Minkah’s Kitchen: A Hidden Gem in Davao City

Minkah’s Kitchen is an organic restaurant and specialty store located at GSIS Heights, Davao City. They first opened last December 2014 at Maa Road, beside S&R Supermarket, but transferred to its current location. The direction to their restaurant is quite tricky since it is situated inside a residential village and is quite an uphill drive. The road upon reaching the top of the uphill street becomes narrow, though an SUV type car can pass through just fine. Minkah’s Kitchen is far from what typical restaurants look like. When you’re inside the restaurant, I suggest that you choose the table by the balcony overlooking city to enjoy the sight and the cool breeze. It amazes me how something so near the city proper could make you feel like you are miles away in a vacation house.

The road leading to Minkah’s Kitchen can get quite confusing, as it is located inside a village in Davao City. GSIS Heights, however, is a known village and most taxi drivers are familiar with this place. There are many ways to get there, but the easiest route is through Pluto Street. Go straight through this road and soon you will see Minkah’s Kitchen signage.

Yes, this restaurant is found within the city and is only a rough 10-minute drive offering this kind of view. A view you’d most probably see when you are away from the city proper.

Enough about the nice view and on to the food. Let me tell you that Minkah’s Kitchen have the most unique and non-intimidating menu you will ever see at an organic, “farm to table” restaurant. This restaurant is actually the safest haven for those who want to try organic living but are afraid to take the plunge. Minkah’s, unlike most organic restaurants, serve organic pork and beef. Heck they even have lechon once in awhile! How cool is that? Minkah’s Kitchen is owned by Kahayag Farms, an integrated organic farm where most of their supplies come from.

Tradition and education about organic produce pose as the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs pursuing the path of organic lifestyle business. Filipino culture includes fiestas and feasts where most foods are served buffet style and are very “malasa.” Our never ending love affair with rice is also a Filipino trademark. Any Filipino family needs to have traditional Filipino cuisine served for them to enjoy any gathering. This may be one of the reasons why Filipinos are not too keen about organic or healthy restaurants; thinking that they will not have as much satisfaction from the organic food as they normally get from usual fatty and flavorful meals. Our love for fat and salt has caused diabetes and hypertension to become the leading causes of death in the Philippines.

Thankfully, Minkah’s Kitchen understands the Filipino palate and still serves lechon, lechon kawali, pork ribs and rice—all of which, from meat to rice, are organic and free from harmful chemicals. Minkah’s food had been cooked to perfection and you wouldn’t even recognize the difference from those cooked in an ordinary restaurant. Their Lechon Kawali is divine! It has the same greasy pork feel, yet cooked in lighter oil.

The Adobong Manok—another crowd hit—uses organic chicken which is very different from the native chicken that we all thought was organic. Native chicken is simply “bisayang manok,” a variety of chicken breed here in the Philippines. This has a tougher meat than the usual chicken we consume and not everyone is accustomed to its taste so they avoid it. It is common knowledge that amongst all meat, broiler chicken is the one mostly injected with hormones for bigger and faster growth, to accommodate the market demand. Consequently, these hormones produce nasty health effects to its consumers. However at Minkah’s, they use broiler chicken (the chicken we know and love) and it is truly organic! What a relief, right?

Organic, tender and flavorful. Every bit of what an Adobong Manok should be.

 If you are looking for something light and refreshing, this dish would certainly hit the spot. With the fresh and soft meat of Malasugue bathed in citrus and herbs, this one gives off an oriental feel.

Aside from Filipino dishes they also have pasta variants.

 The pasta was perfectly cooked and the whole dish had a balance of all the flavors.

 The tomatoes used in this dish are harvested from their farm and are ensured fresh. I can definitely taste the freshness in the pasta because of the sweeter & chunkier tomatoes, quite unlike the flavor of using commercial-grade tomato paste.

Aside from these savory meals in their menu, they also have a selection of healthy juices and desserts. Let me share with you some of them:

Homegrown and made from scratch. The addition of sesame seeds actually made this well-known dessert a level higher than others.

 What made this dish taste good was the fresh mangoes. At Minkah’s Kitchen they try their best to keep everything fresh and that is their ultimate edge from the competitors.

Minkah’s Kitchen also provides raw and organic meat, organic rice and vegetables for you stock at home. Here are other Minkah’s Kitchen recommendations without photo:

  • Cajun kamote fries (85php)
  • Crostini with 3 cheese (120php)
  • Grilled pork chop (140php/solo platter)
  • Tuna steak with caramelized onions (150php/solo platter)
  • Lechon kawali (240php/group platter)
  • Kamote tops juice (55php/jar)

I find their serving and price fair and very affordable. To eat wholesome food this affordable is a very much a welcome treat! Whether you are looking for wholesome food or a quiet place to chill out for a minute, Minkah’s Kitchen is your mini oasis from a busy and fast-paced city. They want to break the misconception that organic food is only for the rich. They ensure that all their dishes are high quality and yet it won’t hurt your wallet. Indeed, the public should be made aware of Minkah’s kitchen advocacy to provide the best of the best organic produce to every class. So if you are craving for the best Filipino cuisine, Minkah’s is definitely the way to go.

The wide variety of Minkah’s Kitchen’s menu is a plus to those who need to switch to a healthier lifestyle. This restaurant aims not only to provide for consumers but to our local farmers as well, who are hesitant on organic farming. Giving back to the farmers that put food on our table is one act often overlooked by our society. But this is another admirable aspect about Minkah’s, they show value for the farmers.

“We also aim to make Minkah’s kitchen as an Organic trading post. A lot of farmers are hesitant to convert into organic farming because they are afraid no one will buy their produce. We aim to encourage more farmers to go into organic and help them in selling their products at Minkah’s.” –Minkah’s Kitchen

Aside from having very entertaining and cheerful staff, which shows they have great customer service, Minkah’s Kitchen also holds seminars on sustainable living and farming to further educate and promote wholesome living to their consumers.

I’m so excited about what Minkah’s Kitchen will offer in the coming years.

“Future plans for the business would be to gain more customers to come and visit our urban garden resto. To produce more value adding products like tea, organic juices, packed culinary herbs, canned humba etc. ( As of now we are still on the developing process of our value adding products). To make Minkah as an organic trading post. Where local organic farmers can display and sell their products at the restaurant.” ~ Minkah’s Kitchen

With its quality food and service, and promising plans, Minkah’s Kitchen is earning its spot as one of Davao City’s gem. Make sure you don’t miss checking it out when you are in Davao!

MINKAH’S URBAN FARM AND KITCHEN

Address: Upper Pluto-Virgo Sts. GSIS, Matina Davao City

Tel No. 284-8228

Instagram: @minkahskitchen

Email: jasmenyah@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/minkahs.kitchen/

GOOGLE MAPS: https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Minkah’s+Urban+Farm+%26+Kitchen/@7.0645493,125.5754632,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xce28bb7991b981b1!8m2!3d7.0645493!4d125.57546