I'm in Naga as I write, fresh from a full day's work rewarded by dinner at Chef Doy's Gourmet Restaurant. Located in a nook along Magsaysay Avenue, it is quite cozy with an in door air conditioned space and several umbrella-covered outdoor tables.
For starters we had the very tender Batang Batang Pusit which is basically baby squid in olive oil and spices. It's similarly done to gambas (shrimps in olive oil and garlic) but seasoned adobo style. The thumb-sized deep-sea suckers were soft and easily absorbed the soy-based sauce.
My company for the evening wanted to try crabs, we ordered the Ginataang Alimango (Crabs in Coconut Cream). It was, to our disappointment, unavailable. So we went for the other ginataang ulam (dish cooked in coconut cream)- Sugpo, Kalabasa at Sitaw sa Gata (Prawns, Squash and String Beans in Coconut Cream). The mildly spiced creamy coconut sauce, infused with the sweet squash,
And to complete the coconut cream overload, we ordered Kinunot na Pating (Shark in Chilies and Coconut Cream). this recipe was spiced just right, from the chilies to the level of saltiness. The shark meat was a bit chewy. There must be a right way to cook shark (probably like squid- either very high temperature or cooked for more than 30 minutes).
To complement the creamy dishes, we ordered Inihaw na liempo (Grilled Pork Belly). It was hoever, to sweet for my taste with the barbecue sauce overpowering the taste of grilled meat.
To finish th dessert, we shared a small serving of Leche Flan with Pili nut toppings. The flan itself was standard home-made fare- soft, starchy and sweet.
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