March 01, 2009

Other features

Highway surprise
By Stella A. Estremera
Goin' places

I TOOK a quick trip to Gensan two weeks back to tackle some work (I'm zipping by again soon) and got to acquaint myself with the little that I can from that very, very short trip; like Mang Gorio Bahay Kainan.

Mang Gorio epitomizes the slow but steady boom of Gensan. It's a fastfood that has its own following and provides really good food at fastfood speed and prices at that, complete with very clean facilities. Yes, while food is still very southern Pinoy, the facilities can give any giant fastfood chain a run for their customers.

The best part is that Mang Gorio is just along the highway, just a few blocks after from Lagao, making it very easy to find. Beside it is a coffeeshop that I still have to explore, named MacGregor. Maybe on this second trip, or third, or fourth.

I particularly liked their grilled panga ng tuna. (But then, I'm in Gensan so it should be a mortal sin if they do not do their tuna right). Still, I liked it.

It was very fresh and sized just right. It's obviously from a bigger jaw that was chopped to feed around two to three diners without overfeeding them, and cut in such a way that you get the luscious juicy part beneath the jawbone within easy reach of your fork. Perfect.

The staff at Sun.Star Gensan said the kare-kare was also good. But I was busy with the tuna.

There was one other viand they said was also good, but still I was busy with the tuna.

Their chopsuey is cooked just right with a lot of crunch left on the veggies, and the kinilaw was fresh. But I was having fun with the tuna. Before I realized it, I have consumed what was I earlier estimated was good for two or three. It must have been really good.

By the time lunch was over, I was getting jittery to go back to Davao and attend to more tasks left waiting there and so I forgot about this durian pie, which caught my eye while we were choosing our food at the counter.

I'm not sure if it's good. My staff hasn't tried them yet. But there were two refrigerated upright pastry display shelves full of their durian pies. Logic would dictate that if you do not have that big a demand for your baked goodies, you will not go around baking more than 20 of them. But there was more than 50 in those display shelves, I wanted to bring home one.

I forgot.

Anyway, I will be back...

For those who'd be visiting this southern city soon, check out Mang Gorio along National Highway (in front of the Yellow Bus Terminal) and try their grilled panga ng tuna. You can also try their durian pie and give your verdict whether it's really worth baking more than 50 pieces at one time.

I'll prowl around Gensan some more and tell you about it. Soon.

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