I used to hate airports. There was a time it was just a transit point to and from places, but after several years of hopping from one to the next, I have learned to – at the very least – appreciate them, by finding out what they offer to the travel weary visitors. They somehow help you relax and shake off that sense of paranoia that innately accompanies visiting ports of entries and exits.
A few months ago, I received an email from someone who requested if I could list down some of the shops and restaurants available at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport, aka Davao International Airport located in southern Philippines in the island of Mindanao. After considering this request, finally here are the shops just immediately prior to proceeding to the Pre-departure area:
Recommended – Suka at Sili (Vinegar and Pepper) is the airport’s modest branch of a bigger fine-dine Filipino Restaurant found at the city center. Great tasting food though a bit on the upmarket side (pictured above).
I recently caught myself with a three-hour delayed flight by PAL Express (formerly Airphil Express) so they "treated" their guests to a free dinner. What we got was the dullest fish fillet I have ever encountered in my life, paired with the miniscule cup of iced tea. I actually took two bites from my fish then left the whole piece altogether. There goes my recommendation! :)
R and R's Cuppa Lounge is found just before queuing for the security check to the pre-departure gates. They used to be Karl's Koffee Corner. It has been re-designed into a cozier cafe-style joint with a single waitress manning it. I tried their Tocino meal before: pricey at P150 and not palatable. I am not sure if it's still available now. But what's consistent about this place is their Durian shake. They serve one of the best at the airport. They seem to specialize with Durian coffee so I tried their Durian Frappe at P140 (July 2018). It's amazing how the "musty" flavor of Durian and coffee work pretty well together. Highly recommended.
Solomon’s Den is one of the airport’s pioneering “canteens” way before there were other food joints here. It used to serve fresh home cooked meals on simple canteen-style tables. I complained about stale food and their eternally smirking cafeteria servers but during recent visits (July 2018), the variety of food and service have improved. Meals usually cost P150. There's usually lechon kawali, chicken liver, adobo and monggo beans!
PRE-DEPARTURE SHOPS
There are two shops at the pre-departure area: "A'den - Charles Daniel Cafe" which sells hand bags by Hermes, Nine West, Giordano, etc. - and Sky Go Cafe where you can order sandwiches, coffee or some drinks (no "real" food" and the ones available are at a higher price). The latter is styled like a lounge where techies could surf with their laptop, but the place is a bit low on space and gastronomic options are very limited. If you want to fill your stomach, this isn't the place. If you feel at home sitting on lounges with other keyboard denizens, you'd feel comfortable here.
Meanwhile, A'den's serves rice toppings (the "silog" variety), spaghetti, etc. I've tried their Club Sandwich before. There's several entries in their menu but the last two instances I was there, they only had 2 or 3 items available, they might as well throw the menu to the bin. As stomach filler, they will serve cup noodles.
 |
Sky Go Cafe (above and below) is located at the other end of the pre-departure area, away from the boarding gates. |
 |
Cheese and Egg sandwich (PhP100) at A'Den Cafe is mercilessly tasteless. And those are crackers/chips, not french fries. A'Den is a busy shop boasting of space at the Pre-departure Area; one of the only 2 cafes. Unfortunately, this relatively expensive shop is stuffy and hot. Their aircon spews warm air so if you're looking for a bit of coolness, this is not the place. Moreover, tables are hardly cleared because of the fast and hectic turnover with just 2 employees manning the counter. A'Den also sells crocodile leather products. |
2 comments:
And I like duty free shops most at the aiports:)
Me too, just to window shop. Unfortunately, Davao's Airport mostly hosts local flights and very few international flights, thus duty free shops aren't available (unless I mislooked).
Post a Comment