Davao is home to the Philippine eagle, mangosteen,durian and of course our beloved Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
But for those who have visited Davao in the last few years will probably tell you about one restaurant that people have been lining up for every single day since it opened in 2013.
That dining destination is non other than Blue Posts Boling Crabs and Shrimps which many foodies consider as one of the best homegrown casual-dining restaurants in Davao.
Its appeal lies in its unconventional and informal dining style and an interior inspired by the look and feel of a fisherman’s wharf, without having to endure the fishy and that distinct smell of the sea.
Rumor has it that President Digong, drops by the place whenever he is in his home city to meet up with his friends and have dinner!
“Originally Blue Posts was not meant to be a seafood restaurant, recalls Anthony Ang, who together with a group of friends decided to venture into a bar business 22 years ago.
“We all shared a common love for going out, traveling, and bonding over food and drinks so our original concept was really a bar, he added.
But in 2013, Blue Posts was redesigned into a casual-dining haunt this was after Anthony and Jennifer noticed the emergence of casual-dining seafood restaurants during one of their US Trips. “They were so popular that people would line up even before the stores would open and didn’t mind the long queue.
“One of the restaurants was so distinct because it boasted a “messy finger-licking” dining style which reminded us how Pinoys love to eat with their hands “kamay-kainan” dining fashion. The Angs knew at once that they had to bring the same concept to Davao City.
Taking inspiration from the Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, California which became a tourist attraction, the couple decided give Blue Posts a seafood makeover.
With the tagline, “It’s Time To Be Messy,” Blue Posts offers a unique dining experience — a concept built on the Filipino tradition of kamayan or eating with bare hands. Food-grade wax papers are laid out across the table in place of plates, and a special plastic bib is given to each customer to save their clothes from the messy style of dining.
Diners can choose from three sauces–Blue Posts Boil, a Cajun-style sauce in which the catch is boiled; Garlic Fried, a garlic filled sauce drizzled on seafood coated in the signature Blue Posts batter; and Asian Sambal sauce, a recent addition to the menu, when the catch is served in sambal paste. The Seafood is then placed in a food grade boiling bag mixed with the Sauce, along with corn cobs and other extras such as sausages and boiled potatoes.
Customers can also choose whether they prefer it regular, mild, or spicy hot but rest assured that whatever level of spiciness you pick, the dishes remain flavorful, mouth-watering, and worth getting your hands dirty.
It is no wonder that aside from the first branch which opened on December 8, 2013 along J.P. Laurel Avenue and between Davao Water District and SM Lanang Premiere, Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps launched its second branch last June 28, 2014 at Lanang Business Park.
Now the famed Davao original has finally come to Manila, as it opened its very first branch at the SM North EDSA’s The Block in Quezon City. And as a nod to its roots, the restaurant officially opened in time to mark Davao’s Kadayawan Festival.
The restaurant’s 176-sq.m. space can accommodate 80 persons and its blue and orange walls are decorated with fish nets and life-buoys to make diners feel like they’re at the fisherman’s wharf–but without the unpleasantness. Customers are even allowed to write their thoughts on the walls.
“The success of boiling crabs and shrimps in Davao is from the visitors, particularly those coming from Manila. What we did is to bring Davao’s food to Manila, and everything we serve here are mostly native dishes,” said Ang
Anthony Ang.
To guarantee freshness, Ang said crabs will be shipped to Manila every day while shrimps are brought in three times a week. Besides crabs and the shrimps, Blue Posts also offers dishes such as garlic tuna belly, grilled native chicken, and sinuglaw (grilled pork belly and fish ceviche) with green apple. For appetizers be sure to try out their gumbo soup, calamares, and crab and shrimp rolls.
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From Davao to Manila, the journey of Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps is something worth relishing and its only the start of a fresh beginning.
