Your visit to Zamboanga City isn’t
fulfilled if you haven’t tried its famous curacha . Curacha is a chavacano name
to a spanner crab or if translated literally it means roach. This crab is actually
a natural highbred from a deep sea crab and a big spiny lobster that can
be found in the deep sea of Zamboanga.
" Feels like eating a mediterranean cuisine only done in Filipino manner with all fingers involved"
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| Alavar's Famous Curacha |
The primary purpose of my trip to
Zamboanga was just to have a taste of Curacha after I saw it in one of the segments
in a local TV show 3 years ago. I spent 10 hour bus ride and 45 minutes flight
just to be at the famous Alavar restaurant, the resto specializing on ‘alavar’
sauce topped on prepared Curacha. I have heard that there are now branches in
Manila and Cebu but I crave for the original and authentic source of this talked about dish.
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| Alavar has now a hostel for tourists |
Alavar Seafood House is
located at Don Alfaro Street. Before going there I made a call for reservation to ensure that Curacha is available on the
menu as I have heard that sometimes this famous exotic dish is not offered due to
scarcity of catch or sometimes the catch aren’t of good quality ( small in
sizes).
The restaurant is not as fancy as
other restaurant I have visited in other cities but in Zamboanga, Alavar is one of the
fanciest, decent, and of course pricey diner in the peninsula.
A waitress approached me politely
and directed me to my reserved table and presented the menu. I looked over the
selections of various seafood dishes and locked my eyes on Curacha.I noticed
that the price of the large Curacha changed from Php 950/kg to Php 1050.00 The
waitress explained that the price varies on the factor of season, availability
and quality. Since I am just a lone guest on the table, I requested if I can just have a half
kilo which is equivalent to 1 pc of Curacha. The waitress nodded and gave my
order to their chef.
After 20 minutes, my most awaited
dish arrived. From the way it was served it was already mouth watering and can’t
wait to taste it. The sauce has the most distinctive and unique taste. Hard to
describe but it gave me a pleasant vibe to request for another cup of rice. The
Curacha has almost the same taste as the crab; only it has more fats inside,
not recommended to people suffering from high blood pressure. The meat is
tender and blends well with the sauce.
Finishing my meal feels like consuming a
mediterranean cuisine only done in a Filipino manner-with all fingers
involved. I wish to take out a pack of alavar sauce for only Php 300.00 but
since I was on a tour, it will just go to waste unconsumed so I decided not to.
This means I shall visit again and maybe try on their other less expensive dish specialties plus of course the Alavar sauce. With my expectations met, I head to my next destination with a happy gut.
This means I shall visit again and maybe try on their other less expensive dish specialties plus of course the Alavar sauce. With my expectations met, I head to my next destination with a happy gut.
Alavar Seafood House
173 Don Alfaro St. Zamboanga City Phils
Telephone number: (062)991-2483
The photos looks tempting! Yummm!!!
ReplyDeleteWow, all the effort for one dish and by the way you described it, it was well worth it. It kinda remind me of the scene in Rattatoille wherein the critic remembered his chidhood after eating the mouthwatering dish.
ReplyDeleteI would love to devour that sweet sea delicacy! but unfortunately, I'm disappointingly allergic to crabs and all other types of crustacean. :/ Nonetheless, your post of the Curacha sure is mouthwatering! :P
ReplyDeleteHuwaw! Curacha:) Na motivate tuloy ako na magluto ng Curacha in Soda and lemon sa week end. Lam ko mura lang to sa Surigao City Market:)
ReplyDeletepadalhan mo ako jeffrey ! hehehehe ... i miss eating curacha ... tell me when you find one :D
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious, and I am actually not a sea food person LOL!
ReplyDeletewow curacha got me curious!! im a seafood addict! :)
ReplyDeleteRovie, The Bargain Doll