Zark's Burgers - Fat and Tasty Burgers (SM Davao City)

Zark's Burgers is home grown, make no mistake about it. From a small 18-seater, 3-man crew somewhere in Manila in 2009, the restaurant has grown with multiple branches nationwide. 

The restaurant was envisioned as a burger place that's more affordable, value-driven and one that can fill up your tummy with their huge serving of food. It is among the fastest growing restaurant chains in the country. 

From the way they market and present their product, you'd think that they're foreign, but this is as local as the owner who used to work in a cruise ship. 

If you're up for a challenge, Zark's has a humongous 8-patty meal called "The Tombstone" that includes 400 grams of french fries. If you finish the whole monstrosity in 10 minutes, they will do away with your bill worth P599. The current record is 2 minutes and 10 seconds. You don't have to break that record. Just clean your plate within 10 minutes, and your meal is free.

I ordered a set that comes with 3 burgers, a side dish (I chose their sinfully attractive nacho cheese) and 3 glasses of cola drinks - all for just under P600. If you want a no-frills burger, their regular cheeseburger called Zark's Classic is affordable at P119. 

They also have rice meals: Buffalo wings with rice at P169, Chicken fingers with rice at P159, and Bacon and Egg with rice at P149. There are 2 Zark's Burgers in Davao City. In Manila, I saw a branch at the Power Plant Mall.

Zark, by the way, is the owner's name.

Hotel Vicente - Finding a Home in Davao City

Last Kadayawan Festival (August), I found myself scampering for a last-minute booking to visit the city. It wasn't for the annual festivity but for something else. Most of the major hotels were fully booked, understandably. Six hours before my scheduled check-in, I found Hotel Vicente. I arrived but was 3 hours too early so I just registered, left my baggage at the front desk and went my way. 

Later that afternoon, I sent my driver to instruct the front desk to take my luggage to my room. I was wary they might give it away if I didn't show up before midnight.

I booked for a double room (Room 405) which was a spacious, beautifully interiored space at the back of the hotel. It had comfortable bed and pillows, a table where you can work with your laptop; a cable TV, and clean bathroom with functioning fixtures. There were towels and a soap, but some perks (like toothbrush, shampoo) weren't available. Two small bottles of mineral water were given for free. 

Despite its size (5 stories), this quaint hotel has an elevator. Noise level is kept to a minimum since my room didn't face the street. What I had was a view of the city; not impressive but not shabby either. The hotel looked relatively new too. 

The booking included free breakfast served buffet style at Cristobal Restaurant and Bar. Though choice was limited (see photo), for its price, their food sufficed for a decent breakfast. 

Outside breakfast, their menu (see photo) offers a lot of interesting items which, from online reviews, are impressive. Choices include Grilled Tuna Belly and Spare Ribs in White Wine (P275), Sinigang (P215), Pinakbet with Bagnet (P255), Malasugue in Bacalao Sauce (P285), Kare-kare (P325), Humba (P265), Paella (P498 good for 2-3 persons), Lengua (P215), etc. Before I forget, there's a Paella restaurant just across the street, if you're into it.  

At registration, there is a city tax and service charge levied outside your booking (roughly P250). 

A guard watches the door all day on a vine-covered entrance, which makes for good IG photos. As to its location, you'd need a taxi to get to places like Gaisano Mall of Davao (around P100). Victoria Mall (which isn't really much) is closer though. F. Torres, the street where it's located, is actually a food avenue, but the row of restaurants are some 5 blocks away. There's a 7-11 in 3 blocks (where I got a Sinalco Cola) and a Durian Carinderia (selling arancillo variety, with tables) in two blocks. It's also easy to hail a taxi from the hotel.

Sinalco Cola

I was surprised finding a Sinalco Cola at the nearby 7-11. Sinalco Cola is a new cola drink manufactured in Germany. It's main feature is its taste. If you're a fan of Coca Cola, you'd be pleasantly surprised with Sinalco as it tastes almost like Coke: less sweeter than the original or Pepsi, but without the shabby taste of Coke Zero or Coke Light. That's just my take.

Hotel Vicente is a great base if you're in Davao City. It's more affordable than the more popular hotels (though not by much). It has a no-frills operation and the staff are accommodating. It isn't as "central" as Seda, Red Planet, Apo View, or Royal Mandaya which are on major streets, but I prefer to be at the fringes.

Lobby and Front Desk

My breakfast haul

Cristobal Restaurant and Bar

If you're caught smoking, there's a cleaning fee of P2,000 plus a city government fine since Davao is strictly a smoke-free city. Do not contest it coz bigger establishments have tried.

Bathroom 

For your perusal, the menu at Cristobal Restaurant and Bar.

My Sinalco Cola from Germany.

Room with a view?

Durian as Davao's King of Fruits (Davao del Sur, Philippines)

Along the roads of Davao del Sur, south of Davao City, you will sometimes find these makeshift stands selling Durian when they are in season. There are plenty of varieties, but the most popular and reliable is the Puyat variety which has milky meat, smaller seeds, and they're easier to break open. In this collection, there's a "Coob". Other varieties include "Puyat" (the gold standard), "Arancillo", "Basketball", "Malaysian", "Tiane", and a new one which I can't remember. A whole fruit will set you back between $3 to $5 per piece depending on the size during off-peak to as low as P40/piece if it's in season. 

Durian contains vitamins such as Vitamin C, folic acid, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B6 and vitamin A. Also found in durian are important minerals such as as potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, and phosphorus. It also contains nutrients such as phytonutrients, water, protein and beneficial dietary fiber.

Contrary to popular belief that it causes spikes in cholesterol, durian has good monounsaturated fats that can lower your harmful cholesterol levels and moderate your high blood pressure.

The durians in this photo come from a small farming town near Cotabato. Now imagine how much easier it would be if places like these didn't send red flags?

Black Sands of Dawis Beach (Digos City, Davao del Sur)

The northern stretch of black sand from Dawis Pier used to have rows of cottages facing the beach, now there's none. Talisay trees and coconut palms line the shore. It is accessible from the lone restaurant beside the pier. South of this, there's a smattering of hole-in-the-wall beach resorts with limited facilities.

To get to Dawis Beach, you can hail a pedicab (tricycle) from the city center. Be sure to agree on a price, which should cost you about P80. 

These days, labels on the road en route to Dawis read "Barangay Dawis" instead of "Dawis Beach". In sunny afternoons, you can stand on the pier and watch the waves rush to the shore. It's a beguiling scene, to say the least.

The view south of the Dawis pier.

Unicolor Beach Resort, Barangay Dawis, (Digos City, Davao del Sur)

At the eastern coast of the Davao Gulf, south of Digos City, is the burough of Dawis. People used to call the stretch of black sand as "Dawis Beach" stretching northward from the pier. Now it is just "Barangay Dawis". The more open area is the southern stretch. We found Unicolor Beach Resort.

If I am not mistaken, getting a cottage will cost you P300 (or was it P500). These is a contiguous row of concrete shacks, like holes in the wall, painted in reds and blue-greens. These shacks are completely enclosed except for the entrance, thus you don't have a view of the sea. At the center of the compound is a medium-sized function hall. There's ample parking at the entrance, framed by a "tindahan", that subs as an entrance booth.

The compound has available rooms for those wanting to stay for the night. I asked about the rates - P800 and P1,200; the difference is probably in the availability of AC. The beach is, however, a few steps away. Just mind the children as there are wandering dogs everywhere. I read an online page that mentions a swimming pool. This does not have one. There are no cabanas facing the beach either; just Talisay trees.

During my visit, I saw a family bring pots of food with them so it should be safe to assume there's no corkage fee for food and beverages brought in. The resort has a Facebook page. Please refer inquiries there; not here.

You can leisurely stroll from this resort to the pier which provides a more dramatic vista of the ocean. In the golden hour of the afternoon, the sun casts a milky green hue on the sea. The stretch of dark sand north of the pier seems more inviting, with palms swaying with the gentle breeze. Next post, we'll show you the northern stretch from the pier. You can take a tricycle from Digos City proper to get to Dawis, setting you back by P80. Agree on a fare before getting in the trike.

Function Hall

That Sinfully Sumptuous Humba of Siquijor (Visayas)

Dining options in the mystical island of Siquijor are quite limited for the backpacker. There are no fast foods and any mid-range restaurants to speak of. Even carinderias are very few and far from each other. You'd have your breakfast in your hotel or guesthouse then pick from the relatively expensive options of dining in resort restaurants. My meals here were unexpectedly upscale, ranging from not less than P300 to P600 per order. 

Maybe the witches have cast their spells against "eateries"? Err... not really. The "mambabarangs" (local witches), accordingly to my driver-guide have gone to the mountains and have grown old. Their siblings supposedly have refused to accept the "gifts" they're supposed to pass on because of the stigma that society puts on them. As a result, this tradition for which the island is infamously known for is gradually disappearing from modern day Siquijor. But I am digressing.

On the day of my departure from the island, I headed to the port early so I could buy my one-way ticket to Dumaguete (business class available). I saw a carinderia-cum-sari-sari store just in front of the Ocean Jet ticket booth. This is your typical Pinoy carinderia. I picked the Humba, sinfully languishing in mouth-watering oil. I am no cook. That is an understatement. But to my mind, "humba" is the Visayan variety of the Filipino adobo. It is a stewed pork dish that's "sweet, sour, salty" cooked with brown sugar, tausi (salted black beans) and banana blossoms.

My humba is very tasty, its meat tender, and you feel cholesterol impinging on your blood vessels, but I didn't care. One pice of humba costs PhP25 so I ordered 2, plus a cup of rice and a piece of banana. My cheapest meal (many times over) in Siquijor at PhP90 (< $2). 

This is the Eye in the Sky!  

Tender and tasty humba.

Ocean Jet tickets bound for Dumaguete are bought in the small shop at the right in this town also called Siquijor, the capital of the island. The other port is located at the town of Larena. This corner carinderia is located in front of these ticket shops.

Siquijor is the country's 3rd smallest province. It boasts of white sand beaches and a very international population of tourists (backpackers) zipping around this slumbering island.