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There is simply no comparison

Food/Drink, Philippine Culture / by

A lot of times I get e-mails with a certain question.  Or, when I meet people who are visiting Davao, I get the same question.  People always are interested to learn what the differences are between different parts of the Philippines.

Where is best to live, Bob, Cebu or Davao?

Which City has the best schools in the Philippines?

Which part of the country has the best beaches?

Are the women in Mindanao, the Visayas or Luzon the most beautiful?

I hear these questions and other similar questions almost every day from people I come in contact with, either in person or via e-mail.

Honestly it can be hard to answer questions like these, because these are very subjective topics.  I might think that Davao is nicer to live in than Cebu, you might think the opposite.  I might think that Samal has great beaches… you might not even like the beach and prefer to live in the mountains.  We all have our own tastes and preferences, and there is nothing wrong with that at all.  But, when a person asks me such a question and is sitting there looking at me waiting for my answer, it can be difficult to know what to say.  I can only give my opinion.

There is one area, though, where I simply have no doubt.  I am talking about food.. more specifically Pork BBQ.

Pork BBQ has to be considered one of the National Foods of the Philippines… there is no place you can go in the Philippines (except, I suppose in the heavily Muslim areas where they cannot eat Pork for religious reasons) where you can’t find Pork BBQ along the streets somewhere.  And, believe me, I have had some delicious Pork BBQ in the Philippines!

We lived in General Santos City (GenSan) for a little over 2 years when we first settled in the Philippines, then we moved to Davao and have been here for over 8 years now.  I know the Pork BBQ in both places, believe me.  I’ve tried lots and lots of places that serve Pork BBQ in both Cities.  As much as I love Davao City, I must be honest, and I simply believe that in terms of Pork BBQ, there is no comparison between the two Cities.  GenSan is the winner hands down.

My very favorite Pork BBQ comes from a little place in GenSan called “Marietta’s” which is right in the heart of the City.  I have been enjoying BBQ Pork, and other dishes, from Marietta’s for about 15 years now.  Back before we even lived here, I would visit Marietta’s during our vacations here.

The Pork BBQ from Marietta’s is quite spicy.  Feyma sometimes can’t eat it because it really burns her mouth, but it’s perfect for me.  So many foods in the Philippines are sweet, so it’s a welcome thing to find something spicy like Marietta’s BBQ.

Honestly, I have tried a lot of BBQ places in Davao too, having lived here for over 8 years.  Still, though, I have not found a place that makes me want to keep coming back like Marietta’s does.  I have found some places in Davao that are pretty good, but I still find myself longing for Marietta’s!

My addiction to Marietta’s BBQ is so strong that I actually import the stuff to Davao any chance I get.  Any time that a family member from GenSan is coming for a visit here, we almost always send some money down and ask them to buy some BBQ to bring to us.  When we do this, we ask them to buy the BBQ raw, uncooked, and we freeze it and cook it as we desire.  The people at Marietta’s already know us, we have been such good customers, so they don’t mind selling us as much raw BBQ as we want, and they usually even give us a couple of bottles of their special BBQ sauce for free too, which we greatly appreciate.

Well, last weekend, two of our nieces came to Davao for a visit, and of course, we had them bring up some Marietta’s BBQ.  It had been a while since we had any Marietta’s and it sure was good!  Thank you to Sahara and Nicole for bringing the BBQ up with you!  I sure enjoyed it!

If you happen to make it to GenSan, stop by at Marietta’s and have a few sticks of Pork BBQ there.  I am sure you will enjoy it!  Tell them that MindanaoBob sent you!

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Comments

  2. You talk about importing BBQ from Gen San. the last time I was in the US visiting my mother in New Hampshire, I had to FedEX a package to the Philippines. The man in front of me in line at FedEx had a box of Dunkin’ Donuts. his daughter lived in the wilds of Nebraska and was addicted to Dunkin’ Donuts. So every week he FedExed her a box.

    • Hi Don – Ha ha… for me, I would never go to the trouble for Dunkin Donuts! They just aren’t that good or special to me. Now, Marietta’s BBQ… that is well worth the trouble! 😉

        • Now, Jack, I agree… Krispy Kremes are the best donuts I’ve ever tried! I’m just glad they are not (yet) in Davao… I can’t afford to gain any more weight! 😯

          • Krispy Kremes are a pale imitation of what a Dunkin Donut delivers. As far as the coffee there is no comparison; Dunkins hands down. I’ve tried both and you can take it from me 😉 I was so happy to find Dunkins in both Cebu and Bagiuo, lol.

            • Mark – I used to think you were a pretty sensible person.. but Dunkin better than Krispy Kreme? Now, those are fightin’ words! 😯 Ha ha.. We ain’t talkin’ coffee, my friend, we’re focusing on the important stuff – food!!! 😉

              • Those tiny imposters (overcooked, too sugary) vs. a honkin’ Dunkin? Now Bob quit being silly… It’s probably an East Coast thing. When I first moved to the Mid-West I went through a brief stint of Dunkin withdrawal. The DD franchises started popping up a few years ago and put the only good local donut company out of business; White something or other; been so long I forget. The Krispy Kremes never cut it for me I guess it’s due to being reared on Dunkins, lol. Where’s Paul T.? I’m sure he’ll back me up on this. We Boston Boys watch each others backs, hehe.

              • Hi Mark – It’s an east coast thing? I live on the east coast! The east cost of Mindanao.

                Seriously, though, just being honest, I never ate a Krispy Kream donut until I lived in the Philippines. Somebody brought me some from Manila about 2 years ago, and that was my first. I ate Dunkin all of my life, because they were what was available where I loved.

                Here in the Philippines, Mark, a Dunkin Donut is about 1/3 the size of a Krispy Kreme. They are tiny.

              • I ate Krispy Kreme donuts in Georgia years before I even heard of DD. Never can find a better donut then a fresh cooked KK. I haven’t seen a KK store in the Philippines but DD is in the mall and I don’t even slow down going past them. Now BBQ – ummmmmmmm

              • Hi Richard – I believe that Krispy Kreme only has stores in Manila, and they just opened there a couple years ago. I have a Dunkin from time to time, but they don’t excite me too much! 😆

              • I’ll put a vote in for “Tim Horton’s” – a Canadian & US regional shop around the eastern Great Lakes. Always heard about them, never tried them (thinking all the hype was just that – hype), then I had one. A baker’s dozen later, I was in donut heaven.
                😆

              • I have heard of Tim Horton. If I am not mistaken, Tim Horton was a hockey player before he started up the food chain. I’ve heard good things about the place, but never had a chance to try it before.

              • Haha..well while were on the subject of donuts, I too prefer Dunkin Donuts. But while in Leyte all that was available were “Mister Donuts”, these tiny little stands, they had two of them in Maasin City, and yes the donuts were about the 1/3 size of the donuts here in the USA. But they were good, only had them once for breakfest time, too many other good foods to eat, then to waste time on donuts in the Philippines. Also, Rose not crazy about them..haha.

                Danny 🙂

              • Hi Danny – Ah yes… Mister Donut. As far as I know, it is a Philippine company, not an import like Krispy Kreme or Dunkin. Their donuts are pretty good, I suppose. When we lived in GenSan we used to have Mister Donut from time to time. It’s been a long time since I visited them, though.

          • I agree with you and Jack. Krispy Kremes is better than Dunkin and will last for another day without getting hard. When they first opened in Socal, you have to go to a specific town to get it and the place is always packed now they’re almost in every corner like Starbucks and in most big grocery stores with a pastry section. Love it but given the choice, pork BBQ wins hands down.

  3. The biggest difference I’ve seen is the temperatures. Tarlac, Pangasinon, San Fernando, and especially Baggiuo are cooler than Cebu or Davao.
    Manila is more like New York City than the rest of the Philippines. Huge, crowded, dirty. I wouldn’t want to stay around Manila very much.

    • Starting with differences across the Philippines when asked by friends, then to the foods,
      The foods do vary across the Philippines, just as they do in any country.
      Davao is the place where I’ve had the best barbecue pork. Of course, with a relative in Davao that distributes pork throughout Mindenao, we get the freshest pork in Davao, and the best recipes and cooks.
      The best barbecued chicken has been in the mountains outside General Santos. The natives kill it, pluck it, cook it, and eat it in less than half an hour, and it is yummier than downtown.
      The best fish is a tossup between General Santos and Tarlac. I loved to eat the fish up in Tarlac, and I never was much of a fish eater in the U.S.
      Breads seemed better up North from Tarlac to LaUnion. They had more of a tendency to not skimp on the ingredients of the breads up there. Some of the breads here taste like flour and water. I like the breads made with eggs and milk added to make them taste richer.
      Back to the fish… I can’t seem to pass up the Yellowfin Restaurant for the Tuna. Also the best for greaseless chicken at Yellowfin. I could do an advertisement for that place.

      • Hi Kenneth – Thanks for sharing your experiences with food around the Philippines. You sound like you have some experience in the area!

        I’ve been to Yellowfin a couple of times, and I found the food OK, but nothing to excite me too much. Not that I wouldn’t go back, though.

    • Hi David – I agree that the sauce is probably the major thing that makes BBQ good, or not so good. In Marietta’s case, they marinate the meat for a couple of days, then grill it. No other sauce is put on it, so it is only the marinate that adds flavor… and it’s very good! 😉

  6. Hi Bob i sure love barbecue,especially living in the south in the U.S. for so long,here i like the barbecue here to but alot of them dont seem to cook it long enough for me,and yes i have to agree with David its all in the way they make the sauce in my opinion. 🙂

    • Hi Maynard – I also lived in the south for about 10 years during my high school and college days. Probably spending a decade there also kicked in my love for BBQ. I love to cook BBQ, and I love to eat it too! 😆

  7. Bob;
    I also love BBQ pork on a stick, it’s a treat to the taste buds. As for where we live in the Philippines, I agree that is an individual choice. Every part has something wonderful to offer. But BBQ pork is just one of my many guilty pleasures.

    • Hi Paul – If it’s such a pleasure for you (as it is for me)… no need to feel guilty about it! You earned the right to enjoy life! Go for it – guilt free! 😉

  10. Hey Bob, I can bring you some next time we visit Davao – might have to remind me, but no bother at all 😉

  12. Mayong Buntag Bob
    Oh yes! The BBQ pork! My wife has devised her own recipe here in the states and it has become popular at the Filipino parties. It is time consuming though. She will marinade the pork for at least 12 hours. Then she will spend hours putting the meat on the sticks. While her recipe is very good I would love to try Marietta’s since I like spicy.

    • Hi Larry – I always tell people that I doubt I will ever go back to the States again. However, now that you’ve told me about your wife’s recipe.. well… all I can say is… when’s the next party? And… am I invited? 😉

  14. Hi Bob, Filipino pork BBQ is probably the most requested party items during cookout in our household, requested not by my kids but by their American friends, and they always look forward to coming to our house, and the closer circle of friend have name for it, “Monkey Meat “, so every time a first visitor comes to the party, he or she gets dare to eat Monkey Meat.

    We always have a ready pork on a stick in the freezer (tupperware) without marinade, so when you decide to have a cook out, just pour the marinade a day before under refrigeration and you are ready to paaaarty! Country style boneless ribs works the best–pork loin and other lean pork cuts tend to dry up.

    • Hi Mars – I’m glad that you have a great following for your BBQ! That’s great! When we were in the States, we always had people who wanted to have lumpia if they came to our house! Filipino food is great, and will garner a following if offered!

      • Bob;
        On the Naval Base in Puerto Rico, I noticed 3 Piney’s shopping at Commissary Store that I managed. While watching what they were buying I knew it was to make Lumpia. I asked if I could buy 100 pieces and they said yes.
        At my condo on Playa Luquillo, I served it at every get together, and found my Puerto Rican friends loved it, albeit they would add hot sauce to the Sweet & Sour, I served. At the end of 4 months the ladies had a business up and running selling frozen lumpia to base personnel. I had a standing order with them. Which proves (as you said), “If you serve LUMPIA, they will come.”

        • Hi Paul – I love lumpia myself. I would have to say that it is probably my favorite Filipino dish. I believe that it could be a worldwide popular dish if it was marketed correctly.

          • Hey Bob- whenever we have an occasion we go to Famous Restaurant and pre order their lumpia for take out.
            I spent the last week asking people where to buy lechon baboy – [ whole roasted pig for the newbies lol]
            I was told by someone in the industry to be careful buying from many lechon houses because they remove some of the best part of the pig from the inside before it is cooked- and after it is cooked you cant tell it is missing. They referred me to Kamimkris Lechon on Sta. Ana Ave in Davao. They offer a pig for 4000 pesos that was twice the size of the last 4000 pig I bought !! I’ll find out tonight how good it really is !!

              • Hi ian – I have eaten lumpia at Ranchero for over 10 years now, and have always loved it. Last time I had some, though.. it was not good. They changed it. Hopefully it will go back to the old style again.

            • So on Saturday they delivered my lechon baboy ! What a difference from my last order of lechon. Last time I paid 3500 and the requested delivery of 5 pm showed up at 6:30 pm. This time I requested delivery again of 5 pm and it showed up at 4:55 pm !! And what a difference in size- it was 3x the size of last times pig. At supper-and following lunch- we fed maybe 35 people [ adults and kids] , and also sent several people home with bags of lechon, and still have a huge amount of meat left.
              And my lechon “expert” examined it and assured me that the prime cuts of meat that most lechon houses remove from the inside before cooking it were still in place.
              The pig that I bought was actually the X-large and cost 4800 pesos.

  17. Hi Bob – I’ve found two of the greatest places in the Philippines for pork bbq: 1) where you ate it last, and 2) where you’ll eat it next.
    😉

    I’ve never had a problem asking the bbq’er to make a “special order” and receive a much better, less sweet, and subsequently a little more costly order of pork bbq.

  18. Ruddy’s Eatery, Dipolog City: incredible BBQ. Ruddy’s is one of those little 6 inch from the sidewalk , made from Coco lumber and plywood eateries. He soaks his BBQ in Sprite before cooking it, and it is the most tender I have ever had. Unfortunately he does not serve it every day due to the work involved in making it. If you ever get to Dipolog, you must eat there. It is on Malvar Street, close to STI institute, across from our laundry shop. Patrick’s Laundry. Best food in Dipolog, and cheap as well. Come at 11:30 or sooner, because by 12:15 its all gone!

  19. Pork BBQ. You know, I’m gonna have to bite the bullet and try some of this. They do it at all the Filipino get togethers here, and they can’t seem to get enough of it! I’ve always avoided it because it looks like a few small bits of meat between great strings of fat, and thus ain’t good for you, but so many people raving about it might just give me the courage to try it (swiftly followed by a couple of simvastatin tablets of course).

    Why is it that everything that’s good is either illegal, immoral or fattening?

    • Give it a shot, Jim, one time won’t kill you! 😆 On Mariettta’s there is very little fat. They put on 4 or 5 pieces of lean meat, and one big piece of fat at the bottom, which you don’t have to eat if you don’t want.

  20. Hey Bob,

    Now I am hungry for some good ole’ pork bbq. Where I stayed at Rose’s house, it is like 3 minutes walk to the local “McDo”. I’m not talking about McDonalds, because half of Maasin City has never heard of McDonalds..haha. It is a bunch of vendors who start cooking at around 4 pm I think and are open till midnight each night. Just about anything that is bbq’d is offered, and was really great.

    Danny 🙂

  22. Hi Bob, to complete the 4-famous Filipino foods frequently requested to go with Pork on a stick and Lumpia-add Pancit and adobo. Now we’re talking. There are several variations of pancit, but we always use the rice stick variety. As a matter of fact my wife, an american from Savannah. Georgia can cook all of this really, really including sinigang and Pinakbet. She works in the local hospital here and all this foods are requested for their party all the time. Now, during the party, and everybody come over and thanks me. The Docs are really surprise when I tell them that “that blonde woman with blue eyes cooked all that”. They won’t believe it.

    Winter time–sinigang is my comfort Filipino food–the sour the better, it’s the tamarind.

    Mars

    • Hi Mars – For sure, those are the 4 big ones when it comes to Filipino foods! I am not a big fan of pancit though… I prefer thai noodles over Pinoy noodles. I like adobo, though.

      • Hi Bob, I think it’s the variety and regional style pancit. My least favorite is the Pancit Lug-Lug, the one with sauce and topped with ground pork rinds, then other will cooked the Rice Threads noodles (made of soy bean), the sticky clear one when cook, along withe yellow dried one and it becomes confusing-like eating deep fried whole fish with grits for supper here in the South–add sweet to that!

        • Hi Mars – I was aware that there are multiple kinds of pancit, but I really don’t know how many there are. I know that just down the street from my house there is a place that is regionally famous for their “Pancit Malabon” – probably their family were immigrants to Davao back n the 30’s when a lot of migrants came down here, and they must have brought their Malabon recipe with them. I’ve tried it, but it was not a favorite for me. How many varieties of pancit are there, Mars, do you know?

          • Hi Bob, good morning, watching 9/11/01 commemorative programs-Lest We Forget.

            There’s gotta be over 2 dozen Pancit variations, mostly regional and named for the style of noodles, location, and consistency. But topping on the list and popularity are Pancit Guisado (using Rice Sticks noodles), Pancit Canton (using the yellow dried noodles) and Pancit Sotanghon (using Rice Threads-soy beans derivative noodles or cellophane noodles). Also Pancit Luglug, Pancit Molo, and Pancit Malabon rounds up the top popular noodles. Now on Pancit Guisado alone, regionalism also dictates what veggie and meat/shrimp are the dominant flavor.

            Mars

            • Hi Mars – Ah, I forgot… when we lived in GenSan there was a place that made a pancit guisado that I really liked. I often had them deliver it to my office for lunch!

  23. Hi, Bob:

    Forget Marietta’s Pork BBQ. I get the feeling that you deliberately evaded (avoided) answering the burning question, just when I thought you were getting to address that particular question in turn:

    “Are the women in Mindanao, the Visayas or Luzon the most beautiful?”

    Let’s parse that question a bit and make it easier to answer: Are Visayan ladies more beautiful than Ilocanas, or is the other way around? Please be objective as we all know that Feyma is Visayan. Hahahaha

      • Hi, Bob:

        I agree that the live evidence speaks for itself. Case closed! 🙂

        Speaking of Krispy Kreme donuts, I just bought a dozen of the glaze last night, and made sure that they came straight out of the boiling oil and not from the display pans that’s already cold. Dunkin donuts doesn’t even come close. Btw, the store I bought it from has been on the same exact location on Route 1, Alexandra, VA, since the 60s. That’s how long Krispy Kreme has been around.

  24. Hi Bob,

    I am glad to find your website. I am an American who has been to Davao once before. I will be returning the first week of November (very excited). I prefer Dunkin Donuts as they have such variety, but KrispyKremes wins the glazed donut battle.

    I love the food at the Rancher Grill on Tionko Street and look forward to trying their lumpia. I always have the babyback ribs…masarap!! Last time I was there we ate lunch and dinner there on the same day.

    I wish I knew that place in Dipolog when I was there last year. We ate the best BBQ at a little place in Dapitan and it was amazing. We bought the prawns and crabs from the fishermen in their homes on the water (they pulled them from a hole in their floor) and brought them alive to the restaurant. If I an find the name I will certainly pass it on. It is worth the trip to Dapitan from Dipolog.

    Can you suggest a great place for pastries or other baked goods in Davao? And how about a good place for grilled seafood in Davao?

    Thanks!

    • Hi DavaoFan – You must be talking about Ranchero Grill.. it is one of my favorite places too. Great Ribs! It’s not masarap, though… it’s lami kaayo! 😆

      There are lots of good places for baked goods in Davao. I like Miami Bakery on C.M. Recto. For seafood, try Ah Faht near Victoria Plaza.

      • Korek ka dyan…Ranchero Grill. Thanks for the suggestions on the Miami Bakery, I will certainly give it a try. I love Ah Fat and will make sure to hit it again.

        On another note, I usually change my dollars to pesos in Manila, but due to tight airline times, I might not have time to do that. Can you suggest a place to change to pesos in Davao?

  25. The worst problem I have in the Philippines when “Eating with Daisy” is I never get time enough to get really hungry for the next meal!

  26. Hi, Bob! I just want to thank you for you encouraging words regarding our little Marieta’s…GenSan has changed so much, and my mother has been trying every possible way of pleasing our “suki”. It hasn’t been a very nice period for us considering the rising of commercial centers where people can just pass one whole day either spending or not. But thank God, there are still customers who practically grew with us, and shared with our family every blessing that comes from giving the best with simple hearts. I printed your article and posted it in our store, i hope you don’t mind!!!!
    Thank you so much, and send us as many real barbeque lovers as you can!!!!!!!!! God bless!

    Sr. Maribel Cantos, cp

    • Hi Maribel – Salamat kaayo sa imong komentaryo. Suki ko sa imong bbq! Really, Marita’s BBQ is the best that I’ve ever tasted, and we go there any time we are in GenSan! I am honored to hear that you posted the article in your shop!