Many years ago, in the city of Davao, a couple of friends bonded together and set up a bar where they can chill out, relax, have some drinks, play billiards and darts, and enjoy honest-to-goodness Davao fare. They called the place Blue Post, celebrating how cool their hangout turned out to be.
But as the passage of time would have it, the group moved on with their individual lives; some stayed, some drifted to other directions. One member of the group, businessman Anthony Ang, remained in Davao. He realized that the fresh superb seafood that they were enjoying in Blue Post was too good to be kept a secret; it had to be shared.
He renamed Blue Post to Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps, highlighting the succulent seafood that, among other things, Davao is famous for. Its first Davao branch, located along J.P. Rizal Ave (situated after Davao Water District and before going to SM Lanang Premiere) opened on December 13, 2013. The second branch, located at Lanang Business Park, opened a few months later on June 28, 2014 just 5 minutes away from the first! The third branch, located at SM Ecoland Davao branch. Today, just the three branches of Blue Posts in Davao sell 2,000 kilos of crabs every week!
Diners embraced and celebrated the crabs and shrimps restaurant, especially the concept of eating these with their hands. Anthony explain, “The seafood is served in a bag. But we don’t have any plates. We only have wax paper on the table and you can eat with your bare hands. After all, mas masarap kumain ng crabs and shrimps pag kinakamay.”
To Anthony’s pleasant surprise, the diners who flock to Blue Posts are not just the local Davao residents. In fact, visitors from Manila have made it a point to eat at the restaurant to sample the famous seafood of Davao. And in the three years that it has been operating, Anthony had received numerous inquiries and invitations to bring it to Metro Manila.
Just this May 10, 2017, Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps opened its first company owned stand-alone branch at the 2nd Floor of O-Square Building, Greenhills Shopping Center.
Greenhills marks the third branch in Metro Manila with franchised branches in SM North Edsa and Mall of Asia. But for Blue Posts this is just the beginning Anthony reveals that within the next two years, three more branches will be opened in the metro!
Crab aficionados eat their favorite crustacean in several different ways. But before anyone can extract those sweet bits, the use of a small metal mallet is required. Smashing that mallet against the hard and thick exoskeleton of the crab cracks its body open so as to get into the guilty pleasures within. The most coveted part here is the crab roe, or aligue, which sticks to the shell but can be deftly extracted by fork or knife or simply by hand. But don’t forget to hammer the mallet on the other favorite parts, which are the crab claws. There is more crab meat in the claws, and these are easier to access once cracked.
While the Metro Manila branches initially carry the most requested dishes coming from Blue
Post’s Davao, the entire Davao menu offerings will be in Manila soon enough.
The crabs are ordered per kilo and priced at current market rates. The fresh catch can be cooked according to the diners’ preference: Blue Post’s Boil is boiled and lathered with the restaurant’s signature Cajun sauce; Garlic Fried is coated in Blue Post’s special batter and garlic fried to perfection; Sambal is cooked with sambal paste, a spicy and flavorful fusion of the Indonesian and Malay, enhanced with the Blue Post’s touch. New to the menu are Crabs and Shrimps in Garlic Lemon Sauce and Crabs and Shrimps in Salted Egg.
As for the equally popular shrimps, the diner can also enjoy them boiled like the crabs. Or dig into the Buttered Cereal Shrimps. Or take a bit of heat from the Cajun Prawns, which are Grilled King Prawns marinated in Blue Post’s signature Cajun Spice Sauce, served with a mix of African lemon, fried garlic, and slices of spring onion.
Not to be outdone, Davao’s sweet pomelo is also highlighted in the menu. The Pomelo Salad is a refreshing mix of pomelo chunks, shrimps, greens, peanuts, and vinaigrette. For dessert, the Pomelo Cream Salad with Corn is a rich sweet final course.
But wait! There are other delightful dishes that could give the crabs a run for their money. Take for example another Davao must-have: the Tuna Belly and the Tuna Panga, or tuna jaw. Grilled tender, the fun is in scooping out the tasty tuna morsel from under the fish’s collar bone, then dipping it in any of Blue Post’s signature dips namely Cajun, Sinamak & Garlic Vinegar and tasting the famous fresh fish that visitors to Davao clamor for.
Meat lovers need not feel left out as Blue Post also serves Grilled Native Chicken, Battered
Chicken, Chicken Adobo, Garlic Pork Riblets, and Garlic Pork Belly.
To wash down this eating spree, Blue Post’s offers its Nestle Mixology, a choice selection of fruit juice blends that bring out the zest, the sweet, and the sparkle of each fruit. For those who want a heart-friendly choice, enjoy the unli DOLE pineapple juice.
Anthony invites diners with this remark: “Blue Post’s Boiling Crabs and Shrimps is a family restaurant. You can be as messy as you want because crabs and shrimps are best eaten by hands. But it is always fun and masaya!”.
Check out Blue Post’s Boiling Crabs and Shrimps, with Metro Manila branches at The Block, SM North; SM Mall of Asia; and 2nd Floor, O-Square Building, Greenhills Shopping Center.
For more information, visit: Blue Posts Boiling – Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/bluepostsboiling.