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I’m doing a series on my Davao City food trip until the end of April. Today, I’m writing about an unusual meat that’s popular among locals in the city.

Carabao or Water Buffalos (Kalabaw in Filipino/Tagalog and Kabaw in Bisaya, the language of the city) have many uses to people. It is the uncomplaining partner of the farmer, helping in agricultural growth that feeds millions of people. It’s milk and hide are also sources of livelihood to many, even uplifting people from poverty to abundance. Needless to say, the kalabaw has greatly benefited the Filipino society.*

But to Davaoeños, the carabao has an additional use: It’s meat**. Carabao meat, also known as Carabeef, is an ingredient in some Davaoeño dishes, which I will feature in this article. I asked a waitress where they source their carabeef and she told me that they get it from Bankerohan Public Market, the city’s most popular market. If they get it from there, then carabeef must be common in Davao, I thought.

So I included carabeef dishes in my Davao Food Trip. Here’s what I tried:

Bulca Chong at Bulca Chong

Yes, the dish and the food spot has the same name!

Bulca Chong (the dish) is truly Davaoeño. Bulca is short for Bulalo, a popular bone-in beef shank soup, and carabao, while Chong is the name (or surname) of the eatery’s owner and master chef. It’s made by boiling carabeef, which is flavored with ginger, green onions, tanglad (lemongrass), and some secret spices. It gets it nice orange color from atsuete or anatto seeds.

The al fresco dining area of Bulca Chong

At first, I was concerned that it might be gamey and tough. But to my surprise, there’s no gaminess but only an incredible tenderness. The broth is thick and hearty, with a strong ginger taste (maybe that’s why there’s no gaminess at all). If I didn’t know that it was made with carabeef, I would mistake this dish for a beef stew.

Opened 24 hours, Bulca Chong (the eatery) is the perfect place for drunkards. It’s signature dish, they say, is the perfect hangover cure. I say “they say” because I didn’t try (and have no plans) to get drunk and eat there. LOL.

Address: 18 General Luna St., Poblacion District, Davao City | Operating Hours: Daily, 24 hours | Facebook

Note: I was trying to learn about the history of the eatery. Unfortunately, the resources in the Internet are scarce. So if you know any resource on Bulca Chong, kindly comment it below.

Hinalang and Tapa at Sana’s Original Kabawan & Bulaloan

Sana’s is a humble kabawan (carabao place) in the Boulevard Area. Named after it’s owner, this carinderia (eatery) is famous probably because it’s known to be President Rodrigo Duterte’s favorite eatery. Aside from that, it was graced by foodie heavyweights Sonny Side of the Best Ever Food Review Show and KF Seetoh of Singapore’s Makansutra (Side also featured Bulca Chong). So you know that this place is something.

One of Sana’s bestselling dish is their Tapa. Tapa is a dish consisting of strips of marinated then cooked protein, usually beef but some use pork and even deer. It’s marinade is made with soy sauce, calamansi (Philippine lime), and spices. Sana’s version is made with carabeef but fried until it’s reduced to flakes. It is nicely crisp and chewy, with a hint of sourness. This is the President’s favorite dish here and I now understand why.

Another bestseller and presidential favorite is Hinalang. From the Bisaya word “halang” which means spicy, this dish is a spicy beef soup or stew. Sana’s version has generous chunks of carabeef swimming in herbal broth, with prominent ginger and lemongrass flavors. It’s nicely paired with a dip made of calamansi and Guinamos (fermented fish sauce). It may be weird to combine carabeef with fermented fish but it works!

Address: 8 Juan Luna St. Ext., Poblaion District, Davao City | Operating Hours: Monday-Saturday, 6AM-7PM | Facebook

What carabeef dish above have you tried or would like to try? What carabeef dish or kabawan should I try next? Comment them below!

*Laws and government agencies were even created for the development of the carabao. The primary agency tasked to do this is the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Philippine Carabao Center or PCC. They have written an excellent article which made me profoundly appreciate the beast of burden even more. Read it here.

**Carabeef is also used in the cuisine of other regions. However, I think it’s only in Davao where you have institutions that are famous for their carabeef dishes.

Other entries in the Davao City Food Trip series: Food Experience to Try at the King City of the South | The Night (Market) Crawler Goes to Roxas Night Market | The Ultimate Tuna Experience Part 1 (Kinilaw, Pakfry, and Panga) | The Ultimate Tuna Experience Part 2 (Marina Tuna and Yellow Fin) | My Durian State of Mind

Davao City Food Trip: Trying Carabao (Water Buffalo!) Dishes

Bulca Chong at Bulca Chong

Hinalang and Tapa at Sana’s Original Kabawan & Bulaloan