One of the classics and a not-to-be-missed place in Davao is the 10-year-old AHFAT at the Victoria Plaza Complex. The style of cooking of chef owner Pat Ang is his own unique and tempered example of how certain styles of Chinese-Filipino or Chinoy cuisine have evolved and become a dynamic cuisine on its own.

Ang is a hands-on person and is seen virtually every day taking command of the dining room. He can be seen giving orders to the kitchen and taking orders from his customers, unmindful of soiling his hands even if the business is ever thriving and has expanded to another annex in nearby building. For as long as one sticks to the classic offerings and their seafood specials, one need not fear leaving this place disappointed.

AHFAT sends me yearning every time I think of their tender and deep-flavored patatim. Meat, fat, and cartilage meld into a sweet, gelatinous, fork tender softness that can only achieved by slow cooking, with a flavorful sauce made up of equally long simmered superior stock enriched with mixed vegetables, mushrooms, and crunchy water chestnuts. The flavor of the meat is complex and takes a character of its own, probably because of a brining or marinating process that gives it a lightly tasty and cured flavor.

For crustaceans, order any of the crabs, shrimps, prawns, or lobsters (whether slipper or spiny) and have it with their most saleable steamed garlic and chili style. Though the garlic may be strong and piled on high due to its very light sauté in oil, it serves to compliment, not to distract the palate from the live freshness and briny flavor of the crustaceans. I had the slipper lobsters recently, which Mr. Ang handpicked himself, and was lucky enough to have had one with some fat running from its head to its body.
For soups, the green seafood soup with minced tidbits of seafood and glass noodles and egg white threads is a sure winner with a good balance of different flavors of the sea and good textures such as mushrooms, like white fungus and bits of agar-agar.

Live fish coming from their tanks seem to need the respect it requires, so I do not venture more than order either soy sauce steamed or steamed with black bean and chili. Two of my favorites are of course their black grouper or lapu-lapu or the firm and fatty fleshed pomfret.

Often times they have a stock of the rare pigik which comes from neighboring provinces when it makes its yearly spawn run. I would advice asking for assurance that it would be served in good condition, knowing astronomical prices one will pay for this heavenly delicate fleshed fish.

At AHFAT, they know how to steam their fish but choose the simpler sauces. I did not particularly fancy the tauso or soy bean topping during a past visit so I stick to the classic sauces which they are very adept at.

My last great discovery, which seems to be funny and something that foodies might just skip or miss out on, is their crispy garlic chicken. This fried chicken especially when served freshly fried on premise has a wonderful complexity, a delicate sweetness, and a light fragrance that is almost mysterious. Had it not been for one of my friend’s kids who said “Tito chef, try the fried garlic chicken here, it’s really good,” I would have missed this one.

Sometimes we have to learn from innocent palates. Just like the amazing droves of people that get to eat here and have access to this wonderful cooking everyday.