Lakatan. Latundan. Saba. Cavendish. Cardava. I know that these are varieties of banana but I had no idea that they are also cities in a Davao restaurant presently creating noise on social media and even on blogs because of its unique way of treating, well, bananas.
To join the fad, I invited a friend in Davao City to visit the place and give verdict on the banana-infused meals they’re offering. Saging Repablik opened last June 2014 and easily made its way to the top as the place is also a cool venue for groups of friend and families to hang out.
With most start-up restaurants nowadays falling into the trap of having a do-it-yourself way of creating your food, Saging Repablik also made their own way of giving a twist to the normal banana-cue being sold on the streets. Here, at Php55, you can create your own banana cue by choosing a dip, and 3 toppings. Dips include Nutella, speculoos butter, chocolate, and caramel, while you can have your toppings from almond, white choco chips, marshmallow, rice crispies, choco chips, choco candies, choco flakes, or sprinkles. We didn’t try it but it was cute to see people queue to have their dessert made at their preference.
The place has two dining areas, the one on the lower ground (Lakatan City), and the loft (Latundan City). Saba City, I suppose, is their souvenir shop where you can have kinda overpriced shirts and tote bags. Fixtures used were mostly industrial like hardwood table tops, wooden and metal barrels, and wooden platforms.
Menus will be handed to you but you’re going to the counter to state and pay your orders. They actually have a long array of food but what’s nice is they have a separate sheet that only presents their best sellers, some of them are 5-pc Lumpia ala Cubana Dynamite (Php125), Pochero Con Saba (Php225), Sisag (175), Sabagnet (Php195), Sabadobo (Php175), Seafood Arabiatta (Php195), Pandesal Sandwich (Pandwich) (Php145), and Banana Walnut Torte (Php150) for desserts.
After several times of flipping back from the normal menu to the best sellers page, we ordered Sisag, Sabagnet, Banana Walnut Torte, and Gigingka Red Velvet Solo with Cream Cheese (Php75). Waiting time is neither that fast nor too long. The crew was patient enough to refill our mason jars with water.
Sabagnet, a twist to the Ilokano’s bagnet, didn’t disappoint me with its crispiness. It came with a sweet dip which I think where the banana was infused. The Sisag, sisig with saging, is also not a good take on the famous Kapampangan sizzler.
For the desserts, Banana Walnut Torte, their best seller as per the crew, failed my expectations. It seems that we ordered a thick block of whipped cream with just walnuts in it. Luckily, it was compensated by the Gigingka Red Velvet that went perfectly with the cream cheese.
Overall, with its wide options, I’m not hesitant to revisit the cities of Saging Repablik on my next Davao trip. Meals listed on their menu that I will probably try are Humbanana Cue, Pochero Con Saba, and Sabadobo. Even though the bestseller dessert didn’t meet my expectations, having the create-your-own-banana-cue would be a better alternative next time.
SAGING REPABLIK
Tionko Ave corner V Mapa
Poblacion District, Davao City, Davao del Sur
Contact No.: 082-285-9648
