CEBU, Philippines - As diverse as the resources the Philippine archipelago has to offer are the unique flavors each region boasts of.
With the SoooPinoy advocacy of Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) touring the country, we got a taste of the local cuisines right here in the Queen City of the South.
Manna Food House (SuTuKil)
Mactan's famous dining landmark that is SuTuKil (sugba - grilled, tuwa - simmered in a tasty broth, and kilaw - drenched in vinegar) was indeed the apt kick-off venue. Famous to attract foreign visitors and balikbayans, the Sutukil enclave at the Mactan Shrine teems with the fresh catch of the day. Manna Food House is among the pioneers. Queuing on the table during the first day are grilled mol-mol (parrot fish), kinilaw nga tangigue, crab with chilli sauce, baked scallops, sweet & sour lapulapu, garlic fried prawns and tinolang mol-mol. It was truly a seafood feast!
Shangri-La's Mactan Resort & Spa’s Tides Restaurant
At the Tides Restaurant, Executive Sous Chef Adolfo Lopez prepared an Ilonggo soup dish that is Pork Lau-ya - boiled pork belly in vegetables (jackfruit, tomatoes, okra), select spices and green mangoes - which tastes like pork sinigang, only with green mangoes on it. Comfort food!
Plantation Bay Resort & Spa
The kitchen brigade of this sprawling resort served two delish gourmet dishes that truly satiated the hungry stomach. The Kissin' Cousins looked appetizingly good, complementing its taste. It's a combination of prawns and lobsters chunks in one plate, served with curry mayo and Fiji cocktail. Meanwhile, the Spaghetti Al Nero, black spaghetti (squid ink incorporated in the pasta) with squid, mussels and pepperoncino, stole the scene being a seafood pasta that was creatively prepared, without the black teeth!
Port Seafood Restaurant
Port doesn't only serve buffet meals but also serves ala carte food favorites. We sampled its Pineapple Rice and Chicken Binakol (native chicken simmered in coconut juice, added with kamunggay and seasonings).
AA BBQ - Lahug
The signature Sinugbang Bangus wrapped in tinfoil, stuffed with tomatoes, garlic, onions and melted butter, was served, as well as the Crispy Hot Squid and Sizzling Bangus. AA is a well-loved barbeque/grill restaurant because of its reasonable prices that combines value for money and delish taste.
Café Marco at Marco Polo Plaza
With the “iconic team” headed by food consultant for Cebuano cuisine Jessica Avila, Café Marco at the Marco Polo Plaza served delectable dishes, three of which took center stage.
To start your meal with Pancit Molo (or Molo Soup as it is in Café Marco) is feeling the warmth of home in each spoonful. A combination of shrimps, pork lean and chicken backbones among others, each serving is a welcoming treat to the main course that's yet to come.
After the soup, one can now give in to both Inun-Unan and the Chicken and Pork Adobo recipes. Considered among Cebuanos' comfort food, Café Marco's Inun-Unan has eggplant, bitter gourd, native garlic, chili fingers and kamias, while their adobo is packed with pork belly and chicken bone soothed by bay leaf and cloves garlic.
Café Amiga at Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa
Imperial's Café Amiga is a Filipino fine-dining restaurant, which showcases the masterpieces of Chef Russel Abarquez.
One such masterpiece was the Sisig Embutido with Avocado Enchilada made of Cebu chorizo, quail eggs and pork ribs. Paired with octopus as a tribute to Cebu's seafood abundance, the octopus tentacles are flavored with avocado, kesong puti, and coconut milk dressing – it's a Cebuano blend to give you a delectable gastronomic experience.
Zubuchon at One Mango Mall and CnT Lechon, Guadalupe
Two giants when it comes to lechon, Zubuchon and CnT are the best at what they do, although both claim that they each have a distinctive way of preparing this Cebu iconic food.
For Zubuchon, the pigs that they use are fed with 100% organic feeds such as chicos to ensure the roasted products will be less fatty. They also give their pigs a treat so that when the pigs are slain, they are happy. The people behind Zubuchon believe that roasted products are of less quality when the pigs are stressed when they are killed. Zubuchon lechon are stuffed with sea salt, olive oil, lemon grass, rosemary and thyme, and garlic.
On the other hand, CnTLechon stuff their pigs with salt, monosodium glutamate (MSG), spring onions, garlic along with other local ingredients.
H Café at Harold's Hotel
With Chef Dionisio de los Angeles at the helm, H Café at Harold's Hotel highlighted their Bistek Cebuano, with bagoong, pechay, tomatoes, garlic, crispy sweet potato and caramelized onions.
Island Grill at SM City Cebu
Island Grill's Balbacua, which, according to many patrons is the the Cebuano version of kare-kare, took center stage during the event.
With ox tail as the main ingredient, Island Grill's Balbacua makes use of peanut butter to give it its special flavor. This, according to owner Nino Bascon, is what makes it Cebuano – "it's your typical Filipino taste, but we like it a little bit sweeter."
Kan-anan at Cebu Parklane International Hotel
Among others, Kan-anan is primarily dedicated to delivering the best of Cebuano cuisine.
A standout among its recipes is the humba, or the braised pork belly. The smell of the dish itself is already a treat. Best served if cooked the traditional way (that is, by the use of firewood), Chef Arman Polon also disclosed that another power ingredient is a bit of Sprite.
Café Flora at Hotel Elizabeth
Café Flora highlighted its Grilled Meat and Seafood and the irresistible All You Can Halo-Halo.
Grilled Meat and Seafood is a mixture of beef, pork ribs, chicken leg quarter, sausage, squid and blue marlin all in one plate. The Halo-Halo gives you the freedom to choose condiments such as ube halaya, leche flan, pinipig, gulaman and a host of other ingredients to suit your halo-halo taste.