We were in Davao for six days taping for the show “Foodprints” which looks for the best food in a province. By the end of our trip, Davao had to be one of the surprises of our second season.

I learned that Davao has an exceptional cheese maker in  Olive and her husband Bo Puentespina. Bo is a vet and has a goat farm. Out of goat’s milk,  Olive has created a variety of cheese: brie, chevre (my favorite), blue cheese and feta.

An entire cheese platter was served with dried fruits or grapes on the side. Olive toned down the smell of the cheese a bit. I prefer otherwise.

Malagos farm also makes cacao tablea but this part of the business is handled by Bo’s brother.

In Samal, we visited Paradise Island resort. Run by the hospitable Julie Rodriguez, the resort is a short boat ride away from the mainland. It was here where I tried a super-delicious and most authentic paella Valenciana.

Julie’s mom is pure Spanish from the Catalan region and is the creator of all their Spanish dishes. With her approval, these dishes are then served at the resort.

Another son, Vincent, and his wife Donna, own Tiny Kitchen. It also serves authentic and delicious Spanish cooking. Vincent is the creator of the dishes while Donna is the baker. She runs the popular and successful bakery Dulce Vida. One of her bestsellers is Choco Brazo. Fantastic.

I tried some of Vincent’s cooking and was fascinated by his Paella Negra and the unexpected Balbacua.

Balbacua consists of beef (sometimes carabao) ligaments simmered for hours and served with a flavorful soup. The ligaments become so tender that they even melt in the mouth. I would love to serve this at our resto.

At the front of the house is Vincent’s “boss,” his charming and talented 10-year-old daughter Anna. She insists on serving guests and manning the cashier and is adamant about never revealing the family recipes. Super cute.

Victorias

I left on a Tuesday evening, flew back to Manila and the very next morning was in Bacolod for the 95th anniversary cooking competitions of Victorias sugar mill.

Apart from sugar, Victorias makes the leanest bacon I have ever come across in our country. Its ham and bacon will soon be offered outside Bacolod. Abangan.

From Bacolod, I flew to Cebu to take a connecting flight back to Davao. I arrived late evening and was met and taken to Lyndon’s to continue our exploration. The place claims to serve the world’s worst-tasting ribs and awful chicken. I didn’t believe its claim. The ribs were juicy, very tender and tasty—the exact opposite of its claim.

French restaurant Claude’s is located in an old restored house. I loved the salmon rillet or mousse, the pepper steak with green peppercorns and the lapu-lapu with melted cheese on top.

The new and popular White House is also located in an old restored house. Beautifully decorated, it was here where I sampled Japanese-inspired dishes like the appetizer shooter, a shot glass with broth and some spices laid on top of crushed ice.

On the side was a fresh and open quail egg and some gelatin mango balls that looked like fish eggs. I poured the egg on the shooter, mixed that, added the mango balls and just chugged it down. A burst of flavors including some spice played around your mouth. Fantastic!

The very tender pork belly was also outstanding with a mildly sweet sauce. Ditto with the pan-seared sea bass. It was perfectly cooked so you could taste the freshness of the fish.

The dessert was also a winner. It was vanilla cheesecake with raspberry dressing and green crust. This will make many top dessert makers in Manila jealous. One of the best I’ve tried.

Apo View Hotel

We ended our stay with a drink at the bar of one of the pillars of the hotels in Davao, Apo View Hotel. I tried their kilawin na tuna and kinilaw na hipon, kilawin kambing and a few others. Their seafood was extremely fresh and perfect for the creative drinks of the bar.

Charming owner Marijac Pamintuan said that after studying in New York, she just had to come back to Davao because she loved the province.

If you’re into cocktails, check this place out. They will surprise you.

My short stay in Davao gave me a glimpse of the beauty of the province. I will be back with a more relaxed schedule and just take in and appreciate the beauty and the great food of this southern destination.

The second season of “Foodprints” airs this Sunday, 8:30 p.m., on Lifestyle Channel 52 on SkyCable.

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