Continued from South Cotabato: GenSan Bounty Day 1

Day 2: As though the tuna dishes at the competition won’t be enough, I asked for tuna tocino for my first GenSan breakfast. It looked like pork tocino and tasted exactly how I like my pork tocino – slightly greasy, tender and not sticky-sweet — taken with garlic rice, sunny egg and a delicious cup of what tasted like mountain coffee inside my hotel coffeshop surrounded by flowers and plants.

Dinner at Redtent Steakhouse, famous for its 100% Australian beef. With just P395 for a 15 ounce porterhouse, GenSan is steak heaven. Newly wed owners Dexter & Dina Dumaran prepared an evening feast that included, among many things, a garlic-studded tuna belly and a whole chicken dish that looked so inviting that I forgot to take its photo! The deep-fried whole spring chicken had crisp, peppery-sweet skin and succulent, steaming flesh which, when eaten together, tasted even more delectable when mopped along what tasted like a gracefully sweet, mandarin/citrus sauce.

The judges with the dinner hosts and event organizers. One of the guests, Russel Salvania, promised to let me try crispy tilapia from T’boli Hotel.

A “hairy”-looking soup (left) with what looked like swimming films of tofu/egg white spotted at a wedding (where we swung by to say hi to our host from the GenSan City Tourism Council), and at SixBlings restaurant where I finally got to taste it – the flavor experience was similar to misua, bird’s nest and shark’s fin soup. I forget if this is what Datu referred to as sea moss in English. According to Cathy Bolodo, this is called watsay, bought in local Chinese stores together with mushrooms. (Right) In GenSan, you can get a hotel fruit platter for just P40.

Day 3: The crispy tilapia, brought the following day at the competition proper, as promised. It tasted like extra crunchy fried chicken!

No, these were not my leftovers The framed 539-pound tuna and ostrich/crocodile skeletons were not just evidence of what one could eat at Six’Blings; they’re part of the decor of a local dining establishment owned by Bebot Haw, a Filipino-Chinese who loves to collect war memorabilia, scrap material from boats and trucks, and other unusual things.

(Left) Among the ostrich, pork, chicken and seafood dinner feast served, it’s the simple appetizer that I couldn’t stop eating. Called Dili Ka Guapo, it was named after the dilis (dried anchovies) sprinkled over juicy wedges of pink pomelo and green guava chunks tossed in a very light vinaigrette dressing. (Right) An army truck that just shot through the restaurant wall.

Six’Blings turned out to be a sprawling compound that houses a sports bar, badminton and basketball courts, a dart area, live music, karaoke and a studio where guests can record songs, among other things.

Kokak: Bone-crisp, savory froggies, the perfect match to Six’Blings’ famous chilled beer, served at minus 9.8 degrees Celsius.

Storage below freezing point (for low-proof beer) blurs the bottle, and you’d need a cloth napkin to hold it so your fingers won’t stick.  The icy beverage was slushy, the kind that could cool your head after a bad day, and stay good longer for those who like to nurse their beer.

Manny Pacquiao City: Images of the world-famous Filipino boxer, his family (except his mother Aling Dionisia whom I sort of missed ), businesses and paraphernalia were everywhere in GenSan — from signed fighting gloves (seen at Six’Blings) to public wall posters.

Durian coffee (left) from what I heard was Jinkee Pacquiao’s (Pacman’s wife) coffesshop — just had to try it out of curiosity. (Right) Day 4: My last meal at Gensan. Remembering that I already had the tocino, my coffeeshop server recommended tuna longanisa — juicy, just a little sweet with hints of garlic and pepper. Whoever made the tuna tocino and this longanisa must be from Pampanga!

Picking up my box of flash-frozen catch (tuna, malasugue (blue marlin), mahi-mahi, etc.) from Citra Mina, I was so impressed with the sparkling-clean store I just had to take photos! (Right) Yellow fin tuna.

In between the judging, Datu introduced me to this brand of organically grown passion fruit being sold at the exhibitors’ area. Before Kablon Farms, I had a taste of this fruit (named after Christ’s sacrifices (passion)) in Manila and the few that I tried didn’t quite make an impression. I decided against the elegant bottles and went for the lighter foil packs (one small pack is equivalent to five glasses or 1 pitcher). This passion fruit concentrate, which comes in different blends — dalandan, calamansi and a personal (surprise) favorite, guyabano — really brings out the intensity (passion!) in tropical fruits.

Redtent photo by Milper Bolodo
  
Cafe Leticia
Family Country Hotel
Mateo Road, Lagao, General Santos City
tel: (083) 552-8895 to 97; 301-0774
email: admin@familycountryhotel.com

Redtent Steakhouse
Mabuhay Linmax (Gas) Station Compound, Mabuhay Rd. cor. Yumang St.
Bgy. Dadiangas Heights, General Santos (near MMC Hospital)
tel: (083) 554 9454; 0928 658 8049
email: theredtentsteakhouse_gensan@yahoo.com

Six’Blings (Icons)
NCCC Compound, National Highway, General Santos City
tel. (083) 553-8808, 302-1961; 0917-715-2528, 0922-859-1961

Citra Mina
J. Catolico Ave., General Santos City tel: (83) 301-8425
Bgy. Sto. Nino, Multinational Access Road, Paranaque, Metro Manila telefax: (02) 820 6080
email: customerservice@citraminagroup.com

Kablon Farm Foods Corporation
Tupi, South Cotabato
tel: (083) 226 2819; 0920 9067628, telefax: (083) 228 8508
email: kablon.farm@gmail.com