The Best of Davao

The best-est in Davao are the fruits _ the best quality of banana, mango, pomelo, lanzones, marang (click here ), rambutan , durian (click here, here and here ) mangosteen,  etc.etc. . .

They come cheap too. Especially if they were in season. Almost triple the price if you would buy them here in Manila.

The second best-est is that we have relatives based in Davao. luckiness!!!!



So during the recent (2010) Kadayawan when most of the fruits were in season, we flew to Davao , took a blast savoring all the fruits there. We could only eat so much and not so much to take home, prevented by baggage allowance.

So thoughtful cuz' Sylvia came in the rescue. She sent us a follow-up fruit box after a week of Kadayawan and while we were all back here in Manila missing the sweetness of Davao fruits and our relatives too.

The only fruit that was not in season during Kadayawan was pomelo, another flagship fruit of Davao. In the box included few pomelos  with ate Sylv's promise that she would send later when the pomelo season come.

And ...

true to her word, ate Syv sent us a box of suha (pomelo) this month of January 2011.

The pink seedless pomelo is to die for. I'm salivating  just seeing this photo of the suha she sent.

Ofcourse, they were gone the minute they arrived. I'm not sure with cousin ( she does hording so well, hehe).

So Ate Sylv_ you know why I'm posting this one_ where's the other pomelo box you promise to send again? hahaha!  We're waiting =)))))))

Citra Mina, Davao

I'm craving for this tuna chicharon of Citra Mina. I had done rounds of grocery tours ( here in Manila) looking for it or some other brand of tuna chicharon but found nothing. It's made of tuna (fish) skin. So crunchy and spicy, dipping it to a vinegar mix makes it so much more delicious.




Well, I guess I have to visit Davao again just so I could fully indulge on this awesome junk crunch. Unless, otherwise one of my kindhearted Davao relatives read this and you know send some lovin' package of Citra Mina's.




This was at Citra Mina in Davao City. I love this fish store with lots of  TUNA! Right  there were so much variants of tuna and at  lower prices compared to what we have here in Manila.

Cousin specifically pointed to us how we should not pass on the availability of the big eye toro ( huge variant of tuna with so much flavors ). She said it was rarely available so we made sure to take some pieces of it back home. While there in Davao, cousin had served some recipes around the special big eye.




tuna ceviche




tuna in coconut cream




So if you get to visit the city, make sure to squeeze in some time to visit Citra Mina. I also took home some of the processed cold cuts and they were good, especially the tuna longanisa. Chao!

Dessert Bar

As a finale', the Pearl Farm's buffet dessert table (see salad bar here and main entrees here ) showcased pastries, fruit salad, and fresh fruits. Sweets that I could never ever resist.

tropical fruits- pomelo, mangosteen , watermelon

watermelon

pomelo

papaya

mangoes

apples

mandarin and oranges

these pastries were very christmasy to me, must be the colors ;)

Happiness ;}}

Lunch Entrees

I know, I invited you to stay for the lunch entrees and it took me almost five days to serve you the dishes. After posting the appetizers I had to jump out from this virtual little screen to spend a bonding weekend with my family ( that too would be served to you later :D).

Anyhoo, hope I didn't make you starving for the promised lunch entrees. Remember, we were back at Samal Islands' Pearl Farm lunch buffet.

Pearl Farm has a pretty Pavillion, fit to accommodate hundreds if not a a thousand guests. It is open air and the ocean air breezes sweetly. Furniture and ornaments are tribal mixed with modern amenities.

Now let's divulge the contents of the pots :

I consumed bits and pieces from each pot but definitely left a big room for the desserts, which ofcourse are may favorite parts of a buffet.

Desserts coming up !

Salad Bar

Pearl Farm Beach Resort in Samal Island offers one of the best buffet lunches in town. One post woudn't be enough to accommodate all dishes. So let me start with the salad and appetizer bars. The salad bar was beautifully presented in a separate room along with the dessert bar . As back draft, there was a glass window which framed green garden outside. It then offered fresh green ambiance which aptly enhanced the appetizing sight of the salad dishes.

An extensive parade of salad dishes and dressings flaunted on the table. Arrays of colors- green , yellow,orange and olive, painted the concoctions.

At the near end of the buffet table, another sett of appetizer choices awaited a different bunch of foodies. Those whose palates were awaken by the sinful oil. In there were fried dishes like crackling pork fats, chicken wings and garlic eggplant drizzled with oil to the max.

Personally I indulged in the greens and cheeses and yes tried a bit of the fried appetizer. Stay for the main entree'. Coming up next ;\\\\\\\\\\\D