davao


note:  all pictures were taken a few months ago, during a more satisfying visit.

friday night wish:

i wish i were here right now.

yep, it's that dark in there.  just like an old western saloon should be.

where there is always cold potent brew to be had, you can guzzle yourself to sleep, he he.

where the food menu is international yet unexpectedly cheap, think nasi goreng [this was a strange thing to find] to good old american burgers to european sausages.  don't forget to try the hot mustard!

where you can relax, unwind and cozily chat the night away.  not a bad idea to go by your lonesome too, there's discovery channel to stare at and soothingly faded music in the background.

where you can temporarily forget the outside world and pretend you're in an old cowboy movie, but not looking for trouble of course.

where you can find nice deli items to bring home to your kids, validating your 'me' time/date night or whatever.

i wish i were here right now. [sigh]

 DE BOERDERIJ

106-c DBC Bldg-H, McArthur Hi-way, Matina, Davao City
(near Ma-a junction and NCCC mall)

BayanSpan 082-303-2199

Smart 0921-971-1051

Globe 0927-998-5905

another crabby experience

i can't really say when i started seeing crab buffet restaurants sprouting all over the city.  to date i think i can count 5 recently opened ones.  i don't know why but i think the more high end Let's Crab Eat restaurant pushed for the opening of these more affordable options.

i got my first taste of the 'crab buffet concept' at Sari Makan Crab Buffet Restaurant.  A friend boasted of eating there twice and wanted to go back for more.  So when another friend made a quick round-up of us long time pals, Sari Makan was the first choice to feast in.  Due to the name [Crab Buffet] one friend actually thought that they only served crabs or sea food, which she is allergic to.  We contemplated on buying food for her to bring to the place [lol!].  I on the other hand was apprehensive of the crab thing, being an eat-with-your-hands kind of food, and i also dreaded the laborious task of picking the flesh from the many partitions.  Not worth the effort, most of the time, i thought.

but we were assured that there were other things to eat so we went to the place at 6 p.m.  which turned out to be the best time to arrive in a buffet restaurant.  the food is in all it's fresh, steaming-hot glory, untouched by previous diners, and the best seats in the house [meaning: nearest to the buffet table =P]

the other reason we chose the place was the unbeatable price of P270 per person which was the cheapest in it's league [or so we heard, somebody prove us wrong please].  i prepped myself by washing my hands well, instead of the usual alcogel, as it was going to be a serious meal up ahead.

the place had a straightforward, no frills ambience [hence we did not have to pay for it, he he] and can seat up to around 30 comfortably.  More importantly, i noted that the place was well-lit and really clean.  true enough there was kaldereta [i think] but it was a goat dish for sure and there was also kare-kare [oxtail stew].  Both were delicious, my friends swore, and tender too.  i can't vouch for the taste though as i do not eat goat nor beef.

i stuck to the sole crab and prawn dish which was really yummy i had to exclaim, 'sauce pa lang, ulam na!'  and the requisite fried chicken leg and of course my beloved rice.

the prawns were scrumptious.  as for the crabs, some parts were over-cooked and paste-like in texture.  but the claw-meat, which was intact and perfect, plus the finger-licking, lip-smacking sauce more than made up for that and the fact that there was hardly any aligue [crab roe].  they also had a decent dessert spread which i unfortunately, had no room for anymore.

i polished off, i think, 3 whole crabs [they were small okay] and a few more claws =P.  plus, there's something about sharing a meal with friends who are more like sisters, it just made it all more enjoyable and appetizing.

so if you ask me, yes it was worth all the effort of picking at the flesh.  they had more than the usual shell cracker, there was also a crab pick which suspiciously looked like a manicure-pedicure tool [just joking].

seriously though, i'd definitely go and get my hands crab-dirty all over again with my girls, anytime. =D

p.s.  sorry there are no actual crab pics as it was in-between refill time when i got up to take pictures. =P

Sari Makan Crab Buffet Restaurant
Bonifacio St. [beside Alsons]
Davao City

Davao's Big 'Little-Secret' Food Court

having lunch at 3pm poses 2 problems.

1 - you're so hungry, all the will power you need to keep your vow of skipping rice for a month is gone the minute you see the food line-up.

2 - you're so hungry, your brain can't seem to zero in on any food establishment which will seem worthy of an inevitable food binge [not to mention, thinking of one that won't put a hole in your pocket]

well, it happened to us yesterday and after about a few minutes of wasting gasoline trying to think of a place to eat, my sister finally remembered an eatery she wanted to try.  she said she saw a long line of 'lunchers' around a week ago.

the place is the opposite of hoity-toity, but it's not your scary possibly-hepa-a-infested venue either. it's like the in-between of a fastfood and 'carenderia', but with restaurant trimmings. think: non-aircon, turo-turo style service, banquet tables, wine glasses, breakable serving-ware and plate-ware.  and an abundance of RC cola drinks.

the food was great considering the price, tasty, and the variety of choices was mind-boggling, from streetfood fare of crispy chicken skin, to lutong-bahay guisadong gulay to fish wrapped in pandan leaves on a bed of coconut milk-based sauce.

as a result we ended up sharing 3 cups of rice, 7 servings of different ulam and 2 bottles of RC cola.  we only spent P188.

i checked out the rest of the place with its super high ceilings and an odd shaped serving and dining area, it was a hot day but the heat wasn't so bad with the ceiling fans.  i think it used to be a company-building garage in its other life.  i was all the more surprised to discover that it was a wi-fi zone.

the place was surrounded by dormitories and a school was just a block away, hence the long lines at meal hours.  they close at 12 midnight and there are viands displayed all day long, prepared at odd times.

as we were about to leave, the staff was displaying 2 freshly cooked, steaming-hot viands, making us wish we had just arrived.

TOP SAW FOOD COURT
Narra St., Davao City [between Sta. Ana Avenue and Monteverde St.]

a kitchen that's bound to grow bigger

Tiny Kitchen, if memory serves me right, started out by selling their bread in supermarkets.  the nice packaging made me get one loaf and try it.  the next thing i remember is that they began selling bottled tuyo and other delicacies and not long after, they had their own tiny store in Mabini St.

they sell all kinds of baked goodies as well as frozen ones you could re-heat in the home oven.  i used to tell the lady behind the counter to put tables so they can serve dine-in customers.  and about a year after that, they did open up a new and bigger shop.  slowly the menu board started to fill-up with yummy sounding items.  i finally found the time to sit down and eat there today.  they had a new pasta item on the menu, but the name escapes me now, dang!

it was Penne something, something that was definitely spanish.  i loved it.  it was obvious that they used great ingredients as it tasted nothing like those canned sauces we usually get in restaurants serving pasta [ you know, even the imported ones taste like the can they came in]

the sauce of this dish is rich but not cloying.  you could taste the spanish chorizo it was infused with, and the mussels were soft and tender with no fishy smell at all.  i usually don't like mopping up left-over sauce with bread but this time i did.  i wiped the dish clean. Yum!

TINY KITCHEN
F. Torres St., Davao City
[082]2346095

p.s. the pasta dish is named Penne Catalonia.  and i was right, it is spanish.

a sad coffee experience

the heat in davao is unbearable and one particularly hot afternoon, just the other day, as a matter of fact,  as i was leaving SM to claim my car from the 'in-house' carwash... he he, that was a very good example of a run on sentence, a really bad one. Lol, anyways, on with my story.

i espied the hot sun as i was about to leave SM and to delay my encounter with a blast of hot air, i decided to arm myself with a cold coffee.  i  dropped in on Karl's Koffee Korner and ordered a really cold and really strong frapp.  i was not familiar with the menu, so i asked help from the server.  he told me that their coffee frappe was the strongest, given that it is made purely of coffee, no chocolate or ice cream to tone it down.  i paid a hundred bucks for their coffee frappe and eagerly waited for my respite from the heat.

when the barista gave me my order i noticed that the color of the concoction seemed suspiciously pale, i took a sip and to my dismay, i tasted sweet and creamy with just a hint of coffee.  i told her that i asked for a really strong one and she answered me with 'but all our frappes are made from light coffee' [whatever that means].  i repeated that i ordered strong coffee. of course, she just repeated what she first said.

i asked why the other server said that it was a strong blend.  she countered me with, 'ah, among the 3 frappe flavors, that was the strongest, but it is made of light coffee.'  i was contemplating on just accepting my plight, i was too lazy to argue, when she [the barista] said, if i wanted it strong they can add espresso, but i have to pay an additional 60 pesos.  stupefied from the confusion, i agreed, paid the additional charge, and waited again.

after a few moments, my order was ready and looked slightly darker than what i was first served with.  thinking that i got what i paid for, a whopping P160.00 for a frappe, i accepted the coffee, stood up and left Karl's.  as i sipped it on my way to the car wash, i noticed that the thing was not as heavy as the original version they first gave me. my mouth then met a tepid, watery, and slightly bitter excuse of a coffee frapp.  and after a few sips, there was no more liquid left  the cup was still more than half full, of whipped cream that is.

let's just say that, the sun, and time, were on their side.  i had no intentions of marching back to Karl's and extending my 'fun' in the sun.  and i had to rush to the airport besides.  i muttered to myself why i didn't just accept the order as is.  cold, thick, creamy and sweet was definitely better than lukewarm, watery, and almost tasteless coffee.

lessons learned from the experience:

1. leave well enough alone
2. never go back to Karl's Koffee Korner

starting from the core

it's going to be my fifth session tomorrow.  and so far, i'm loving every minute of it.  i first got introduced to Pilates more than five years ago.  i was in cebu and one of my friends there asked me if i wanted to try a new fitness work-out she recently started.  one thing i couldn't forget about that session was the fact that it sapped out your energy, even if you hardly moved with your back flat on a mat 99% of the time.  it was one calorie-burning session indeed.  i never tried it again though, as i was in my active phase then, i preferred the usual weights and cardio exercises you usually get in gyms.

this time though, since i wanted something new and not so hard on the joints, i decided to try pilates again.  i checked out Coreworks Pilates, as recommended by my sister and some friends.  Conveniently located on my way to work, it was not difficult to decide on the place.

One big plus is the fact that your work-out sessions are done one-on-one with a certified instructor, i need all the pressure i can get.  my main goal is to lose weight but i soon learned that i could do that and so much more. I happily discovered that Pilates can do wonders for my posture and i'll dare hope a little bit more, i might even learn to move with more grace.  But the best thing about it is, it's one of the best exercises for scoliotics like me.

on the first meeting i was told that it was going to be a mental and physical exercise.  i soon learned what Marie, my instructor, meant as she started spewing out instructions for each and every movement you were supposed to make.  Focus is vital to execute a movement correctly.  Lose concentration for a moment and you suddenly have no idea what it is you are supposed to do.  in a way, it is a chance to forget about everything else.  forget about the work waiting for you in the office.  forget about what to prepare for dinner, forget about the errands you still have to do.  instead, you think about each flex and point you make, how you are supposed to keep your back flat while doing the leg movements, and making sure you are getting all the force and energy from your core [which simply means your abdomen].  if you manage to execute even just a few perfect moves, you are rewarded with a sore core the day after. =D

so if you are looking for that new thing that will drive you out of the gym rut, the ennui to get fit, try out the sessions at Coreworks Pilates.  They are one of only two centers in the Philippines who have authentic equipment and certified staff.  Yes the session rates are pricey but definitely worth every peso.

this picture from here.

Corework Pilates Rehab and Fitness Center

Patio Valencia Corporate Center, Jacinto-Mapa Sts.

Davao City, Philippines, 8000

Phone: 082-3008838

Open Mon - Sat: 8:00 am - 9:00 pm