Davao Delicious

  With its cobalt-blue lighting and intriguing name, the Blue Carabao Eatery stands out above the other karinderya joints on Sobrecarey St., Bo. Obrero, Davao City.

I’d heard that they served a mean bulalo, so off I went to Blue Carabao for a spot of dinner. Turns out it’s Pochero (Bisaya style) and Hinalang that they have. For the benefit of those who don’t know, Bisaya-style pochero has no tomato sauce in it (which is how they do it in Luzon). What makes it ‘pochero‘ is the banana. Without the boiled banana (variety: saba), it would simply be nilagang baka.

Hinalang is nilagang baka — beef stew… or is it broth? — but cooked really spicy. But in the case of this bustling 2-year-old eatery, it’s carabao meat, instead of beef.

I had had “carabeef” before, so I thought I knew what to expect when I ordered a serving of pochero. But I was mistaken: the meat was in fact quite tender. And the soup was very, very tasty.

One serving of pochero or hinalang (P45) is a big bowl of piping hot soup and large chunks of meat and vegetables (and boiled bananas if it’s the former). One order serves 2 to 3 people, would you believe?

I also had one serving of Inihaw na Panga ng Bariles (Grilled Jaw of Tuna, P80), which they chop to a manageable size. And yet, it would probably serve 2 people. It was already cold when I got it, though, but still quite flavorful. You see, it’s turo-turo style at Blue Carabao. To my non-Filipino readers: “turo-turo” is like a smorgasbord, but you pay for each item that you get; “turo” means to point.

So, there’s a large glass counter where you can see all their offerings for the day, and you just point to whatever you want, and the attendants hand them to you. Very much like in a cafeteria. The pochero and hinalang are mainstays.

And to my Filipino and Asian readers: you’ll be delighted to know that rice is only P8 per order, and it’s a satisfyingly big serving. It’s cooked really well, too.

After dinner, the owner, Frank Scott, approached and asked me about my meal. I had to apologize to him because I wasn’t able to finish my food — I didn’t want him to think that the food didn’t agree with me. The servings were just so big, and I didn’t want to stuff myself that night.

Frank and his wife Sherry run Blue Carabao. Frank, who hails from Canada, jokingly said that his wife manages the place while he just works as a busboy. Actually, the first time I noticed him, he was clearing tables. They do have very efficient waitstaff. And as well they should, because it’s always jam-packed with people. Frank told me that they get around 1,400 customers everyday.

Beat that! This eatery has certainly hit on the right formula for doing business in the food industry: the right location, affordable prices but big servings, and of course, tasty food!

Blue Carabao
Doors 4 - 7, Sobrecarey St., Bo. Obrero, Davao City
Tel. (82)305-6696
Operating hours: Monday to Sunday, 7am to 10pm

The place is only 2 minutes away from Victoria Plaza Mall. From McDonald’s outside the mall, turn right just after the small parking lot. You won’t miss the place because it’s so blue.

Tags: Filipino, pochero

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