Zoy's Top 5: Cebu Food
I’m doing a month-long series on my Cebu Food Trip last year. I’m now ending it with my 5 favorite Cebu food. Starting with top 5:
5. Pungko-Pungko and Ginabot at Pungko-Pungko sa Fuente
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 SunStar Best of Cebu (think of it as Cebu’s Michelin Guide).
You can choose among the selection of deep-fried stuff: 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.
Eat with your hands (they provide plastic gloves), dip the fried goodies in vinegar with chopped white onions and chillies, chase it with puso (hanging rice), and drink Mountain Dew! Yum! (I had this for breakfast. Is it hearty or heart attack? LOL.)
Related Article: Trying the Local Dishes of the Queen City of the South
Address: 52 J. Llorente St., Cebu City | Operating Hours: Daily, 6AM-10PM | Facebook
4. Barbecue at AA BBQ
When I was exploring the city of Cebu, I noticed something: There are lots of 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 a meal, pairing their barbecue with rice or puso. I think it’s safe to say that the Cebuanos love all things barbecue or inihaw/sinugba (grilled)! And my favorite barbecue spot is AA BBQ.
I love everything item I got in AA:
Chorizo de Cebu: This is Cebu’s version of the longganisa (Filipino-style sausage). But unlike the typical longganisa which is boiled until it cooks on its own fat, chorizo de Cebu is grilled. It is also bite-sized (longganisa is usually longer) and on the sweet side (others are garlicky). AA’s version is rightly sweet and nicely smoky. They also have regular and spicy options.
AA’s Chorizo de Cebu
Grilled Chicken: It’s juicy, tender, and nicely charred. But what I like about it the most is it’s lightly basted with barbecue sauce so there’s a nice sweetness to it.
Grilled Squid: The flesh is rightly chewy and the stuffing of tomatoes and white onions give a refreshing crunch and sweetness.
My Meal at AA
Related Article: Sharing in the Cebuanos’ Love for Barbecue
AA BBQ has several branches. Check them out here.
3. 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!)
Linarang at Larangan sa Pasil (P80)
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 it out on this article: The Ultimate Seafood Experience Part 2 (Linarang and Netflix-Featured Bakasi)
Address: 40 L. Flores St., Brgy. Pasil, Cebu City | Operating Hours: TBA (If you know their operating hours, comment them below.)
2. SuTuKil at STK ta Bay! sa Paolito’s Seafood House
SuTuKil 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. In Cebu City, one of the best spots is STK ta Bay! at Paolito’s Seafood House.
For fish, I had the tanigue or tangigue, a kind of mackerel (price depends on kind of fish and weight). 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 (I’m used to it having one).
Grilled 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.
Tinolang Tanigue
Related Article: The Ultimate Seafood Experience Part 1 (SuTuKil and Paluto-All-You-Can)
Main Branch: 6 Orchid St., Capitol Site, Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines | Operating Hours: Daily, 9AM-3PM & 5PM-10PM | Facebook | Website
1. CEBU Lechon at Carcar Public Market
If I have a foreign friends visiting the country and they can only eat one Filipino food, I would serve them what the late Anthony Bourdain claimed to be the best pig ever: Lechon (roast suckling pig)! And what better place to try it than its origin, the island of Cebu!
There are many lechon places dispersed throughout the island, and it is said that the recipe and preparation differs from city to city. I tried a lot of it in Cebu City but I will declare that the best ones are found in Carcar City. Just go to their public market and you’ll see vendors lined up, offering this amazing pig.
Lechon at Carcar City Public Market
The lechon at Carcar City Public Market has a nice, crispy skin (don’t forget to ask the vendor for it or you will get a soggy one) and has the juiciest and softest meat that I have ever tried. Just how tender the meat is? I will describe it as pillowy like a marshmallow!
Granted, the flavor is on the salty side like any Cebu lechon (though I realized I prefer salty ones than the blander variety in Manila). But when you dip it in vinegar, which counteracts the saltiness, and pair it with puso, it becomes a pleasant meal. (If you don’t want your lechon overly salty, tell the vendor not to pour the lechon’s juice on your order.)
By the way, the price is just P400 per kilo! You’ll never find a cheaper lechon elsewhere in the entire country!
Address: Natalio Bacalso South National Highway, Carcar City, Cebu, Philippines
What’s your Top 5 Cebu food? Comment them below!
Other entries in the Cebu Food Trip series: Trying the Local Dishes of the Queen City of the South | The Search for the Best Cebu Lechon | The Ultimate Seafood Experience Part 1 (SuTuKil and Paluto All-You-Can) | The Ultimate Seafood Experience Part 2 (Linarang and Bakasi) | Sharing in the Cebuanos’ Love for Barbecue | The Night (Market) Crawler Goes to Sugbo Mercado | The International Flavors of Cebu City