Zamboanga's Famous Curacha

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"

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.

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.

Alavar Seafood  House

173 Don Alfaro St. Zamboanga City Phils

Telephone number: (062)991-2483

Related post:

Tsokolate: Coolest Hangout/Cafe in Zamboanga City
Places to visit in Zamboanga Tourism Complex

Tweet

Pin It