Pungko-Pungko at Pungko Pungko sa Fuente — *Pungko-Pungko* at Pungko Pungko sa Fuente

Prior to 2018, I haven’t visited any of the Visayan islands as an adult. I’ve been to Boracay a couple of times as a kid. But I’ve never been to other islands. To my foreign readers, Visayas is the central region of the Philippines, made up of several islands. It is home to white sand beaches, historical sites, and, of course, delicious food!

So in 2018, I went to Bacolod and tried Chicken Inasal and its desserts (its province is dubbed the Sugar Bowl of the Philippines). Then early last year, I visited Iloilo City and slurped its Batchoy. And last November, I finally visited what is probably the top foodie destination in Visayas—the province of Cebu.

I spent most of my time in Cebu City, the capital of the province of Cebu, and did a few side trips to its neighboring cities. Founded in 1565, it is the oldest city in the country. It is also a developing city (it feels like I’m in Quezon City), with a lot of vertical construction going on. Because of its economic progress, the city is accepted as the Queen City of the South*. Still, it has retained its old charm, with many heritage sites such as Fort San Pedro and the iconic Magellan’s Cross.

There are plenty of attractions in Cebu City. For lovers and non-lovers alike, there is the Temple of Leah, the Taj Mahal of Cebu. For heritage buffs (like me), there is the Parian District, which is home to ancestral houses and museums. For the thrill-seeking, there is the Sky Experience Adventure, where you can walk on a building’s platform 126.55 meters from the street! And if you get bored in the city (which I doubt), you can always drive to the beaches or do canyoneering.

Of course, you can’t tour the city and not experience its amazing culinary scene. How can you visit Cebu City and not eat barbecue, lechon (roast suckling pig), and seafood?! When I was there, I ate a lot of local (and locally-adapted) dishes. In this article, I will list down those that I tried and where I ate them. Many of the spots I visited was awarded by SunStar Best of Cebu, which recognizes the best products and services Cebu has to offer. Think of it as the Michelin Guide of the city. When I’m not sure where to eat at, I just refer to their recommendations or look for their sticker at the venue.

Here are the dishes that I tried and where best to find them:

Barbecue at AA BBQ, Larsian, and Matia’s

The Cebuanos love all things barbecue. There are many restaurants and roadside stalls dedicated to grilled meat and seafood. Granted, there are also lots of roadside barbecue stalls in Manila. But people usually just drop by for a snack. In Cebu, they come to have meal, pairing their barbecue with rice or puso (more on this later).

Want to know how much the Cebuanos love their barbecue? They have an entire complex of barbecue stalls…opened 24 hours! Wow!

Check out my article on Cebu barbecue soon!

Cebu Lechon at ?

If I have a foreign friends visiting the country and they can only eat one Filipino food, I would serve them this dish, which is accepted to have originated in the province. But just how good is a lechon? I’ll let the late Anthony Bourdain answer that question, who said that it’s the best pig ever!

Want to know which Cebu lechon spot is my favorite? Check out my Search for the Best Cebu Lechon on Thursday.

Chorizo de Cebu

Longganisa is the Filipino version of a sausage, traditionally eaten at breakfast. Smaller than the typical sausage (about half the size), it is usually made with ground pork (lean and fat) and varies from sweet to garlicky. With the Philippines being an archipelago, many regions or provinces has its own take of the longganisa, with Lucban and Vigan variants (both are my favorites!) among the popular ones. To cook it, you should boil it first until it fries in its own fat.

Chorizo de Cebu, Cebu’s longganisa, is bite-sized, grilled, and on the sweet side. You can find this in any barbecue stall. The ones I had was nicely sweet and smoky.

Regular and Spicy Chorizo de Cebu at AA BBQ

I’m not a fan of sweet longganisa. But for chorizo de Cebu, I’m making an exception!

Danggit at Taboan Public Market

Danggit is a small butterflied, sun-dried, salted rabbitfish. It is typically eaten at breakfast along with a silog (sinangag at itlog or garlic fried rice and egg). I’m sure there are many places to eat this local delicacy. But I bought mine uncooked and brought it home as pasalubong (souvenir). I got it at Taboan Public Market, where stalls after stalls are selling dried fish.

Danggit (P680/kg.) — *Danggit* (P680/kg.)

What I liked about Cebu’s danggit is that it’s not too salty, unlike what I get in Manila. It’s perfect for breakfast…or any meal in the day!

Address: Brgy. San Nicolas Proper, Cebu City | Operating Hours: Daily, 4AM-8PM

Linarang at Larangan sa Pasil

Linarang or Nilarang is a fish stew that is truly Central Visayan. The ingredients vary per recipe. But the basic ones are chillies, coconut milk, garlic, ginger, onion, tomatoes, a sour fruit as souring agent, and tausi (fermented black beans). The best place to get your linarang fix, as bloggers and Best of Cebu attest, is at an unassuming eatery named Larangan sa Pasil. (Pasil is an area in Cebu where there is a fish port and a market. So you know that the fish is super fresh!)

Their linarang’s broth is slightly thick and hearty, with a nice ginger flavor (I doubt there’s coconut milk and fermented black beans in it). The chillies add a nice spicy kick (and there are even birds eye chilli on the side). But the most interesting part is the fish because it is an exotic kind (Larangan serves different fishes at different times).

Want to know what exotic fish I tried? Check out in my article next week!

Address: 40 L. Flores St., Brgy. Pasil, Cebu City | Operating Hours: TBA (If you know their operating hours, comment them below.)

Ngohiong at Doming’s Ngohiong

Ngohiong is a popular street food in Cebu and a distant relative of the spring roll. It’s made with a mix of meat, singkamas (jicama), ubod (bamboo shoot), and, most importantly, Chinese five-spice, all wrapped in a battered rice paper. It comes with a sweet and sour dip, also flavored with Chinese five-spice. Since it’s very affordable, students and office workers eat ngohiong for a meal, pairing it with puso (yes, more on this later). Many Cebuanos even consider ngohiong to be their comfort food.

Doming’s Ngohiong is one of the popular ngohiong specialists in Cebu. Theirs has a crispy wrapper and I can definitely taste the Chinese five-spice. Curiously, the dip is sour and spicy and without sweetness. It would be the perfect snack for me if the dip is only sweet.

Doming’s Ngohiong (Ngohiong: P8/pc.) — Doming’s *Ngohiong* (*Ngohiong*: P8/pc.)

Address: Door #1 G/F Pacific Tourist Inn, M. Gotianuy Bldg., V. Gullas St. cor. Balintawak St., Cebu City | Operating Hours: Daily, 8:30AM-7:30PM | Facebook

Pochero at Kusina Uno

Pochero is Cebu’s answer to Bulalo, a bone-in beef shank soup that’s popular in the entire archipelago, especially in the Southern Tagalog region. This is not to be confused with the traditional pochero, which is a meat stew made sweet with banana, tomatoes, and…drumroll…pork and beans! Honestly, I don’t see any difference between Cebuano pochero and bulalo.

One of the popular places for pochero in Cebu is Kusina Uno. Awarded by Best of Cebu, this food spot proudly claims to be the home of the best pochero. What a claim!

Their version has a nice broth and the most tender beef I have ever tried in my life! It’s melt-in-the-mouth soft so chewing is effortless. (I don’t know what the knife is for). Although I prefer my beef to have some chew in it, Kusina Uno’s pochero are for those who like their beef uber tender.

Address: 2/F GND Complex, F. Cabahug St., Mabolo, Cebu City | Operating Hours: Daily, 24 hours | Facebook

Pungko-Pungko and Ginabot at Pungko-Pungko sa Fuente

This is my one of my favorite meals in my Cebu trip. In Cebuano language, “pungko,” means to crouch or squat. Pungko-Pungko are actually food stalls offering deep-fried goodies, where patrons sit on low benches. The best place to have this experience is at Pungko-Pungko sa Fuente, which is also awarded by Best of Cebu.

This place is actually a collective of several pungko-pungko stalls. Since prices are the same for all stalls, you can just choose wherever there’s a space. I guess when everyone’s frying stuff, no one can go wrong!

The tables are full at almost lunchtime!

Each stall or table can seat 6 people in my estimation. In the middle is a bin with a mountain of fried stuff consisting of the following: alimasag or small crab (P25), chicken (P30), hotdog (Small: P12/Big: P15), liempo or pork belly (P40), lumpiang toge or spring roll with bean sprouts (P5), and ngohiong (P10). But what stands out is the Ginabot, which is another Cebuano delicacy. This is Cebu’s version of chicharong bulaklak or deep-fried pig mesentery.

Look at the mountain of cholesterol! LOL.

To order, you just tell the vendor which items you like. Then he’ll chop them and serve you on a plate. Eat with your hands (they provide plastic gloves), dip the fried goodies in vinegar with chopped white onions and chillies, chase it with puso (hold on for a bit!), and drink Mountain Dew! Yum!

I had this for breakfast. Is it hearty or heart attack? LOL.

Address: 52 J. Llorente St., Cebu City | Operating Hours: Daily, 6AM-10PM | Facebook

Puso

Finally, you will get to know what a Puso is! Puso (poo-SO) is rice wrapped in coconut leaves and shaped into a triangle or, more accurately, a diamond. Also referred to as “hanging rice”, you will see this distinctly Cebuano delicacy in barbecue, lechon, and pungko-pungko spots. It’s the Cebuano version of Ketupat, the Malay compact rice that is popularly paired with satay or sate (skewered meat).

Siomai at Tisa

This is not the fancy siomai or shumai (pork and shrimp dumpling) that you’ll find in dim sum restaurants. Rather, it’s a Filipino adaptation of the Cantonese treat. You’ll find it sold in food carts across the country. It’s very cheap (ranging from P20-P50 for 4-5 pcs.) and is widely eaten, as a rice meal, by commuters, students, and everyone else on budget.

In Cebu, Barangay Tisa is known for siomai. Stalls are lined up in the streets selling this favorite snack. Sold at P7, it’s usually eaten with rice or puso (now you know what this is).

Siomai sa Tisa (Siomai: P7/pc.) — Siomai sa Tisa (*Siomai*: P7/pc.)

Honestly, there is nothing special with Siomai sa (at) Tisa, as it is locally called. I tasted better, roughly same-priced food cart siomai in Manila, particularly the ones by Siomai House, a popular franchise (maybe there’s no Siomai House in Cebu). But siomai in Tisa is definitely one of the better versions that I’ve tried.

Address: 816 Katipunan St., Brgy. Tisa, Cebu City | Operating Hours: Daily, 24 hours

Steamed Fried Rice at Dimsum Break

Dimsum Break is a fastfood chain in Cebu serving affordably-priced dim sum. Granted, the food doesn’t taste like the ones in you will find in Cantonese restaurants. But for its price, it’s enough to satisfy your yum cha (literally “drink tea”, it is the Cantonese tradition of going to a tea house for dim sum and tea) desires.

I hope they have a branch in Manila. Actually, as I’m drafting this article, I found out that there’s one in SM North EDSA. So I’m now hoping they have a branch in Makati or nearby. LOL.

Dimsum Break is famous for their Steamed Fried Rice. Yes, you read that right. It’s actually Chinese fried rice drenched in pork stew. Then it’s steamed like other dim sum goodies. It’s rice is fluffy and the pork stew hearty. It’s an enjoyable dish!

Dimsum Break has several branches all over Cebu. You may check its locations at their website.

SuTuKil at STK Ta Bay! at Paolito’s Seafood House

SuTuKil (also shortened as STK) refers to any fish cooked in 3 ways: Sugba (grilled), Tula or Tuwa (stew), and Kilaw (raw seafood bathed in vinegar). There is an abundance of SuTuKil places in Cebu as it is an island. One of the best spots for this is STK ta Bay! at Paolito’s Seafood House.

The Homey Interior of STK ta Bay! at Paolito’s Seafood House

For fish, I had the tanigue or tangigue (a kind of mackerel). The grilled portion is nicely firm. The kilaw is not too sour as I expected and has a crunch and slight sweetness coming from the onions and tomatoes. Interestingly, the kilaw has no chillies.

Kinilaw na Tanigue — Kinilaw na *Tanigue*

My favorite is the stew. It has generous chunks of nicely firm fish, swimming with onions and tomatoes in a light, comforting broth. It also has kangkong (water spinach), which adds a nice leafiness (and a feeling of healthiness!) to the dish.

Stay tuned for my articles on my Cebu seafood experience!

Main Branch: 6 Orchid St., Capitol Site, Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines | Operating Hours: Daily, 9AM-3PM & 5PM-10PM | Facebook | Website

Tuslob Buwa at Azul

Tuslob Buwa is a popular street food. Literally “to dip (tuslob) in bubble (buwa, which sounds like the Tagalog bula),” this Cebuano delicacy is made with pig brains gravy and eaten with a puso. While this originated at the Pasil area, the best place to have this dish, awarded with Best of Cebu, is at Azul. They serve traditional and modern versions of the dish.

02-03 CEBU FOOD TRIP - LOCAL DISHES AP25.png

Here, you get to cook your own tuslob buwa on a portable stove placed in every table (I believe it’s not the case in other hawkers). I was given oil, onions, the pig brains, cornstarch as thickener, soy sauce to taste, and shrimp paste, which I didn’t use because I’m allergic to it. I was failing at it but, thankfully, a waiter helped me out. I put too much soy sauce so it was saltier than I wanted.

Azul’s Tuslob Buwa (P150 with 12 pcs. puso) — Azul’s *Tuslob Buwa* (P150 with 12 pcs. *puso*)

Puso dipped in tuslob buwa — *Puso* dipped in *tuslob buwa*

Honestly, it was just like dipping puso on a regular gravy. It’s nothing special but a must-try for experience.

Address: Taft Business Center, Gorordo Ave., Cebu City | Operating Hours: Daily, 24 hours | Facebook

What I missed to try is Bam-I (Cebu’s pancit or stir fried noodles) and is Sikwate (not really a dish but a drink, a traditional hot chocolate). Are there other local dishes and delicacies that missed to try? Comment them below!

*There is much debate about the title “Queen City of the South.” Iloilo City originally held this title. Actually, it was formally called the “Queen’s City of the South” or the “Queen City in the South” for its economic progress and loyalty to the Queen of Spain. But the title was informally transferred to Cebu City when it eclipsed Iloilo City’s economy.

Cebu Food Trip: Trying the Local Dishes of the Queen City of the South