Dining Snippets in Davao City: Lachi’s x Penong’s x The Pinnacle Hotel and Suites x Marina Tuna
LACHI’S
Last June, I was scheduled to fly to Davao City to conduct a surprise audit for work so I decided to extend my supposed ‘balikan’ flight to a night and two days to be able to get to eat around Davao City. I’m a huge fan of Mikey Chen’s vlogs so most of the places I visited were patterned after the restaurants he visited when he went to Davao City.
MILD LAING (P90) and UNFORGETTABLE GRILLED PORK RIBS (P195)
First on the list was Lachi’s Comfort Food. Although popular for its desserts, Lachi’s is still able to serve up quite a lengthy list of comfort food rice meals at extremely affordable prices. My mom opted for the Mild Laing (a spicier option is also available); which made for a hearty rice pair. It simply consisted of flavorful gabi leaves stewed in a light coconut milk broth which was well-balanced in flavor, and was delightfully lighter than what I'm accustomed to. On the other hand, I opted for the Unforgettable Grilled Pork Ribs, which came clothed in a finger-licking good barbecue sauce. The meat was tender, but not fall-off-the-bone tender. The ribs were tasty and well-marinated that you won't find the need for more sauce; but what made them worthy of being called 'unforgettable' was its value-for-money rather than its taste.
LACHI’S SANS RIVAL (P81/slice)
The highlight of the meal was definitely its Sans Rival, which effortlessly beats out all the other sans rivals I’ve tasted. To be honest, its Sans Rival didn’t come with any frills or surprises. It simply consisted of layers of cashews, meringue, and butter filling; but the end result was simply perfection. This is the epitome of a perfect sans rival. It would be hard to find another that would top this! A Durian variant of their Sans Rival is also available for the more adventurous.
Lachi’s
Values School, Door 1-H Ruby St., Poblacion District, Davao City
Date of Visit: June 1, 2019 with Lily Chua
PENONG’S
Penong’s was a popular recommendation from the Let’s Eat Pare Facebook group, so I figured that it was worth a visit. Penong's is your typical ‘ihawan’ or grilled meats restaurant; which meant that it was not air-conditioned; so it's best to eat here when it's a bit breezy.
SIZZLING SQUID (P250) and PORK BBQ (P109)
Similar to its counterparts in Manila, the restaurant offers unlimited rice and unlimited soup with their grilled fare, which guarantees a filling meal for any hungry stomach. One amusing thing about it though is that the restaurant encourages you to call the waiters’ attention by clapping your hands; instead of simply raising them. It took a while for us to get over the awkwardness of doing so though!
We ordered the Pork BBQ, which came with three small sticks; each boasting of glistening juicy and well-marinated pork. Douse them in vinegar and you’re good to go. These were good, but nowhere close to the barbecue sticks I’ve had in Puerto Princesa; especially since the fat - to - meat ratio tended to go over 1. Surprisingly, it was the Sizzling Squid which grabbed our attention that night. Served on a sizzling plate, the squid was perfectly tender. The gravy left a lot to be desired taste-wise, so it's best to swap it with the ever trusty toyo-mansi dip so as not to waste such a perfectly cooked squid.
Penong’s
Sta. Ana Avenue, Poblacion District, Davao City (2 minute walk from The Pinnacle Hotel and Suites)
Date of Visit: June 1, 2019 with Lily Chua
THE PINNACLE HOTEL AND SUITES
I decided to stay at The Pinnacle Hotel and Suites for the sole reason that it was only a few minutes away from our Davao office.
Armed with zero expectations, I was completely blown away by the staff’s warm hospitality and the hotel's killer food selection. Hotels are notorious for serving mediocre food at unjustifiable prices which was why I was surprised to have tasted the best Calamares I’ve had in my life via their room service! Priced at P320, their Crispy Calamares Fritto were beautiful golden brown squid rings that can easily give American casual dining restaurants such Fish and Co a run for their money. I honestly just expected them to deep-fry frozen boxed calamari from the supermarket; but theirs featured thick squid rings delicately clothed in a light crisp batter. Mom ordered their Leche Flan (P185) and was blown away with how smooth and rich theirs were. If the quality of their room service fare was this good, imagine how much better these would be dined in their restaurant! Unfortunately, we were too hungry to snap proper photos of our room service fare, so allow me to compensate for this with photos from their equally impressive breakfast buffet.
Despite being a boutique hotel, the hotel’s breakfast can easily compete with those found in fancier hotels when it comes to variety in selection and food quality. Dishes such as Sliced Beef in Oyster Sauce and Lechon Kawali are served alongside your typical waffles and eggs. The Chicken Inasal and its omelette from their egg station were definite standouts.
The buffet also offered featured unlimited rounds of refreshing fruit juices, and swapped the ubiquitous Arroz Caldo for some hearty Chicken Mami and Seafood Soup. It also served up freshly made kakanin next to their pastry selection.
I adore taho, so I was ecstatic when I saw that it was being served in the buffet. Apart from making the beancurd incredibly silky, the restaurant takes it up a notch by topping it with some fresh langka! This was a much welcome twist to such a Filipino staple!
The Pinnacle Hotel and Suites
Sta. Ana Avenue, Poblacion District, Davao City
Dates of Visit: June 1-2, 2019 with Lily Chua
MARINA TUNA
GRILLED PANGA (P90/100g)
Seeing Mikey Chen happily gnaw on his Grilled Panga (Jaw) in a vlog on Strictly Dumpling was enough reason for me to arrange a visit to Marina Tuna. The restaurant boasts of a wide range of seafood that can be cooked in almost every way you want them to. Tempting as it was to try out its other dishes, my stomach was set on being fed the Grilled Panga. Boy, did it deliver! The gorgeous tuna jaw boasted of tender meat oozing with its own juices. Pair this up with some spiced toyomansi and rice, and it’s pure heaven. I honestly won't mind having this every single day!
GRILLED SQUID (P120/100g)
Since we’ve been pampered with surprisingly excellent squid dishes throughout our short stay in Davao, I figured that it’s best to have one more round of squid during our last meal. We opted for the Grilled Squid, which unfortunately, was too overcooked. It's just ironic that it was a restaurant that specialized in seafood which messed up cooking the squid. Taste-wise though, it was still delicious as the squid came clothed in a delectably light soy sauce.
Marina Tuna
2F, Skygarden, SM Lanang, Davao City
Date of Visit: June 2, 2019 with Lily Chua
