Hello from Davao.

A food place of joy: Hudyakaan at the Matina Times Beach

we wanted the pusit to be grilled and stuffed!

Truly a treasure in Davao City is the Matina Times Beach. Honestly, I have seldom eaten such good and fresh seafood! The restaurant named Hudyakaan, which is deep Cebuano and means something like 'place of joy', became one of our favorites!

Hudyakaan at Matine Times Beach

What shall I say, the place is along the seashore. During the day, you have a fantastic view over the ocean and the people who are enjoying time at the beach. Try to go at around 4:30 to 5:30 in the afternoon, get a nappa hut and catch a great sunset while eating!

a "sabaw", a soup with seashells!

The nice staff offers fresh hito for about Php250 the kilo and crabs starting at Php400.

You can choose from the freezer, what your hearts desires. Hudyakaan offers pretty much everything that is about seafood! From crustaceans, seashells to various kinds of fish! The little frozen packages show already a price, including the cooking. The fun part is it is customized; you can tell them how you want it prepared: fried, grilled, as soup or another variation. That is fabulously local and very unique!

big serving of fresh kinilaw

Another plus of this enchanting restaurant is the complimentary like free pineapple as an dessert and peanuts for a snack! We are usually three to five and spend about Php1,500 per dine. A place where it is worth to dine and get busog! A place in Davao City of joy! We just love this restaurant! Maghudya ta!

If you want to make reservations or just want to ask about the menu, call: 304-1066

Take a look at the google location!

we chose the shrimps to be fried in garlic

Matina Times Beach: Doesn't food taste much better with this view on the ocean?

DTI and Private Sector: Creating banana recipes in challenging times

Creating goodies: Banana rum brownies

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) here has tied up with the private sector in creating a number of banana recipes as an effort to innovate, revive the market since the China issue and find new investors.

The Mindanao Banana Congress which was held at SMX Convention Center last November 7 and 8, introduced various recipes made with banana. DTI Davao Regional Director Marizon S. Loreto said by value-adding, more consumers will be enticed to patronize banana products since they will get to enjoy products other than the traditional ones such as banana chips and banana crunch.

She also said that a number of women had been trained to venture into the banana food business like preparing banana chicken salad wrap, banana chocolate cake with banana chip streusel, banana choco cream trifle, banana rum brownies, fresh fruit taco, and banana oatmeal cookies. The project is aimed at empowering women to become self-sustained and confident in running a small business.

This is also a way to process excess banana productions from the dispute over Scarborough shoal islands that created loses as China market, the largest importer of Philippines’ bananas, supporting the livelihood of about 200,000 farmers, had sharpened its quarantine policy and there had been a decreasing exports to other international markets.

According to National Statistics Office (NSO), the dominant product forms of banana are cavendish and banana chips. These two generated earnings of US$ 360 million in 2010, or about 99 percent of the total banana export earnings.

how about a banana streusel cupcake

or banana chicken salad wrap

or a banana nut cookie?

Banana growers in Mindanao still suffer loses: China and Europe issues

The banana industry continues to suffer loses as China market, the largest importer of Philippines’ bananas, supporting the livelihood of about 200,000 farmers, had sharpened its quarantine policy and there had been a decreasing exports to other international markets.

The China issue which started early this year with the dispute over the Scarborough shoal islands, wherein China claimed ownership of Philippine territories, has rolled into a national crisis. Mindanao is greatly affected since banana is the islands main export product, aside mangoes and pineapples.

It was reported that scale type insects (Aonidiella comperei) were found in one of the containers, but Chinese quarantine officials claimed to have discovered insects in 43 shipments.

As a result of the issue, thousands of boxes of Cavendish bananas (which are sold at around $2 per box) had been rotting at Shanghai's ports since the mainland is turning down banana shipments from the Philippines that do not conform with the new set quarantine procedures. Mindanao banana growers and exporters continue to incur losses of up to P120 million per week.

Then, European buyers are asking for a discount of 20-30 percent. Since European countries are trapped in a crisis themselves, referring to the European sovereign debt crisis (also called the "Eurozone crisis") is since 2009 an ongoing financial crisis that has made it difficult or even impossible for some countries (like Greece or Spain) in the euro zone to repay or re-finance their government debt without the assistance of third parties, Philippine banana importers are pressured to offer at lower prices.

And this move has lead to stopped production and even closure of small time banana growers. Others have diverted their selling to the Middle East market or Russia, at a much lower price starting at $1.43 per box, or ventured into banana chips, making banana cake or exploring other recipes to find a market. Another option many growers turn to is to plant areas of cacao and coconut instead of banana.

The Best Flame Broiled Burger and Ribs in Davao City: Riley Simon

Grilled pork ribs (good for five persons)

Riley Simon branch in Ecoland

The other day, we were graving for just some good food. Something different, but maybe still with rice. We had no expectations. We were just human and hungry and our senses were open to anything new. That is when my boyfriend suggested his colleague's recently opened resto named Riley Simon Grilled Burger and Ribs, said to be the best flame broiled burger and ribs in town!

We drove over to their second branch (newly opened this November) at Ecoland, long Quimpo boulevard. The place is small but very cozy. It was lunch time and I expected it to be crowded but we still had a good table for four near their bar. We were lucky and the owner herself was around and suggested to try their specialty grilled pork ribs (good for five persons) that comes with five rice servings, two liter of blended ice tea which cost Php550 all in all. We were positively surprised about the big serving size of the rice and then of the ribs... not to mention and the taste! It tasted soft and tender, just right! And they serve generously BBQ sauce which is really awesome to eat with!

The waiting time is about 10 to 15 minutes which is still in very reasonable time frame. The place is small but well designed and lighted. While waiting we had so much fun reading all the quotes on the wall about life and love. Makes the waiting time even shorter than it seems.

The menu offers enough for everyone's taste at affordable prices (take a look at their menu below). We liked that place very much! Happy to know another burger-ribs pig out place in town!

Opening time: everyday from 10am to 10pm.

locations:

Their giant burger

Their menu

Backyard Burgers: Customized burgers, made the way you want it!

On Facebook, I learn most about new food places here in town. But it took me two months to finally try Backyard Burgers. Why it took me that long? After their burger, I asked that myself as well.

Backyard Burgers is located on Tulip Drive, across the street from SM City Davao's Annex building. It is behind the former Marikina Shoe Exchange. Honestly, it is not a fancy place and it honors it names of giving the backyard-feeling.

The edge of BB is that they do customized burgers. You can choose how you want to have it packed, from the bun, sauce, toppings to cheese and some other add ons. But if you are not adventures and settle the first time for something save and proven, they offer Yard Menu and Bestsellers.

Here are the steps for the customized burgers:

STEP 1: Choose Your Bun
- Sesame Bun (Php 8)
- Bagel (Php 18)
- Jumbo Black Sesame Bun (Php 18)

STEP 2: Choose Number of Patties
- 1 (Php 80)
- 2 (Php 150)
- 3 (Php 220) with FREE Regular Fries
- can be more than 3! :)

STEP 3: Choose Your Sauce
- Ketchup & Mayonnaise (FREE!)

Php 20 / FREE for 2 Patties or more
- Garlic Mayo Sauce
- Wasabi Mayo Sauce
- Barbecue Sauce
- TL Sauce (Spicy BBQ Sauce)
- Garlic Tartar Sauce

- Steak Sauce (Php 25 / FREE for 3 Patties or more)
- Ranch Dressing (Php 30)
- BB Specialty Sauce (Php 30)

STEP 4: Choose Your Toppings
Php 15 / FREE for 2 Patties or more
- Pickles, 5 pcs per serving
- Coleslaw
- Shoe String Potatoes

Php 15 each
- Caramelized Onions
- Onion Ring, 1 ring per serving

- Japanese Nori (Php 18 / FREE for 2 Patties or more)
- Sauteed Button Mushrooms (Php 25)
- Bacon, 1 strip per serving (Php 30)- Ham, 2 slices per serving (Php 30)
- Yakiniku Beef, 1 strip per serving (Php 30)

FREE!
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Cucumber

STEP 5: Choose Your Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese Slice (Php 25)
- Cheddar Cheese Slice, imported (Php 35)
- Quickmelt Cheese (Php 30)
- Cheesy Dip (Php 30)
- Cream Cheese (Php 35)

The downside was that you have to wait. But we were very willing to wait if it is good food. And we were not disappointed. We ordered two of their bestsellers (Php160 each), and both were fantastic in taste. The meat was juicy and the sauces different from other burgers. Although, their buns were a bit stale and maybe a bit small, all in all it was really good, worth going and experiencing.

if you want to drop by, here are the addresses:
Oh and yes they do delivery!

Backyard Burgers, Door 4 Lim Building, Tulip Drive, Davao City, tel: 295-6935
Backyard Burgers, Quirino Avenue, Davao City, tel: 285-1377
http://www.davaoburgers.com
http://www.facebook.com/backyardburgersdavao

The Wonders at Bankerohan Market

The wonders at Bankerohan market offers to Dabawenyos everything

that makes a Pinoy food a perfect dish.

FRUITS

Davao offers the perfect place to grow various kinds of fruits. It abundance of tropical fruits has made its name all over the country and far abroad its boundaries. Incredible fruits that make your kind of dish perfect.

We might even call Davao Philippine's Banana Republic No. 1 - our agricultural sector is said to earn $1billion a year by exporting bananas all over the country, Asia and to Western Countries, might it be as fruit or as delicious banana chips. Banana are a great food choice here in the city: Php 5 for Banana BBQ sprinkled with sugar is a good snack along the way! Dont to miss out the well known Beef Stew with Banana pieces! a local delicacy!

Especially Durian which is cultivated in the fertile grounds in Calinan, you can buy at its lowest price at Bankerohan crossing. Even off season you can make a good bargain of PhP50 to 100. Of course, during the peak season in Davao, around August, you can get it as cheap as Php 20 to 35 depending on the kind and seize. I can much recommend Puyat and Arancillo (native Durians) that are said to be the sweetest types that have a smooth texture in its spiky cover. But to those who have some health issues like high blood pressure, beware, it might shoot your score a bit too high. Despite that fact, Durian is a unique dessert that adds a rafinesse and a smile to your guest's lips. Different. Rich in flavour. A food of Gods.

Jacks Fruits is huge and prickly - might be mistaken by the first look as Durian. The inside shows a big number of yellow pods which have an amazing sweet taste. Experienced Filipinas know how to perfect dishes by adding the yellow fruit in Fruit Salads, Binignit or Beef Stew!

VEGETABLES

Food, food, food... and vegetables cannot be left out at a Filipino dish. Like Malungay, a tree with small green leaves. The leaves are full of minerals and has a good dose of Vitamin C. Soups are refined with that kind of healthy leaves - quite affordable at Php10 at Bankerohan!

Eggplant are renowned for its deeply purple, glossy beauty as well as its unique taste (yet pleasantly bitter) and spongy texture - which makes it to another essential ingredient in the Philippine cuisine. Eggplant also contains important phytonutrients, many which have antioxidant activity (free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage).

Another amazing vegetable to work with in dishes is Ampalaya. Ampalaya is a quite bitter taste, the most bitter among its kind. Research about Ampalaya has shown that Amplaya increases the production of beta cells by the pancreas, which improves the body’s ability to produce insulin. Insulin controls the blood sugar for diabetics which is quite important. Aside, it is an excellent sources of Vitamin B, iron, calcium, and phosphorus. It is also rich in beta carotene which we need for our hair and nails.

FISH

Tilapia, a fresh water fish which is caught in shallow streams and rivers along the seashores of Davao river or the wider sea. Another fish in Davao is the Lapu-Lapu, a quite tasty fish if steamed or cooked well. Especially nice with vegetables and sweet-sour sauce, daw. The fish was named after the hero of Mactan, Lapu-Lapu, who is known as the first native of the archipelago to have resisted Spaniards attempt to colonize the island, and is now regarded as a Filipino hero. Two ladies there showed me all their fishes from fresh over to tried fish, the Bulad.

A salty delicacy here! The smell was different, it smelt like sand and the wide ocean, which was a surprise to a girl who used to live back home merely out of the fridge.

Wondering about Mangosteen

I used to stay near the Bankerohan market, the biggest market place in Davao. On one day, being dismissed by class earlier, I went around the place looking for some bread. My attention was caught by two stands offering "round shiny kamote" (kamote, is some a purple sweet potatoe), I thought.

To my amazement, when the vendor offered me one to taste, I didnt know if I am supposed to bite into it right away of peel it like an orange.

The opening of this fruit was quite a stunning presentation! The vendor squeezed firmly from both sides the fruit and opening it, in it where little white pulps!

The taste was a cross between a mandarin and a peach, a bit sour yet sweet - weird, but still impressive to me as a European.

The fruit I am referring to is named Mangosteen. Mangosteen is a tree fruit mostly found in the Pacific islands, Asia and Africa.

Mangosteen is said to have a couple of good health benefit. Many folks use this little fruit as a home remedy.

I made some research and summarized the benefits:

Pain reliever. It has an anti-inflammatory effect which assist in reducing the inflammation, pain and joint damage (arthritis) or any other pain caused by sport and minor injuries.

Keeping blood vessels clean through decreasing free radical damage and inflammatory build up.

Maintains cholesterol level, protect heart muscle, lower high blood pressure.

Boost energy. The fruit cotains vitamin C, fiber, potassium and even some biologically active compounds like Catechins and Proanthocyanidins.

Anti-oxidant. Mangosteen has an antioxidant content mostly found in the rind. This unique antioxidant content is called Xanthones. In laboratory vitro study (test tube), mangosteen xanthones possess anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antioxidant properties. However, there is no proof that these xanthones have the same effect when taken orally as when tested in a laboratory setting so far.

Maintain intestinal health, which is needed to relieve diarrhea, constipation and helps to get a normal bowel health

For the beauty. What I have been trying to work on was my skin problems. It is said to fight against bacteria which causes some acne. And was positive about the result.

It is said to decrease blood sugar Type II diabetes by making insulin more effective.

It may help to manage weight and even to reduce body fat

Yet, Mangosteen is also controversial in its health benefit, labeled as "a fruit too good to be true" and and "not enough scientific proof". Despite the mangosteen controversy, you can decide for yourself what is in your best interests. At the end, it is a fruit and healthy to an extend, but maybe not the miraculous answer to healing sicknesses.

Eating at Bankerohan: Indulging in the Local Cuisine

Bankerohan market is the palengke of all markets in the region and a local sightseeing point.

Ever since, there has been my favourite carinderia of the entire city. It is a quite hidden place in the inner portion of the considered to be the biggest market in Visaya-Mindanao area.

Just ask your way to the fruit market, watch out for the pomelo stands and walk all the way inside.

Honestly, it might take you a certain degree of overcoming your inner inhibitions. Why, you might wonder. Many times we have learned that the design of the eating place reflects the quality of the food. Yet, here my friends, you will be proven wrong. Many of my friends called it crappy and rocked-down. And yes, I have to agree. But once you seat down and ordered their specialties like a soup of Hinalang (a very hot broth soup with more little chili, vegetables and Baka meat), Balbacua (an orange colored soup with Baka meat and bones), Bulalo, Corizo (Spanish sausage) and Crispy Pata (friend pork) are a few to mention of their specialtie.

Every now and then, it would take me there with my boyfriend and friends. A fun place for the small pocket money, yet to fill up your hunger to the brim. A must-see and must-ate for all visitors.

Only if you have gone and allowed to indulge yourself into the local way of cuisine, you are allowed to call yourself a Davaoeno.

Yesterday, I took my parents there just to show them the place. My dad was cheerful and said we should try immediately, while my mom wrinkled her nose (and SHE IS in fact a Filipina) which made us laugh. After the good food, a good chitchat with the staff, we were all happy and headed home. I would say they passed with flying colors.

Hinalang soup

Bisaya: How to Huggle like a local

The best huggling I have learned is Saturday mornings at the Bankerohan markets, the place of the real locals!

Davaoenos are very nice and open to a little huggling
over the real price.

Try these phrases:

Ayo-ayo! - Hello! (an expression to show that you are there)

Pila ani? - How much is this? (you are pointing on the item)
Tag pila ni? - How much is one?

Sus, mahal naman! - Gees, that is expensive! (insert a stress on the last word to express your concern)

(as a foreigner I always thought that emphasizing the price factor might create a discomfort between me and the vendor, worse, he might be really turned off and irritated. But not at all. It is even quite amusing to them to hear foreigners hear speaking Bisaya and trying to entertain such concern by meeting half-way the price!)

Wala'y mas mura? - Isn't there any cheaper?

Pwede mag-hanyo? - Is it negiotable?

Sige na lang! - Come on please! You can/could do it! (fantastic expression to encourage in a nice way the vendor to push down the price a bit)

Salamat kaayo! - Thank you very much!

Finding the real locals: Bankerohan Public Market

The Bankerohan Public Market is the palengke of all markets here in the region. You can get there your everyday needs. But it is for the kitchen and gourmet friends who will find quite treasures: best vegetables and meat assortment, colorful fruits, fresh seafood from the sea, dried goods, beautiful flowers, sweet treats, inspiring spices of the region are the main attractions of this market.

Bankerohan market is known to be the biggest in the Visaya-Mindanao. It is located in the downtown area of Davao City, along Father Selga Street which is parallel to the river.

The market is full of life from Monday to Sunday, 24/7 and all year long! The vendors are nice and accommodating, always willing to give you tips and leaving alley to huggle!

Most of the people do know how to speak English, at least the basics. If you like to engage into conversation and huggling in Bisaya and get closer to the real culture, read this here.

A woman selling Suman

What I love most about this market are the real locals and colorful display of food. You cannot help but get cheered up by its beauty and carried away with the wide choices of food. Make friends and come back to your Suki (a local term for a vendor of your trust and whom you patronize every now and then). Once you have your own Suki, be sure she/he is more than willing to repay your loyalty with some discounts and freebies.

Another tip I need to give here is to encourage you to, literally, go deeper into the market happening, inside the building with the fruits (look for the pomelo stands).
Find your way in and look for the carenderias, little eating places. Now this is what I call truly endulging into a culture, not just for your taste buds. Read and see more here.

dried fish, called bulad

Kutsinta & co.

Head Bounty Increase: Php6 mio for Ryan "Baktin" Yu, Rody Duterte

The incumbent Davao City Vice Mayor, Rodrigo Duterte, increased the bounty for carnap syndicate leader Ryan Cain "Baktin" Yu from Php5 million to Php6 million by January 2013. This announcement was made last Tuesday night at the AFP/PNP basketball tournament at Davao City Recreation Center. The additional Php1 million is intended to speed up the the search.

"Pagdating ng January wala pa kayong ginawa, I will raise another P1 million, to make it P6 million," so Duterte.

Duterte, also known with the nickname The Punisher, said that the P2 million of the total bounty money comes from a car dealer. This certain car dealer, the vice mayor pointed out, is mad at Yu for having put a bad light on his business. Yet, Duterte did not want to open the name of this person.

The Vice Mayor, who is running for the mayoral post in the coming 2013 elections, announced earlier a reward of P5 million to the person who can capture and deliver Yu's head on ice to him. He also offered a reward of P4 million if Yu is killed and P2 million to any information leading to his arrest.