Modern Heritage at 1953 Kusina Leticia - Davao, Food & Photography

The seven thousand island of the Philippines gave birth to hundreds and maybe thousands of cuisine influenced by different geographical location, culture (the way of living of people) and trade. The search to define Filipino cuisine is an endless adventure but for most Filipinos, and Davaoenos, we would have a generic idea of what it is by pointing out our favorite home cook dishes with recipes handed down by mothers to daughters and to the families thereafter.

This is what my perspective of 1953 Kusina Leticia is all about–the handing over of culinary tradition from one generation to another. Which is primarily the reason why the food at this resto, our fourth stop with the Davao Digital Influencers’ Davao Food Crawl, reflects a modern take to Filipino favorites.

During our visit, we sampled some of the signature items from their menu–Sisig Nachos, Krispy Pata Kare-Kare, Bulalo Steak and Tablea Truffle Cake. Noticeably, there is a modern twist in all the dishes that brings out the best quality of these food just like that of the Krispy Pata Kare-Kare which by tradition uses oxtail, beef or tripe but in this case, Krispy Pata (crispy pork trotters) was used as the meat. Another is that the peanut sauce and vegetables are not served mixed with each other but were deconstructed and served on platter. This caters to the preferences of the diners who can either enjoy the dish to how they wantThe bulalo which by tradition is prepared as a soup, was cooked in a sizzling plate, over gravy. This is probably my favorite dish from Kusina Leticia as the beef is very tender and let’s not forget that osso buco-esque aka beef bone marrow served together with a melt-in-your-mouth beef that creates a perfect recipe for an extra rice to be ordered!

So? Where to eat next with your family? Here’s the answer.