by Kenneth K. Ong
Davao’s Chinatown is well-known as a heaven for bargain shoppers and cheap find, but within the hustle and bustle of its frantic streets are foodie finds that are sure to delight everyone’s palate.
Rong Fa Haus Chinese Cuisine
First stop in my Chinatown food trek is Rong Fa Haus Chinese Cuisine. Tucked neatly besides DCLA along Quirino Boulevard is this quaint eatery that reminds me of the eateries of Singapore and Binondo. With bright cheerful walls and a simple canteen setup, the food really speaks for itself.
I would suggest ordering their Kiampung, a melange of sticky rice with pork, egg, salted mustard leaves (where the dish actually gets its name from) and topped off with fried and salted peanuts. Similar to fried rice but with more ingredients, kiampung is what one may call a one dish meal.
Another dish Rong Fa Haus is famous for is its oyster cake or Ohwa Tsien which is basically an omelette with oysters and bean sprouts. You can either have it with ketchup or with Chinese chili sauce.
Also at Rong Fa Haus, can one order either steamed of fried dumplings. Different from the typical siomai, dumplings are ravioli that are stuffed with pork and chives and then either steamed or done pot-sticker style, having one side of the ravioli fried and then adding water and covering it to steam. Take it with their soy, garlic and vinegar sauce to complete the experience.
Kong Ai Vegetarian Centrum
Those wanting to lay off meats for a while might want to try the vegetarian offerings of Kong Ai Vegetarian Centrum located along Gempesaw Street. Not your usual stir fried veggies, Kong Ai serves vegetarian alternatives to meat dishes such as vegetarian fried chicken, vegetarian sweet and sour pork, and even vegetarian steamed buns.
Those who are in a rush may want to try Kong Ai’s vegetarian lumpia or spring roll that is finished with ground peanuts, sugar and their own special sauce. The lumpia is also made fresh every day and rolled by hand right in front of you.
Chef Lu’s Roast and Rice Shop
For those who need their meat, I would suggest a side trip to Lapu-lapu street for a bite of Chef Lu’s traditional roast pork. Using a traditional drum oven, Chef Lu roasts up Chinese style pork barbecue and chicken legs and serves it with peanuts and a sweet glaze sauce. Not only does Chef Lu have take-out but you can choose to have the roasts as a rice topping with unlimited rice of course.
For dessert, you might want to step over next door to the egg tart shop and try the many different Chinese pastries in stock. For the Chinese New Year, I would suggest trying Chef Lu’s many variants of sticky rice cake, Nian Gao, or tikoy. My favorite would be the coffee flavored tikoy with adds a slight coffee aroma to an already sinful treat.
Although Davao’s Chinatown is still young, one can see that its culinary roots are starting to take hold and with the support of foodies and the opening of new dining concepts, I hope Davao’s Chinatown will eventually become the center of good eats in Durianburg.
