Davao Eats: Balik Bukid

The city is full of people always in a hurry.  So when it comes to food, a lot of us opt for a quick meal and go with our day.  Thanks to the ever growing fast food chains, we are now offered wide variety of meals to choose from.  Though unhealthy, they serve their purpose of filling up our tummies sometimes without spending a whole lot.  

Since last year, I've been trying out other restaurants in search of new flavors though it was a bit difficult as some are not that accessible to all.  I've tried some which I love and came back with friends in hand, some which did not satisfy both my appetite and taste buds, and a few were too expensive for what they had to offer.

A week ago, I was out with friends trying to decide where to have our lunch.  Automatically we think of the fast food restaurants in malls and what not, of course because of its convenience.  But with the thought of wanting to try out something new, I remembered the restaurant a friend of mine suggested from way back,  Balik Bukid.  I was a bit hesitant of trying it out with friends as I don't have any idea of what they offer and if they were expensive or not.  But we did anyway, and I'm glad that we did.  

Vibe
"Balik" means going back and "bukid" can be associated as the mountains, country side, province or farm.  I don't know whats the exact English translation of bukid is but I think you get the idea.  Like the name suggests, Balik Bukid offers a feeling of somehow being back in the mountains/province/etc.  I don't know about you guys, but places like these relaxes me maybe because it is an escape from the city rush.  Paintings by local artists are hung up on the wall, some table stands were old sewing machines and wooden ironing boards, baskets on the ceiling, and they incorporated plastic bottles on a portion of the front wall which helps bring in natural light and other recycled materials used as decor, etc.



Menu / Food
We got a bit overwhelmed by it and we didn't really know what we wanted to try (but I was eyeing on the Malasugue).  So we asked the waitress instead what their best sellers are and when she mentioned the Pan Seared Garlic Malasugue, I didn't have any second thoughts and ordered it while my friends chose Binalot na Adobong Dilaw and Sinugbang Baboy at Ensalada.

While waiting for our orders, we played Snakes and Ladders which housed the menu.  There were other games you could play as well.  I'm not sure though if you could use and play the Sungka-an / Sungkahan (Sungka is a traditional Filipino game, and the carved wood used for the game is called Sungka-an or Sungkahan) placed on other tables or if it was just for design as ours had what seems to be, an old iron for display.  We never really noticed how long we waited for the food as we were having fun but I'm pretty sure it was not that long.  Probably a good 15 minutes (?)  I really don't know.  Sorry.

The verdict.  Well I just won the best choice of meal for today and my friends thought so too.  My rice serving was a bit small though but eating some of the fish and veggies on its own was still good.  I had a taste of the Adobo, it was new to me, the waitress suggested for condiments but it was already good on its own.  Thats just me.  I honestly think that others would still opt to add the condiments though.  And oh, it had more rice serving than mine.  I also took a bite of the Sinugba and it was good as well.  What I wanted to try was the eggplant but forgot all bout it as I happily devoured my meal.  What made it even better was that it was fairly priced (for us, that is)!  It satisfies you without leaving a feeling that you have to save a whole lot to eat there again.

For dessert, we had the Tsokolate Islands.  3 Scoops of ice cream, a choice of vanilla or tablea, in between a pastry (?) looking/tasting food.

Meals like this leave me with a happy tummy and a smile on my face.  Happy customer indeed!





Location
Balik Bukid is located at Sandawa Park, Quimpo Boulevard, Ecoland.  Just a jeepney ride away from SM City (ride the ones that are en route to Quirino / Sasa / Roxas) or Aldevinco (ride the Toril-bound ones in Roxas Street).

Overall, its a perfect rate of 5/5, vibe, menu/food/price and location wise for me.  Though I think some people may find the location probably a bit inconvenient especially if you are from the northern part of the city (Sasa, Lanang, etc).

So if you're wanting to something different, you won't go wrong with Balik Bukid.

Notice the plastic bottles on the left side of this picture?



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