Davao Delicious

They first made themselves known to Dabawenyos along J.P. Laurel Avenue, across from Landco Corporate Centre, beside Petron. Not long after, people began talking about their fantastic Filipino fare. Then they transferred to the Pryce Business Park, beside another gas station, curiously enough.

Can•teen (tagline: hauz of paksiw na buntot ng bariles) prides itself in their piniritong paksiw na buntot ng bariles (P130). Roughly translated, that’s ‘fried stewed tail of tuna’. I’m sure this sounds strange to non-Filipinos. It’s like this: the dish begins as a piece of small tuna (the tail-end half) stewed in vinegar. Once ordered, they flash-fry the tuna and serve it back in the super-sour stew. Don’t miss out on this one!

The taste is simply superb. Paksiw by itself, when done properly, can leave you pining for more. But because it’s fried, the crunchiness of the skin is a delightful contrast to the tender, tasty fish meat. Add to that the spicy tanginess of the garlic-and-vinegar mix… heaven on earth!!

I was there this week with two new blogger-friends, Lyle and Brendel, who were also with us at the 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit. When we were in General Santos City for the bloggers’ event, I noticed that this couple seemed to be into food (and foodnography) as well, so now I have two new food-tripping comrades.

Can•teen is turo-turo style (for the benefit of those who don’t know, it’s a Filipino style of dining out: the food’s laid out like in a buffet, but you pay only for the items that you point at). The three of us also ordered adobong pusit (P40), beef with ginger (P50), tenderloin strips (P50), sari-sari (P40) and dinuguan (P40).

I normally don’t eat dinuguan except in places that I feel comfortable in, but since this place came highly recommended, I thought it would be worth trying. And I was not disappointed at all. For me, Casa Leticia’s dinuguan is still much better, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Can•teen’s.

The place is a simple affair, al fresco, but it’s well-maintained and the service is good. They’re located beside Pryce Gas in Pryce Business Park, J.P. Laurel Ave., Davao City. Tel. 286-1012. They’re open for lunch and dinner everyday.

Here are some food shots I took. I know, I know, they look really oily… but believe me, the paksiw, dinuguan and adobong pusit are really good!

Tags: Filipino, paksiw, stew, tuna

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