Fried Cansi and Cansi at Sharyn’s Cansi House

Because of the quarantine season, I couldn’t travel or do some foodventures. Thankfully, I still have a few more article ideas to last me for the entire May. Since I haven’t done a “summary” article of food experiences to try in Angeles City (Pampanga) and Bacolod (Negros Occidental), I started posting about last Monday for the former (read it here). Today is on the City of Smiles, Bacolod. Once the quarantine is over and life is back to normal, I hope these simple guides could help you.

Prior to 2018, I’ve not set foot in any of beautiful islands of Visayas, the central region of the Philippines. Well, I’ve been to Boracay. But I was still a kid and that was 16 years ago from 2018 so I’m not counting it down.

So in July 2018, I finally broke this record. I went on my first solo trip outside of Luzon, the northern region, and set foot on Bacolod (congratulations to me!). It’s located in the northwestern part of Negros Island and is the provincial capital of Negros Occidental. The city is also known for its Masskara Festival, an annual festival that’s celebrated every October and has masks as motif. It is similar to carnivals found around the globe.

The Ruins. This is located at the neighboring Talisay City and has become a must-visit for tourists visiting Bacolod.

The City of Smiles is also known for its amazing food. Bacolod is home to Cansi (an Ilonggo/Negrense soup dish), desserts and sweets, and of course, Chicken Inasal (grilled skewered chicken). Here are the food experiences that you can try in the city:

Cakes at Ann Co Cakes and Calea

As the country’s leading producer of sugar, Negros Occidental is dubbed as the Sugar Bowl of the Philippines. When in Bacolod, it’s good to try the desserts and sweets that the city boasts of. Man, the City of Smiles won’t run short of amazing treats to satisfy your sweet tooth and make you smile.

You can sample the frozen cakes of Ann Co Cakes:

Ann Co Cakes’ Banoffee Pie (front) and Avocado Cheesecake (back)

Or the cakes of the famous Calea:

Calea’s White Chocolate Cheesecake and Mud Pie (Plus Espresso)

Read more on my Ann Co Cakes and Calea experience here.

Cansi

Cansi is an Ilonggo/Negrense bone-in beef shank soup. You can think of it as a cross between Bulalo (the most popular bone-in beef shank soup in the country) and Sinigang (sour soup) minus all the veggies and soured by batwan, a fruit native to Southeast Asia, instead of sampalok (tamarind). In Bacolod, there are two eateries that are known for their cansi: Eron’s and Sharyn’s. Both are just a few shops away from one another and are located along Narra Ave., at an area famously called “shopping”.

I preferred to go to Sharyn’s for 2 reasons. First, they are also known for their Fried Cansi, which I learned is good. And second, they’re listed 32nd in the Top 50 World Street Food Masters by the World Street Food Congress 2017. So they’re serving a world-class dish!

Fried Cansi and Cansi Soup at Sharyn’s Cansi House — Fried *Cansi* and *Cansi* Soup at Sharyn’s Cansi House

So how was may Sharyn’s cansi experience? Check it out here.

Craft Beers at the Trapdoor Tasting Room

If you love craft beer, then you’re in for a trick. Yes, you read that right!

The Trapdoor Tasting Room is a magic and illusion-themed speakeasy. They serve good craft beers by Illusion Brewery, which is probably Bacolod’s premier and only microbrewery in the city. True to it’s theme, the interior feels like you’re in Harry Potter’s world.

The Magical World of Trapdoor Tasting Room

If you didn’t do any prior research, you might not find this place. You’ll know what I mean:

Yup, that’s the entrance. No signage at all. Illu-sive, right? (You got that? Never mind!)

I got to try a sampler of its good tasting beers:

Not only are the interiors magic-themed, but the waiters can also do magic tricks to keep guests entertained. And of course, you can pair the beers with satisfying appetizers and snacks.

Address: 22nd St. cor. Lacson St., Bacolod City, Negros Occidental | Operating Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 5PM-1AM | Facebook

Chicken Inasal at ?

A true Bacolod food trip won’t be complete if you don’t get to try it’s most famous dish, the chicken inasal.

So what is chicken inasal? The term inasal came from the Hiligaynon word asal, which means skewed. So an inasal is anything skewered. At first, only the breast, thigh, and wing parts of the chicken were used. Eventually, the others parts were also utilized. Unlike the usual marinade that’s made of soy sauce and calamansi (Philippine lime), an inasal uses a different kind. While the marinade ingredients vary, I think the staples are calamansi, garlic, ginger, and sinamak or coconut vinegar.

For a history of the dish and my search for the best one, read my article here.

Ensaimada at Felicia’s Pastry Shop

A bread with Spanish origins, Ensaimada (also spelled as Ensaymada) is a spiral-shaped pastry usually topped with cheese and sugar. Some variations are even flavored, such as chocolate and ube (purple yam), or topped buttercream and salted egg. Felicia’s is a bakeshop and restaurant chain that’s famous for this.

But I went there to try their famous Ensaimada and paired it with hot chocolate. While the ensaimada is good, it’s really the hot choco brought the house down!

Ensaimada and Hot Chocolate — *Ensaimada* and Hot Chocolate

So what do you do when you have an ensaimada and hot choco? You dunk the bread into the drink! Man, it’s the perfect afternoon snack!

Felicia’s has several branches. Check out their Facebook Page.

Half Moons and Puto Manapla at Pendy’s

Pendy’s is a restaurant and pasalubong (souvenir) store combined. It’s also located along Lacson Street so it’s a convenient stopover for your last minute pasalubong shopping before heading to the airport.

But I went there mainly for their Half Moons. It’s a chiffon cake shaped like a half moon and topped with custard similar to the ones in Brazo de Mercedes, a roll of meringue with custard filling. It’s one of my favorite desserts in Bacolod. If you’re a brazo lover, I’m sure you will like the Half Moon at Pendy’s.

Puto Manapla and Half Moon — *Puto Manapla* and Half Moon

I also learned the Pendy’s serves the famous Capulso’s Puto Manapla (A puto is a white rice cake and has many variants across the country. Manapla is a municipality in northern Negros Occidental.). In my research, I found that Capulso makes the best Manapla puto. It’s bouncy, chewy, and not too sweet, which is addicting. I gotta stay away from these babies!

Address: Rolling Hills Compound, Lacson St., Bacolod City | Operating Hours: Daily, 7:30AM-10:30PM | Facebook

K.B.L. at Sandok Comfort Food

K.B.L. is an Ilonggo soup dish made of kadyos (pigeon peas), baboy (pork), and langka (jackfruit). In Bacolod, the restaurant Sandok is known for this dish.

So how was my K.B.L. experience? It was served to me boiling hot in a special kind of bowl. I first tasted the broth and it was sour due to batwan (apparently, this fruit is a souring agent for many Ilonggo/Negrense dishes, not just for cansi). It also has an earthy flavor because of the peas. The meat wasn’t too tender except for the ones attached to the fat; those ones are melt-in-the-mouth soft.

For me, the dish isn’t spectacular but definitely worth the try. (Maybe I should try to find where this dish was born and taste the original.)

Sandok Comfort Food has several branches. Check out their Facebook Page or website.

Linaga at Saning’s Eatery

A lesser known soup dish in Bacolod, at least to a Manileño like me, is the Linaga (nilaga or beef stew). It’s difference from cansi is that the latter has a sour broth and uses the leg part of the cow. The former has beef stock flavored with different ingredients and uses other cow parts such as paras (ribs), unod (cubes), and kasudlan (innards). To my knowledge, Saning’s, a humble eatery along Burgos Avenue and just across SM City Bacolod, makes the best linaga.

I ordered Saning’s unod and a mix kasudlan (a combination of 2 kinds of innards). I was underwhelmed by the kasudlan. I find it gamey and lags far behind compared to its regional counterparts. But the unod was amazing! The broth is simple yet full of flavors, and the beef cubes are super tender. Pair it with rice and it’s the perfect linaga experience (I got an extra rice!). For me, Saning’s unod (and maybe even the paras) is the best Bacolod soup dish I have ever tried, even beating cansi.

Saning’s Eatery has several branches. Check them out here.

Napoleones at Roli’s Café

A Napoleones is a multi-layered puff pastry with a custard filling and topped with sugar coating. It’s also a famous pasalubong item. One of the best makers of this pastry is Roli’s Café (they have kiosks in the malls of Manila). They have a cafe in Roli’s Arcade at La Salle Avenue.

Roli's Regular and Chocolate Napoleones — Roli's Regular and Chocolate *Napoleones*

In one of my breakfasts, I had Roli’s napoleones (that’s all I ate!). Man, it was good! The pastry is flaky and the custard is creamy. I paired the napoleones with espresso and it perfectly balanced the sweetness coming from the sugar topping. Napoleones for breakfast may not be common (is it?) but I encourage you to try new things and experience this for yourself!

Address: Roli’s Arcade, La Salle Ave., Bacolod City, Negros Occidental | Operating Hours: Monday-Friday, 7AM-9PM; Saturday & Sunday, 7AM-8PM | Facebook

Pala-Pala

Pala-Pala is Bacolod’s answer to Manila’s Dampa and Cebu’s SuTuKil (read my article here). It refers to seafood places where you get to choose your seafood and have it cooked the way you want. There are plenty of pala-pala places in the city. Unfortunately, due to lack of budget and time, I wasn’t able to try even one of it. This gives me another reason to return to the City of Smiles and do a more extensive foodventure! LOL.

Which of the food experiences above have you tried and would like to try? Aside from pala-pala and Bob’s Restaurant, which is famous for their Bacolod-style of barbecue, what food experience should I try next in the city?

Also, you can check my Bacolod (Food) Trip series here: My First Solo Adventure Outside Luzon | The Search for the Best Chicken Inasal | Trying Cansi and Other Soup Dishes | Getting a Sugar High with Bacoleño Desserts and Sweets

Bacolod Food Trip: Food Experiences to Try at the City of Smiles