Finally Archipelago 7107 by Barrio Fiesta in Davao at SM Lanang had their grand opening, blessing and press launch last July 31, 2013.

All photos credit to DAVAOFOODTRIPS.com| All rights reserved

Know more about this Filipino restaurant…

When dining in a Filipino restaurant, we rarely get the full assortment of recipes we have in our country. The Philippines, being an archipelago, has a vast definition of Filipino cuisine. Filipinos from different parts of the country’s cluster of islands have been honing their own recipes and practicing different variations of a similar dish such as adobo and sinigang.

For years, most Filipino restaurants in the country serve only their perspective regional recipes. The north has the Kapampangan recipes which gave us Sisig and Pinakbet, the south has given us Inasal na Manok and Kanin sa Puso, but not many Filipino restaurants have given us all of these recipes under one roof.

Thus the idea of Archipelago 7107 by Barrio Fiesta was born. The concept is to serve selected authentic recipes from the north, south and anywhere in between the 7107 islands we have under one menu, therefore, giving the customer a wider range  of recipes to choose from than your normal Filipino restaurant. Aside from the loved Barrio Fiesta recipes, such as the Crispy Pata, Kare-kare, and Pinakbet, our Chef will offer rare delicacies from time to time to keep the menu interesting.

The ambiance is casual and chic, distancing from the traditional wooden and bamboo décor most Filipino restaurants are known for. Menu prices range at P120-P695 per dish, serving 2-4 people.

Archipelago 7107 by Barrio Fiesta is a brainchild of young entrepreneurs Antero Sison III, Carlo Lorenzana, Alberto Bacani, and Alan Bangco who teamed up with the third generation restaurateur Tyrone Ongpauco from the Barrio Fiesta chain of restaurants.

Archipelago 7107 by Barrio Fiesta will cater to families wanting to dine out and celebrate, and to young professionals wanting to unwind with friends after a successful day at work. After dinner, Archipelago 7107 transforms into a full blown lounge bar, eager to please the discerning partyphile. ~Archipelago 7107 by Barrio Fiesta

Finally Archipelago 7107 had their grand opening and blessing last July 31, 2013!

A flashback since I have not blogged about our first few foodtrips there with my two boys since… I remember the first time we visited Archipelago 7107 at SM Lanang last January 26, 2013 when it has just opened a few days back then on January 21 and was still on its soft opening phase. We immediately tried their crispy pata of course! It is one of their bestsellers that was recommended to me and it’s truly a must try dish there. It was truly crispy and delicious! A sinful delight for Pinoy foodies they say. My boys and I enjoyed our lunch that day and the first visit was truly worth it.

I remember seated on the next table were Ms. Debby Go, AVP for Mindanao Operations of SM Supermalls and Mr. Jerome Yeo, Assistant Mall Manager of SM Lanang Premier who were enjoying their Kare-Kare, another bestseller at Archipelago 7107, for their lunch. I also fondly recall Maam Debby asking me if I wanted to take a photo as well of the Kare-Kare they were having.

Speaking of Kare-Kare, I remember we really enjoyed eating the bagoong or shrimp paste that they serve it with which they make their very own fresh and delicious version. We can really say “sarap talaga!” when it’s freshly made compared to those bottled ones sold in the market.

During the grand opening, the two servings of bagoong was gone and sold out in a few minutes and they were generous to give us another serving. I remember months before that they were planning to sell this as well to customers who’ll love using and eating it at their own home.

During the first visit, we saw there Mr. Carlo Lorenzana, one of the owners who we have met a few times before at events at SumoSam and Cellar de Boca which are also his restos all in SM Lanang Premier. He warmly welcomed us into his newest restaurant venture. He also introduced us to another owner of the resto, Mr. Jay Sison who gave us an awesome treat and made us try their Laing on our next visit the following day then.

My husband and I remember we enjoyed their delicious and creamy version of laing. We were in a laing craze during that time too. We love eating this dish. Thank you again for that delicious laing treat!

Now sharing with you here are a few photos taken during the blessing and grand opening of Archipelago 7107.

All photos credit to DAVAOFOODTRIPS.com| All rights reserved

With the traditional coin shower or throwing of coins after the blessing and ribbon cutting.

The night went on with dinner served for all the guests which was accompanied by a live music performance. Here are photos of most of the food and drinks that we had…

Starting off with Nachos while we were still waiting for the event to start. I had their fresh four season fruit shake for my drink. It was delicious and since it is a healthy drink, we went for a second round!

One of the dishes that Barrio Fiesta and Archipelago 7107 are very known for and a fiesta can’t go without is Crispy Pata as part of the delicacies served.

Crispy Pata is a famous Filipino pork dish that uses a whole pig’s leg. The leg (or pata) is made tender by simmering in water along with other spices. It is then rubbed with seasonings and deep-fried until the texture becomes very crunchy.This dish can be eaten as a main dish along with pickled green papaya (atchara) and a dipping sauce made from soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and chopped onions. It can also be served as beer food or “pulutan” – which is what Crispy Pata is popularly known for.

Another Popular Filipino dish is the Kare-Kare which is also a best seller at Archipelago 7107 by Barrio Fiesta. One of their must try dishes! Their peanut sauce is among the best I’ve tried. I could even just have that sauce, pour it on rice and don’t forget to have it with their very own made bagoong! “Pwedeng pwede na!” *wink*

Kare-kare is a Philippine stew. It is made from peanut sauce with a variety of vegetables, stewed oxtail, beef, and occasionally offal or tripe. Meat variants may include goat meat or (rarely) chicken and now even seafoods. It is often served and eaten with bagoong or shrimp paste. Traditionally, any Filipino fiesta (particularly in Pampanga region) is not complete without kare-kare. In some Filipino-American versions of the dish, oxtail is exclusively used as the meat.

Laing… a traditional Filipino vegetable recipe that originated from the Bicol region. It is a spicy vegetable dish cooked in coconut milk or gata. I tasted this one and it is still as creamy and delicious as I remember the first time we tried it. I was never into laing until I first tasted the dish (I heard of so many times before in my life) during the Sooo Pinoy food trip last year. Since then I would try all laing I’d find in any resto or food establishment as part of a foodie’s food trip adventure.

Bulalo Steak… the husband really loved this. It is one of his old faves after all.

Ilocano Rice… the best of the Ilocos region by combining bagnet, Vigan longganisa, salted egg, onions and tomatoes, topped on flavored rice.

Chicharong Bulaklak an old fave dish of my husband too.

Inihaw na Pusit

Garlic Chicken… especially for kids as this is what our little boy would have when we get to dine at Archipelago 7107.

Fried leche flan for dessert.

Sinalab Special (P610)… a collection of fresh seafood and assorted meats cooked and served in a kawayan tray. Serves 4-5 persons.

Mama Chit’s Special (P650)… a feast in a bilao as how the beloved Mama Chit would prepare it. A mini-fiesta in itself with fried hito, shrimps, fried lumpia, onion rings, grilled eggplant, fried banana (which I enjoyed eating!), and served with four dips to choose from. Serves 4-5 persons.

What’s inside the foil…

All photos credit to DAVAOFOODTRIPS.com| All rights reserved

These two orders – the Sinalab Special and Mama Chit’s Special were the last served to us for it took quite awhile to prepare this… but definitely those were not the least as they are two of the four (4) that completes Archipelago 7107’s Specialties aside from their Crispy Pata and Kare-Kare.With all these food we tasted, it was sure a feast for us and my fellow blogger friends. Thank you for the fiesta treat!

If you want to dine out here in Davao City and have a Filipino feast with your family and friends, visit Archipelago 7107 by Barrio Fiesta at the 2nd floor Fountain Court of SM Lanang Premier. It’s is just beside Cellar de Boca.