Blue Haven in Banga, South Cotabato

Two weeks ago, I and my household decided to escape the early summer heat and have our Sunday lunch out. It was easy for me to decide which place to go. Having already tried many places within the city, I thought, why not revisit Blue Haven Resort and Durian Park in the town of Banga? It's been a while since the last time.


Blue Haven is not your typical pretentious resort. Its beauty is in its simplicity; its sprawling grounds being located in a very idyllic setting -- in the middle of vast ricefields just outside Banga proper, its surroundings lined with durian and other fruit and wood trees.


The resort has a picnic area with kiosks that can accommodate groups of varied sizes, and a mid-sized irregularly shaped pool in the middle mainly for the use of kids. On one side is a canopied space for wedding and baptismal receptions and similar parties; and on the other is a covered and raised pavilion for the more serious stuff like meetings and conferences.


But if one wants a more serene atmosphere, he or she can always retreat to one of three lodging cabins, two of which offer a good green (or golden, depending on the season) view of the surrounding ricefields from the shared veranda. The cabins are a new feature of Blue Haven which was absent during my last visit to the place. According to Ms. Gemma Young-Paciente, the other half of the couple who owns the place (the other being Mr. Armand G. Paciente), they hope to add more lodging space in the near future to accommodate growing demand for it.


Blue Haven's front desk hall houses the restaurant where patrons can indulge on food and drinks while sitting and dining on exquisitely designed hardwood chairs and tables.


My family, being less adventurous than I am, was not up to tasting some of the unique food that the restaurant has to offer. For lunch, we just opted for the common yet nonetheless satisfying chopsuey and fried chicken. We also did not pass up the chance to feast on the "native chicken" tinola, a kind of food which one cannot always have in the city. (Piece of advice: to fully enjoy this dish you may have to request for a longer cooking time as native chicken, as we all know, has meat that's very "hard to please".)


The resort's menu, however, lists food that can face up to the challenge of patrons with more discriminating tastes. The inihaw na hito (grilled catfish), pritong kokak (fried toad) and some quail and rabbit dishes are just some which can make one's visit in Blue Haven a great food trip.


The fresh durian fruit was missed however as it was not season. Blessing in disguise, as the refreshing durian shake proved to be a worthy substitute.


Blue Haven Resort and Durian Park is located at Barangay Liwanay (Barrio Uno), Banga, South Cotabato. If you are going westward along the Allah Valley highway, you can't miss its signage to your right just before you exit Banga towards the town of Surallah. For reservations and other inquiries, you may call Gemma or Armand at (083) 239-2616.

Yummy bibingka at Jim's Place

These are among the most delicious bibingkas (rice cakes) I have ever tasted.

Well, I am not even sure if I can call any of these a bibingka because there is something in it that is different from what we traditionally know as bibingka. Many of the latter come in smaller sizes than this one.

This particular bibingka is kind of a cross between a traditional bibingka and a... Kenny Rogers Roasters muffin!... and that's even downplaying the true merits of this comfort food.

Now, I am not really good at describing food in writing; so may I just invite you to take a bite of this bibingka at Jim's Place in Koronadal City. At P16 each, you will be wasting money on the shrinking dunkin' donut than on this one.

Jim's Place is near the corner of Gensan Drive and Zulueta Street (a.k.a. One-Way); a little past the roundball (rotunda) if you are coming in from Gen. Santos City.

If you are a native of Tacurong City, then it is of no wonder for you why such a yummy bibingka can come from a thing called Jim's Place. It is the very same Jim's Place that has brought you good food for many years back in your own hometown. The branch in Koronadal opened sometime in November last year and has since provided a good alternative to the other food venues in the South Cotabato capital.

Jim's Place is both a bakeshop and a restaurant. Food in its restaurant is served either by fastfood or a la carte. The place is Wi-Fi connected and is open 24 hours.

Jim's Place is open all day and night

The restaurant area in the interior is Wi-Fi connected

Various types of bread, cakes and pastries are sold 24/7 at the bakeshop

Sprite in can

This restaurant in Gensan famous for its pancit malabon was about to close down for the night when I and my wife went in. Needless to say, there were no more dine-in and its specialty was not available anymore so my partner had to settle for one order of the common arroz caldo, take out. Fine.

I just had my full dinner so for myself I went for a softdrink (soda) and specifically asked for Sprite. The cashier loudly asked her staff if Sprite was still available and got a equally loud "wala na" ("no more") from one of the ladies at the food counter. So I asked what other sodas are available. A resounding "Coke lang" ("just Coke") was heard all over the place. Good enough.

I got my Coke while we waited for our arroz caldo; and was halfway through it when I noticed a phalanx of glistening ice cold Sprites-in-can inside the glass-paneled fridge. I naturally asked the charming (sic) lady who a while ago had just declared all Sprites "dead", "Bakit sabi mo wala nang Sprite?" at the same time nose-pointing the row of green cans inside the ref.

To which, with all natural grace, she fabulously replied, "Hindi nyo naman sinabing 'in can'..."

[canned laughter]

New eating venues in Koronadal

Tiana's Cafe & Bar is located along Alunan Avenue, where the office of SOCOTECO I was once located. It professes to have the best fried chicken in town. It is where one finds what are probably the largest plates served among food venues in the region.

Below is a branch of Pritong Manok inside the Fit Mart Mall of Marbel. It's probably just a couple of days old as it has yet to serve some of the items in the menu. You have to check very carefully the integrity of its chicken macaroni salad.