More Good Food in Cebu

Surfin' Ribs is a small, cozy restaurant along the N Escario Street (between Tojong Street and Acacia Street) which serves very good BBQ Baby Back Ribs. The meat was well grilled yet tender and not dry. You can also choose either the spicy or the mild sauce, which were both tasty and not overwhelming. However, the accompanying vegetable was just some corn and carrot bits, which is quite miserable.

The shrimps in tomato gravy was fresh and very popular among the guests there. The wooden tables come with holes to accommodate the small metal pails for disposal of shells and bones. I like the concept and definitely will be back for more the next time I am in Cebu.

We found another quaint little place for breakfast at the junction of Gorordo Avenue and Archbishop Reyes Avenue, called Axcel's Foodhaus. They have quite a wide variety of home-cooked dishes that the locals like, including pork stew, chorizo sausages, stewed innards, grilled pork chop and soup. Of course I could not resist a small packet of chicharon as well. The food was tasty and inexpensive. Worth a try.

Tokyo Joe's is sort of a fastfood chain of restaurants, and the one I visited was in SM Mall City Cebu, in the basement. It looked promising from the outside, but I was disappointed with the food. Really nothing to rave about and certainly fell short of my expectations.

Anzani is a classy restaurant perched atop Nivel Hills in Lahug offering mediterranean cuisine and has a Champagne Bar next door. Housed in a bungalow overlooking the valley atop the hills in Cebu, the open veranda allows a breathtaking view of the city.

They even make their own breads, baking them in tiny flower pots and serving them with 3 different dips of olive oil, salsa and soy sauce. The house red wine, a Spanish Vina Lanzer vino de mesa, wasn't bad either. What went bad was that they forgot our order.

We were there for the special Valentine Promo, a four courses degustation meal of Seared yellow fin tuna and wild arugula salad, Dungeness crab Raviolo, Surf and  turf and Panna cotta. We waited for over 1½ hours after ordering and still no dinner for us. After checking with the manager, she told us that the promo appetizer and first course were sold out, and proceeded to serve us with the main course of Petite filet steak and prawns. I had to return my serving because the beef was cold. In the end the manager gave me a Tagliata of US Beef Hanging Tender served with Black Truffle mashed potato and Arugula leaves on Balsamic Gravy.

The beef was tender and done medium rare as requested. The Panna cotta of mix berried and honey tulle was also quite refreshing. At the end, after almost 3 hours at the restaurant, we finished our meal. The kind manager decided only to charge us for the Beef Tagliata. Everything else was complimentary. That sort of made up for the disappointment we felt.

A nice place for breakfast is the Sinangag Station, which is open 24 hours. It has several outlets around Cebu City serving Bangsilog, Cornsilog and Tocilog and the lovely Leche Flan. The food is very edible and inexpensive.

Just behind the Ayala Center Cebu, a huge shopping mall and office complex, is the Ayala Terraces which house numerous restaurants, cafes and eateries.

Big Mao Chinese Bistro, located on the 2nd level is a restaurant which serves pretty authentic Chinese food. We had the Yang Chow Fried Rice, Sweet & Sour Fish Fillet, Jellyfish with Century Egg, Pork Belly with Plum Sauce and Homemade Beancurd with XO Sauce. It was a good meal, and I especially liked their shrimp crackers.

Another restaurant we tried out is the Shabu Way, a hotpot place serving wagyu beef. We had the Wagyu-Chix Set, the SW Special-Pork Set and the Seafood Set, with extra side dishes of Flowered Mushrooms, Scallops, Prawns and Kimchi. It was another satisfying meal.

The name Tsim Sha Tsui brings to mind the good food of Hong Kong, so I just had to try them out. They serve the usual Chinese dim sum such as Ha Kao, Quail Egg Shao Mai, Stuffed Beancurd, Xiao Long Bao, Lo Mai Gai and Ocean Terminal Turnip Cake. I also order the Sweet & Sour Fish for comparison.

The dim sum was ordinary and nothing to rave about. Definitely a far cry from their Hong Kong counterparts. However, the meal was saved by the fabulously fragrant Pink Rose Tea which was served in a transparent glass teapot which was kept heated. This tea is really good.

From experience, I would say that the street foods found in Cebu are certainly more tasty and original than the restaurants, with a few exceptions. If you ask me, I would go for Lechon Baboy any time.