Strolling the streets of Davao, there is an unmissable sign in blaring white letters that reads: FAT COW. Just around the corner, another pops and says – ASIAN COW. I’ve always found it amusing whenever I see it because it’s huge, unambiguous, and psychologically playful. It catches attention and keeps you intrigued every time you pass by it. The name sticks because their food provides a lasting impression.
The Fat Cow is a well-known restaurant in Davao, built over the years by the talented Chef Patrick Co. It opened in 2016 and offers bistro-style dishes, including steaks, pastas, and plates best shared over good wine. Asian Cow, established in 2021, brings Asian flavors with a modern twist. Asian Cow has also been featured in Tatler Dining, an online food magazine featuring the best restaurants in the Philippines.
Then, in August 2024, Chef Patrick introduced his newest restaurant, Ta-Cow, a clever play on the Filipino word takaw, meaning “voracious” or “greedy eater.” Ta-Cow is his latest culinary baby, serving Filipino dishes with his own ingenious and playful take.
Apart from its signature ‘Cow’ branding, one of the things you can expect from Chef Patrick and his team is a playful take on traditional dishes. He reimagines Filipino favorites and puts his own creative spin on them. With Ta-Cow, his newest venture, Filipino classics are presented in a whole new light. It’s innovative and delicious.
Compared to Asian Cow and The Fat Cow, Ta-cow is less intimidating because it offers familiar Filipino favorites and serves solo or shared platters. Their location is in Corner Lapu-Lapu St, Porras St, Poblacion District, fronting Diamond Piazza.
Menu
Food Review
The Fat Cow is one of the restaurants in Davao that I frequent for special occasions and dates. When I saw Chef Patrick Co’s social media posts about Ta-cow, I got interested because he opened a new restaurant focusing on Filipino cuisine. Following Ta-cow’s page, one of the things I got so interested in is his challenge to show your bill and how many diners you are with. He mentioned that you can dine at their restaurant for P2,000 or less and still leave satisfied for three diners.
So I’m up to the challenge and see how far our P2,000 can go with three diners and if the food leaves us satisfied. Food comments come from three diners, and ratings are averaged by three diners.
Pomelo’t Manggang Hilaw Salad with Dilis– 7.7/10 (8,8,7)
For me, this dish is a Davao-specific salad. I only discovered this type of salad, where pomelo is the base for their dilis salad, here in Davao restaurants. Since I have someone visiting from GenSan, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to introduce them to Ta-cow’s version of this local dish. Priced at P368.
Their pomelo’t manggang hilaw is a nice palate cleanser as we ate it in between meals. The ingredients are fresh, and you can attest that it is fresh because all the produce they use is displayed in large baskets at the restaurant. We were not too keen on the salad dressing because it was too sweet for our liking.
Ta-Cow Angus Hinalang Soup (Solo) – 6.2/10 (6,5,7.5)
We ordered Ta-cow’s version of Hinalang, and as to the serving size, it’s ample enough to be shared by 3-4 people for its solo size. It is priced at P298. The soup is served hot and comforting. The meat ratio is sufficient. The Angus beef is succulent and soft. It would have been perfect if it hadn’t been too sweet. It was overwhelmingly sweet. Perhaps it was the batch that we ate at the time, but the sweetness throws off the balance of the dish. It wasn’t spicy either. Given the name, you would have expected to have some kick to it, but it was not at all spicy or savory. It was hard to enjoy the dish despite how full of meat cuts there were because of the soup. It would have scored a lot higher if it wasn’t for the overwhelming sweetness.
Sisig at Chicharon (Solo) – 8/10 (8,8,8)
Priced at P288. Their sisig is full of lean meat, which I personally enjoyed. The meat isn’t gamey and has big chunks. If you prefer finely chopped meat on your sisig dish, then you may find the slices a little big for your liking. The dish is super flavorful and can be shared by 2-3 people. The flavor is good.
Bangus Relleno Shanghai (Solo) – 9/10 (9,8,10)
Priced at P298. Despite two of three people not being a fan of bangus, we ended up enjoying the bangus relleno shanghai. It is that good that it can convert bangus dislikers into fans. This shanghai roll is a unique take combining two different dishes into one – rellenong bangus x shanghai roll. This dish is full to its brim and very thick. The solo dish offers 8 slices of big shanghai relleno. It is full of aromatics that make the bangus flavor shine. You definitely get what you paid for. The dish is not oily, and it isn’t soggy. Flavor-wise, it would be something I’d order again and would actually crave.
Restaurant Rating
Food:
So far, we have only sampled 4 dishes out of almost 40-50 dishes from their menu. Our current standing is that their food is good and decent for its price. All of what we tried were their bestsellers. From the four that we tried, only the Bangus relleno Shanghai was the standout. I do enjoy their food, and they do provide a good serving size. Might need to try their fun spin of Filipino classics, as what we did try mostly are safe flavors. From the Cow restaurants, The Fat Cow is still number one for me. Yet to try Asian Cow. Ta-Cow is fairly decent. From what we’ve experienced tho, major note is that their food comes too sweet when you expect it to be savory.
Value for money:
From all the dishes we purchased, we paid less than P2,000, including an 8% service charge, and still had enough to take home. We ate it for breakfast. Portion-size-wise, you get what you paid for and more at Ta-Cow. They also offer really good service and use fresh produce for your meal. It’s the flavor that might be a factor for different people.
Location:
The location is nice, business-wise. It’s fronting Diamond Piazza, so if diners don’t feel like going to any restaurants there, they can enjoy Ta-cow.
It’s along the main highway and can easily be located. However, less to no jeepneys travel on this road and mostly can be accessed via private vehicle, taxi, or by hiring a tricycle. The area is spacious and very beautiful. They sport an open kitchen and showcase fresh produce. They can cater to an estimated 50-70 pax, perhaps even more. Well-lit and ventilated.
Service:
One of the things that left me in awe with Ta-Cow is how speedy their service is without having to compromise the quality of their food. We were told that the service time would be 15-20 minutes, which is the standard for any other restaurant, but after taking our orders, around 5-10 minutes all our orders were already served. We also tried to observe other tables, as it might just be that our orders were just easier to make, but NO! To our shock, a lot of the orders from the adjacent tables were served as fast as ours. The diners sitting at the next table, who came after us were already served. Definitely come here if you are hungry or time is of the essence, like office lunch outs. I hope this is consistent in the long run.
Variety:
They have over 40-50 dishes with fun and innovative takes. They also have daily specials.
Recommendations
Recommended Food – Sisig at Chicharon, Bangus Relleno Shanghai
Information
- Payment Method: Cash, Gcash, Credit Card
- Budget: P500-700 for 2 pax
- Type: Filipino
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/tacowdavao
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