A good friend of mine recommended Marina Tuna Restaurant-  one among the “best” that serves seafood dishes in Davao City that’s why we included this in our list of restaurants to visit once we set food in Davao City.

The branch that we tried is in Quimpo Blvd., Sandawa Plaza, Matina. There are other establishments on the area including the Yellow Fin that I really wanted to try but unable to do so due to my stomach limitation. Oh well, so here’s what we ordered.

An order of Adobong Bihod, as suggested by the waiter, together with Tuna Belly with Honey Sauce, Avocado shake and Baked Scallops.

“Bihod” is the fish’s eggs cooked in soy sauce and vinegar. I honestly don’t like the taste because there’s this bitterness left on my tongue that I can’t remove right away. Good thing there’s the avocado shake. We’re unable to finish the serving because the taste is not familiar – It’s not burnt but somehow the bitter-taste part is not easy to like for a price of PhP287 (Two hundred and eighty-seven pesos).

The baked scallops serving on the other hand is small and very dry. I tried other baked scallops in Manila and I preferred buttery, cheesy and a bit moisturized. The order we received were dry, no butter taste and less cheese which costed PhP325 (Three hundred and twenty-five pesos). Pricey for me – you can tell by the photo what I meant. Nine pieces of small scallops.

Last but definitely not the least, fried Tuna Belly with Honey Sauce. This is the only dish I liked compared to the other two dishes I mentioned earlier. We paid PhP780 (Seven hundred and eighty pesos) with small portion of serving. It’s like a dozen or less tuna belly cubes. The saltiness of the fish complements the sweetness of the honey sauce so it plays your taste buds.

Final verdict? I’m not recommending this restaurant if you very tight budget – all were a bit pricey for me. If you want other seafood dishes, better try the Roxas night market or other restaurants that offer almost the same dishes. 

My taste test on Marina Tuna doesn’t generalize other dishes they’re offering. I’m just limited to what we had during our Davao City visit. Maybe these are the only ones that got me not so excited. If time and opportunity permits, I would love to try other dishes on their menu but for now, I’m hesitating to spend again on their food.

Here’s the Marina Tuna Menu for your reference: