The Chronicles of Mariane: Foodie Finds at General Santos City, South Cotabato

I was really tired and hungry after all the traveling from Lake Sebu to General Santos that I didn't bother to do any sight seeing around the city. I was doing my best to still make it to Gumasa Beach before sundown so I didn't really bother to do anything aside from looking for places to eat.

3 stacks of pancakes all for me. yay or nay?

I only had time to go to malls, I was hoping I could visit GenSan Fishport but since I arrived by 2 PM, I was told I was already too late to see the "action". The van from Marbel dropped me off at Gaisano Mall and it was a couple of hours past my lunch time so imagine just how famished I was. I asked around the security guards if they can recommend some place to eat because I am not eating at the food court, no way I am heading to Jollibee! (Now that I think about it, we never ate at any food chain restaurant during our trip to SOCCSKSARGEN) They directed me to the second floor of the mall where a restaurant called The Port is located.

Pork Chop - The Port, Gaisano

I hurriedly made my order and it was served after 10 years. Just kidding, it was probably only 10 minutes but felt longer to me as I was in a really bad state because of my hunger. The place had a very nautical theme which I liked and their food reminded me of Slice n' Dice. I had pork chop and rainbow cake. I ordered it because I thought it would taste like Goldilock's Rainbow Cake that is not available anymore. Nothing really special there. I read somewhere that there chocolate shake is good though.

So colorful!

After my stay at Gumasa Beach the next day, I went back to GenSan for my flight later that afternoon. The city is really well-developed, it reminded me of Cebu City because of its many malls! Anyway, I had few hours to kill before my plane leaves so I decided to heed to my mom's request for pasalubong.

I ventured to look around in the supermarkets to find if they had any pastel, which of course is a famous product from CDO, but I didn't really know that when I went there. haha So without any luck with the pastel, I just went to Veranza and looked around. I was surprised that they had J.co and even Vikings there already. There were also lots of promising restaurants and I was really set into trying Arcapocchi, but I didn't have enough funds for the food that I wanted to try there.

Veranza, GenSan

I finally settled with Bigby's, they had a pretty extensive menu and some of the food were also pricey for my backpacker budget, but I was already inside and there's no turning back now. I sat there and ordered, hoping that what's left from my wallet will suffice. My food took about 20-30 minutes to arrive and I was really bored because I couldn't connect to the Wi-Fi that time, and of course I was alone so I couldn't really talk to someone while waiting. That reminds me, I have got to change my crappy phone if I will be doing more traveling in the future.

Gosh I loved this! Yummy quesadillas from Bigby's

Everything in Bigby's menu looked enticing! It had this Outback Steakhouse feel but the price is more affordable. I had some quesadilla and rodeo chops which were two of their most popular dishes. I absolutely adore their quesadilla, it felt like the cheese really melts in your mouth and the bread was just light but still enough to satisfy my craving. Their rodeo chops was also pretty good, I really couldn't remember anything bad about it except that the rice was a cold when they served it to me. I would have probably requested they give me a hot one if not for my rumbling stomach. The meat was just perfectly cooked but I wasn't a big fan of the cranberry sauce, I forgot to ask if they had a different sauce though.

Having only a couple of hundreds left after my meal at Bigby's, I was still craving for something sweet but still affordable enough since I need some moolah to cover my transportation to the airport. I wanted to take a nap somewhere (in the cinemas perhaps) but I cancelled that since my funds were low. I asked some of the guards for some recommendations and they mentioned that some of their restaurants are offering 50% off from their regular prices on all meals! Wow, I could probably never get this deal in the malls in Manila so I decided I will try one of them.

I finally decided and to go to Pancake House, for some reason I had this craving for pancakes, very heavy for the tummy! haha I have been to Pancake House a couple of times before and have also sampled some of their specialties, may it be rice meals, pasta or pancakes, but to be honest, there's really nothing to rave about. But still, I decided to give them another chance, after all, 50% right!

I wished I had more time (and money!) to try more local restaurants and of course, fresh sashimi from GenSan. :( Might be better to get recommendations from local bloggers the next time I visit the city. But anyway I can say that there is no better way to end this relaxing trip to Mindanao than to go back to Manila with a full stomach! Happy tummy = happy me!

Follow my footsteps from South Cotabato to Sarangani