Bountiful Bongao

On the last lap of our trip to the Tawi-tawi group of islands, we were treated to a feast fit for a Datu.  The smell, the sight and the taste was exotic.  Very Bongao as  the locals described it.  It was a feast prepared by an MSUan who are living there and who happens to own a restaurant that's newly opened.  It is located on the very heart of Bongao, the capital town of Tawi-tawi province.  

One of the bounty served to us was the "Alupihang Dagat."  It sounds dangerous but in reality its very delicious!  It has some fangs alright but it tastes sweet in some portion.  i don't know if its the recados or its natural taste that cause it but boy, you have got to taste it. Its really, really major, major very good. (see pictures).  It was my first time to encounter and actually sample it.  I only heard the name (from a movie of Fernando Poe Jr.-or was it him? :Alupihang Dagat.) but I never saw one.  So there, I think i had 3-4 servings of those that time!

Then there's the shells cooked in coconut milk.  Now, i have tasted a lot of shells cooked in coco milk before but this one tastes different.  It has a little bit of a biting taste and a little bit of sour taste also.  the color is orange so i think "dulaw" is not responsible for the color.  I think it is "asuete" that does the trick.  Overall, I'll give it a 5 thumbs up!  It's really very delicious.

Then there's the kinilaw na Bolinao.  Theirs is slightly different to our kinilaw.  Aside from the fact that the Bolinao was freshly fished out (by the way, the sea is just a stone's throw away from this resto), it has hilaw na mangga added to it.  i don't know with you guys but people from Davao do not usually add mangga to our kinilaw. that's why when I tasted it i asked myself:  "why would we not put mangga (as it is bountiful in Davao) everytime na mag kilaw?  With mangga, the kinilaw tastes even better!"  They also put some tomatoes on it which i find odd because we do not put kamatis in our kinilaw.  Bisaya ra jud siguro kaayo mi.  hehehe.  Mura bag it's a big no no if you put tomatoes in your kinilaw.  I remember my father, who's a very good cook too,saying" kamatis is for tula, luy-a for kinilaw..."  

The seaweed, which is not lato nor guso, but looks like a combination of the two, was also delicious.  I guess, gilapwaan to nila to soften it a little bit.  Then you have to douse it on to a dip of vinegar and soy, sugar and salt and sili.  yummy.

Then added to those sumptuous sud-ans were the usual sinugba, the crabs, adobong pusit, tinolang isda ( Lapu-lapu ba yon?  I forgot..hehehe).  We were like "wow" "oh" and "ah." that day.  And when we started eating, i thought my companions would never stop...  But I guess each man had his fill..........  

Lanzones and Mangosteen are a-plenty in Bonggao too.  And they are very affordable.  Like, a basket (made of coconut leaves!  first time i saw one like that!) of lanzones will cost you Php 150 only.  One basket is approximately 10-15 kilos.  Now that's very cheap indeed. and on that feast, we had it for free!!!!  That even makes it the cheapest!....

It was quiet an experience.  I never thought eating would be that fun!!!!!!  I had fun....as always....