#prouddavao

SM City Davao is the first SM mall to open in the city, followed by the more upscale SM Lanang Premier. The new restaurant is located at the ground floor of its new Annex building, right in front of the main central lobby. 

I was met by the generous owners and executives of Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps who gave us such a warm welcome during our stay in Davao. This third branch is their biggest restaurant in Davao so far, and it has entrances both inside the mall and one leading directly outside to the streets.

The restaurant has the same fisherman’s wharf-inspired interiors that you can find in other branches. The only difference is that all the walls are still clean and bare without graffiti. That is surely bound to change in the next few days after they officially open to the public.

The special guests for today’s activities include Chef Rolando Laudico and Chef Jacqueline Laudico, a celebrity chef couple who have appeared in numerous television shows including MasterChef Pinoy Edition. We enjoyed all our wacky conversations with both of them.

Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps boasts of their Sea-to-Table dining experience, sourcing their seafood items directly from crab and shrimp farmers in Zamboanga and Zurigao. They also support these farmers by giving them capital to start their business and buying the products directly from them so that they do not have to export these anymore. 

Before the official program started, guests were served a few appetizers like the Crab Turnover. This is a different kind of empanada as it comes filled with crab meat.

Other items brought out by the servers include Crab Balls, Kamote Fries and Potato Fries. I particularly liked these savory crab balls which are an upgrade to the meat balls we usually encounter.

The program then started with an elegant parade of servers who brought out their signature food-grade wax paper and laid them on the dining tables. They also placed Blue Posts dining bibs on each of the guests which only means one thing, it’s eating time!

A short press conference ensued with the owners and management who gamely answered questions from the media. It was then time for the ceremonial cracking of the crabs! They really do things differently here at Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps.

After pounding the crabs with their hammers, lunch was now officially open! We started with the Pomelo Salad which is a truly Davaoeño dish. This comes with shrimp, pomelo and spring onions with a dash of sourness from the lemon.

One of the popular non-seafood items at Boiling Crabs and Shrimps is the Garlic Pork Ribs. These crunchy and salty fried ribs are doused with loads of garlic and go so well with a dip of vinegar.

But the main attraction at Boiling Crabs and Shrimps will always be their huge crabs!

The restaurant introduced a new special flavor that afternoon, the Salted Egg Crabs. These crabs really taste as good as they look. The garlic and salted egg flavors complement each other and give another delicious way of preparing and eating these amazing crabs. 

I’ve become somewhat of an expert in cracking and peeling crabs. Look at how I de-shelled this crab claw by myself. Given how much crabs I ate during the entire trip, it’s good that I learned a new skill which I will proudly bring back to Manila.

Another new flavor being introduced is the Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimps. Imagine all three flavors and ingredients in one steaming bag of shrimps. The aroma alone will make you want to dig in an ask for second and third servings of rice.

The guests at the media launch were also invited to be the first to write on their graffiti walls. It was time to make the new outlet look like its other branches in Davao so I decorated their wall with my handwriting. Look for my name when you visit their SM City Davao branch.

The day was not yet over because later that evening, Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps hosted a special VIP night at the central lobby just outside the restaurant. Personalities and media guests from Davao were all invited to a huge party where the kitchen had prepared over 350 kilos of crabs!

Guests started arriving as early as 5:00pm and everyone was eager to have a taste of the Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps seafood specialties. 

Together with my travel mates Donny “The Last Don” Elviña, Sharwin “Curiosity Got The Chef” Tee, and Gerry “Dude For Food” San Miguel, we were joined at our table by Chefs Rolando and Jacqueline Laudico for another crab festival.

The Nestle Mixology Bar provided overflowing beverages and juices to all the guests as well. You can mix and match all six flavors of Nestle juices and create your own combinations and concoctions.

The program started with a couple of cultural and regional performances and dances to entertain the audience.

Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps also introduced their new Bucket Lister Club as a treat to all their loyal customers. The Bucket Lister Club Card gives an automatic 10% discount on your total bill plus a free dessert or drink every time you dine. It accumulates points as well which you can use for future purchases. The card can be purchased for P1,499 but you can follow these three easy steps to get your card for FREE!

Congressmen Karlo Nograles led the toast to celebrate the opening of the third and newest branch of Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps in Davao. Together with him on stage was Anthony Ang plus other owners and executives of the restaurant.

They then moved over in front of the restaurant itself to pull the drapes and formally welcome the newest member of the Boiling Crabs and Shrimps family.

It’s time to start the festivities as the Boiling Crabs and Shrimps servers brought out what everyone was waiting for, the crabs! Laid out on each table was their new Salted Egg Crabs which we had for lunch earlier. I’m sure most of the VIP guests are big fans of the restaurant so this new flavor was a surprise treat for them.

Aside from other Blue Posts signature dishes that were also offered, my other favorite was the Garlic Fried Shrimps which are so crunchy that you can eat the entire shrimp from head to tail.

Everyone had a great time devouring all those crabs and shrimps. It was like a town fiesta! We were also serenaded by the soothing voices of Jay-R and Kyla, the country’s esteemed R&B prince and princess, who performed a couple of solo and duet numbers for the guests and the mall audience.

I had a very eventful and truly satisfying Davao food trip with these guys. I have never seen and ate so much crabs in my life! Congratulations to Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps for the successful launch of your third branch in Davao. Another new branch opened in SM Mall of Asia just last week, bringing their total nationwide outlets to five. Three more are expected to open within the next months including branches at Greenhills in March, Seascape Village in April, and SM Megamall in June. So whether you are in Davao or in Manila, “It’s Fun to be Messy” at Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps!

Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps

Ground Floor, SM City Davao Annex, Ecoland Subdivision, Matina, Davao City

www.facebook.com/BluePostsBoiling