Some of the places that I have been are not that fancy and nice to look at if you are to compare it with the mall and first class restaurants, However, it is a place to eat the freshest catch of the day no one can get from a first class restaurant.  It is even frequented by known people from Butuan.

I was brought by my friend Mike at Buenavista Public Market during lunch time. Buenavista is at Agustan del Norte, Caraga region, Mindanao. He knew that I am constantly searching for good food and extraordinary culinary experience.  It will take you around 20 minutes drive from Butuan city to get to Buenavista.

Buenavista Public Market

Just like the dampa in Roxas boulevard, it is a market where you will buy first and you will have it cooked. What made this special, some of the caught fish are still alive. You can have it and go straight to their Kilawan section of should I say restaurant to have it prepared your way.

Alcover Kilawan

For us we had it sutukil. Sutukil is a short cut word for Sugba (Grilled), Tinola (Soup), and Kilaw( local sashimi with vinegar, chilis, cucumber and spices).

First they prepared the tinolang malasugi or Blue marlin soup. It was an old fashion style of cooking using wood and on an improvised stove.

Cooking Soup using wood

 Then came the kilawin. Just a bit of information, kilawin is best if the fish was caught an hour ago or best if minutes only. They don’t do “kilaw” if the fish was killed more than an hour.

Kinilaw na Malasugi

Just to make it more delectable, we combined the pork liempo  or bacon slab with the kinilaw. It is call “sinuglaw”. Short cut for Sugba at Kinilaw. It was a truly delectable dish specially when the kinilaw is fresh.

Sinuglaw

After which, the soup was served. It was tinolang Malasugi or Blue Marlin clear soup. Since it was fresh, you can still taste the sweetness of the fish and the soup. It was indeed perfect combination with the sinuglaw.

Tinolang Malasugi

To make it more authentic, we ordered for puso or hanging rice as they call it in the Visayas and Mindanao region.

Puso or Hanging Rice

It was a lunch that I cannot forget. The freshest catch of the day, served on your table is truly a remarkable culinary experience. What made this more special is because you are sharing this with your close friends just like Mike where time has tested our friendship.  Thanks to Mike and the gang. Till next time when I go back to your place in Butuan City, we will again share what Buenavista has to offer.

The Feast with Mike

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There is this special place that I never miss whenever I go to Tacloban. The name is Rafael farms and it is situated in the town of Babatngon. It is already outside of Tacloban city but is still near. You will pass by the way to Samar which is connected by the famous San Juancio Bridge. You will reach Rafael Farms without going to Babatngon proper. It is situated to the left. I suggest you must be vigilant in looking since there is no familiar landmark that will indicate you are at the place. However, the entrance is very visible and you may ask the people around and almost all are familiar with it.

Pathwat going to the Resto

Here is the entrance going to the farm. The vines created a tunnel with a path way. From there, you will feel that it is more of a nature adventure than a casual dining experience. Never the less, the walk is just fine since what you will see, is the beauty of the place.

Going to the Restaurant

It is a huge place with a tropical setting. The nipa roof combined with wood and beautiful plants setting made it a place to relax and enjoy. But before we dine, we went to the manmade lagoon. It was designed in such a way that visitors can also do boat ridding.

Lagoon at Rafael Farms

Way to the Lagoon

at the side of the restaurant

When you are in the garden, you will see that they have an outdoor accent that will catch your attention. They have combined it well with the vegetation and it came out to things that are pleasant to ones eye. It gave a feeling of relaxation.

Outdoor Accent

Full of Green Plants

The position of the banga or clay jar caught my attention. It is situated at the pond surrounding the restaurant with live tilapia swimming around. It was neatly placed and it created a cool ambiance around the restaurant.

Another Outdoor Accent

Here is a pathway going the comfort room. It is made of hard wood combined with stones.

Floor Accent

Now, if you want to refresh yourself, you will be welcomed by their bright, clean and refreshing ambiance of the comfort room.

Rafael's Comfort Room

Now, let go to the main entrance. There you will find, 2 jars that is big enough for an adult to go inside and hide. Unfortunately, that is not allowed. It just serves as an accent. What really caught my attention were the beautiful carvings on the wooden wall upon entering. It is really a piece of art.

Front of the Resto

Once you enter, you will see the great combination of wood and antiques combined very well with the modern amenities without sacrificing the space.

Inside the Resto

The ceiling is high and that gives some space of overhead fans and nostalgic chandeliers.

Ceiling Accent

When we were inside, the tables were prepared but the food we still not served. I guess they did that in purpose, just to make sure that the food we were about to eat are steamingly hot and fresh from the kitchen.

table setting

Here is their beautiful table setting with old lamps.

at the dining area

Just to kill time waiting for the food, some of us went drinking juices, some read some books, some had a short chat, others went back to the garden to have their photos taken, while I was busy reviewing my photo shots. It took us just a while around 15 minutes when the entourage of the food arrived.

Tinolang Native na Manok

First to arrive was the soup. It was tinolang native na manok or native Chicken broth. It was delicious. They added lemon grass that enhanced the taste. The meat was just tender. I ate this from my previous travel but I always experience hard meat of the chicken. I understand that is because native chicken roam around thus it creates strong muscles in compare with the domesticated caged chicken.

Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Next was the vegetable salad with vinaigrette. The crush peanuts and the crunchy vegetable was the thing that made me say “ wow”. The vinaigrette’s sourness made it more delicious.

After which, all of the remaining food came and we had the feast. Here are the foods that we ate.

Baked Scallops

I made these baked scallops as my side dish. It was indeed delicious but I prefer eating it without rice.

Kinilaw

This kilawin or raw fish salad was different from what I tasted. They used slices of mangoes to sweeten it and its combination with the vinegar blended very well.

Now came the other main dishes

Grilled Blue Marlin

Grilled Pork Chops

Here is my shot when all of the foods were in place.

The Feast

After eating the main course, next is the dessert. They serve a modified turon or banana roll with chocolate and peanuts bits. They served it right after we finished eating. It was served still hot. For us Filipinos, eating turon is best if it is freshly cooked and that’s what they did.

Hot Turon with Chocolate Syrup

After the sumptuous feast, it was again for relaxation. Rafael Farms is really a great place to relax and eat delicious food. No wonder even if it is far from down town Tacloban, many still go there because it gives a rustic ambiance with a modern amenities and good food. This is also coupled with an excellent customer service. I will surely go back to this wonderful place when my itinerary says “ Leyte”.

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Tasi is a fish that is found in Samar, Eastern Visayas. This meaty and very tasty fish gives a flavorsome experience to one who indulges him/herself to it spell.  That is the only description that I can say about this fantastic fish. It can be grilled, with soup or eaten raw with vinegar, chilis, pepper, onions and tomatoes.   It is also the reason why Part Ebelle restaurant is full of people willing to wait for them to satisfy their craving for this.

This was a good food tripping experience I had with my friend in Cebu. He brought me there just before noon time and I was so amaze that in this part of the reclamation area, there is this restaurant that is always full of people. The more it made me curious about this fish.  When I tasted my first sip of the soup, it was indeed a gastronomical experience that I want to repeat again and again.

Where to Find

Tinolang Tasi can be found at Part Ebelle, reclamation area, Cebu city. It is along the street perpendicular to the main entrance of SM cebu. The best time to go there is around 11am for you to have a seat.  When you arrive past 12NN, you might be waiting for your turn to be seated.

Part Ebelle also serve grilled fish belly, kinilaw and other dishes. You can also order native lechon manok upon request. Part Ebelle has been known to serve the freshest fish specially tasi. When in Cebu, don’t miss this opportunity to have a taste of the Tinonlang Tasi of Part Ebelle.

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   There is this restaurant that is literally along Ramos st. downtown Cebu city that opens at 5:00pm and will close around 6:30pm. That is because by 6:30pm, there is no more food to serve.  

They only serve one dish and that is Tinolang Ulo ng Isda (Fish head).  The soup broth is a little bit sour but not as sour as sinigang. Aside from the head part, you can also ask for other parts of the fish like belly and tail.  

The fish they are using is mamsa (blue marlin). When it comes to the taste, I cannot explain but it was really delectable. That is one reason why you have to be early in order for you to have it.   When you finish your soup, you can ask for it again and again and that is for free (soup only, no fish meat). You also have a choice either you will have it with humay (steamed rice) or mais (steamed corn grit).  

Where to Find 

They say, if you want to know where you can find a good meal, you ask the taxi driver.  This is known to most of the taxi drivers in Cebu specially those who are familiar with the ins and outs of downtown Cebu. This is along Ramos street and is very near Ramos Market, Cebu city. Again, you have to be there by 5:00pm. Many people go and if you go there by 6:30pm, you will be lucky if you still have a fish to eat.  

You will be surprised that you will eat along the side street with their set up tables and chairs.  Nevertheless, the taste of the food will not fail your expectation and the experience of eating in an open air cannot be replaced by any expensive restaurant. Jeprox na jeprox!!! 

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You know fellow foodies, this is the best part of my travel in going back to the rural areas. The ingredients of the food were freshly picked in the backyard, cooked while you relax and served hot from the wooden or charcoal stove directly to the dining table. That is what I experienced with this Tinolang Native na Manok ( chicken soup). The chicken was not the commercial one that you can buy at any instance in the groceries. These priced chicken has always been a delicacy for its tastiness and organic-ness. Organic in the sense that it does not feed on commercial feeds full of chemicals but it eats natural chicken food from the backyard. When it comes to taste, it is much tastier and the meat is much more lean.

For the ingredients, there were freshly picked green papayas, pepper leaves, ginger, and malungay. All of which came form the backyard. All natural!!! I have experienced this beside the pristine white sand of Panglao island here in Bohol and had our lunch beside this beautiful seascape. Native na Manok is available at every part of the Philippine Island. It’s a matter of requesting it to your friends. J

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