Starweek Magazine

Cebu again

September 18, 2011 | 12:00am

In mid-April we flew to Capiz. The following month we traveled to Cebu. Two weeks ago, we found ourselves again in Cebu. We took the airline that conducts games on board and departed from and landed at the “new” Terminal 3, where for some five months, passengers have suffered the harrowing experience of carrying their luggage up the stairs instead of taking the escalators which are in a somewhat permanent state of being ”temporarily out of order.” Airport authorities must have invented a new meaning to the word temporary, stretching it to permanent. Which government entity is responsible for the upkeep of airports? These are the gateways and the first experience of the country for a visiting traveler. Perhaps the new tourism secretary will spend his time not only in crafting advertising campaigns/slogans for the country but in infrastructure that would support his vision-mission.

Anyway, Cebu always delights us. Dining at Laguna Garden Café at Ayala Center is always a pleasure because there we can have the Laguna food that we miss in the big city. Tagalog cookery is perhaps one of the most flavorful cuisines in the country, where sautéing is a technique applied to various dishes. We missed our friend Lita, but her daughter Grace was there and she introduced to us their new offering, Pinoy high tea. That was after we had sumptuous dinuguan and multi-flavored kare-kare, among others. The discriminating hotelman in our company heaped praises on what were in the epergne – little puto with adobo flakes, mini bibingka topped with cheese that melted in the mouth, sweet and crunchy banana turon wrapped in banana leaves and the Laguna specialty, espasol. These we took with hot soothing pandan tea in demi cups. The verdict? Excellent, delicious.

Our host Mila gave us the chance to hotel hop. We stayed for a while at Marriott, also in the Ayala area, where breakfast was a fantastic spread of local and Western food. Service was very solicitous. If one likes shopping, this is an ideal place to stay.

Then we moved to Movenpick in Mactan, the better to be near the airport on departure. They have just introduced their new coffee blend, a concoction of beans imported from their base in Europe. The beverage is strong and a bit woody, something coffee connoisseurs will definitely discern.

Soon, their famous ice cream brand will be served and then their chocolates… what pleasures they will surely bring their guests!

In between, we motored to Argao, taking a two-hour ride south of the city. Halfway through is the city of Carcar which, we found out, is famous for their crispy pork chicharon. The central area is dotted with stores peddling this as well as other delicacies. We chose what appeared to be the most popular brand, Mat-Mat, a company that has produced them for more than 50 years. The cracklings have laman and sell at P500 a kilo. They are packed in three sizes – one fourth kilo, one half and one kilo.

Sadly, while this is where pastilles (biscuits filled with cream) are made, we failed to find out where its base is. It is sold only at the Mactan airport for less than P200 a pack.

The problem of where to have our lunch cropped up after driving for an hour. Cebu is dotted with resorts and indeed we saw a place called Stonebridge and Castle with a blurb that says “Fish Fun and Barbecue.” It is a dining place standing on a fish pond. We decided to pull up after noting at least two cars parked there. We didn’t go gaga over the food, but the daing na bangus was fresh and done well. The pancit Cebu (with big lomi-type noodles) was cold, but the grilled chicken was tasty with pandan flavor. We would want to note here that their “little rooms” for men and women are clean. That’s another tourist aspect restaurants and the Department of Tourism have to improve on.

Back in the city, we called the supplier of our favourite Belgian chocolate cookies which have always cost P330 per 300 gms. Because we were pressed for time, the girl we talked to referred us to either Casa Escano or the SM North Wing. What she failed to tell us was that Casa marks up the price by nearly a hundred pesos! Not a good shopping experience nor selling policy.

More delicacies – macy (pronounced mase) and hopia of La Fortuna Bakery. We grew up with a sweet treat called matse in Biñan. This is a small ball of flour with peanut filling, much like the dragon’s beard delicacy in Hong Kong. Biñan has stopped making them. Surprisingly, a version surfaced in Cebu. They are silky soft. The peanut gives it a different texture and unique taste. They also have tikoy and a selection of hopia – traditional mongo, baboy, and ube. The main bakery is on Borromeo Street, tel. number 253-2196. They have branches in the Capitol and Sto. Niño areas.