I was in Cebu with my family a year ago. It didn't take long for me to fall in love with the place since it is home to two things I love: 1) lechon, 2) countless quirky (Korean) coffee shops! So from then on, I told myself that those two are a must whenever I'll be in Cebu.
Nine months later, I find myself back in Cebu together with some sisters from church, hungry from the volunteer work we did in Tacloban.
Hahaha! After the church service in the morning, I already had my game face on, ready for some lechon action! Some brothers & sister from our church in Cebu were nice enough to take us food tripping before we head on back to Manila in the evening. ^^
Here's a rundown of the restaurants and cafes we went to:
1) Zubuchon
2) Dessert Factory
3)
Cafe Caw
4) Casa Verde
5) Coffee Cat
Yes, all five in 12 hours! We only had a day, so please no judging.
Haha!
Warning: Photo heavy post ahead. :)
Zubuchon
Escario Building
731 Escario St. cor.
Clavano St., Cebu City
Check out their other branches here.
Anthony Bourdain, one of my culinary idols dubbed it as the "best pig ever". Is it? Though I love how Zubuchon has a wide variety of lechon dishes, I personally still prefer CnT Lechon over it. Maybe it's just me though because I prefer something saltier. But nevertheless, Zubuchon's awesome! Their spicy lechon...totally love at first sight. It was just the right amount of spicy for me. You'll surely be eating heaps of rice with this. I know I did.
Sarap!
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| Spicy Lechon |
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| Kamias Shake |
We were told that these two, the lechon and the Kamias shake go well together. Let's just say it tasted better than expected, but I wouldn't think of ordering it again. Anyhow, I say anything paired with Cebu lechon is awesome!
Dessert Factory
SSY Business Center, Salinas Drive,
Lahug, Cebu City
I was told that Dessert Factory is known for their ice cream cakes. Being the ice cream monster that I am, I wanted everything to try out everything, but eventually settled for a local's (Hi, Ate Gina!) recommendation, the "PistaShew".
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| PistaShew Ice Cream Cake |
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| PistaShew Ice Cream Cake |
Ever since my love affair with Pistachio gelato began, I have become a "Pistachio snob".
Haha! The best Pistachio gelato I've had in Manila would have to be the ones from Cara Mia and Gelatissimo. As for Dessert Factory's PistaShew, I love that it doesn't taste like artificial, medicine-tasting Pistachio flavoring unlike most Pistachio ice cream that's locally available. I would have enjoyed it more if it had more of that natural Pistachio flavor, but overall, I give this baby a thumbs up. Oh, and this only costs Php 75.00 per slice, so make that a two thumbs up!
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| Dessert Factory's Ice Cream Cake Menu |
More ice cream goodness...
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| Banana Split Ice Cream Cake |
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| Banana Split - not in cake form Haha! |
I wish I took a photo of their display chiller to show you guys how everything looked sinfully good! Dessert Factory is definitely one of the reasons why I'm looking forward to visiting Cebu again! (They also serve hot meals.)
Cafe Caw
SSY Business Center, Salinas Drive,
Lahug, Cebu City
(It's right beside Dessert Factory. Hitting two birds with one stone. Yay!)
Check out their other branch here.
Cafe Caw was my favorite stop during my recent Cebu trip, so I decided to give it a post of its own.
Haha! Click
here to read & see more of the quirky and adorable cafe.
♥
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| Cafe Caw's playful signage |
Casa Verde
The Walk, A104, Asiatown IT Park,
Cebu City
See their other branches here.
The first time I've ever tried Casa Verde, I ate Brian's Ribs two nights in a row. It's that good, and it's so affordable too!
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| Casa Verde's Famous Brian's Ribs |
This full plate that's enough to serve two people or one very hungry person is only Php 208.00! It's insane! In other restaurants here in Manila, an order like this would cost more than double or even triple. Taste-wise, it's delicious, but I've eaten better ribs. But for the price, I ain't complaining. I recommend ordering this with a side a mashed potatoes instead of rice, and don't forget to ask for Tabasco for a totally winner meal!
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| David Dean's Tenderloin |
Medium rare steak on top of a mound of mashed potatoes, topped with cheese, fried onions, almonds and gravy! If that doesn't sound good to you, there's definitely something wrong with you (well, unless you're vegetarian). Haha! I'm a girl who loves meat, so I couldn't pass up on this dish. The potatoes were good as always and steak was tender & was cooked just how I liked it. The onions were crispy, the sauce was seasoned well & I loved the texture that the almond slivers added to the dish. The only complain I have is that the steak's quite small. But overall, I highly recommend this dish! I would definitely order this again. ^^
CoffeeCat
JP Morgan & Chase Co.
IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City
By the time we reached our last stop, my friends Hannah & Leng were already sooo stuffed. I, on the other hand, had a teeny tiny bit room for more. I'm a glutton like that.
Before heading to the airport, our dear friends from Cebu took us to CoffeeCat.
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| I love their clean & minimalist logo! |
At first glance, it has that foreign coffee shop chain appeal. I actually thought it was a Japanese coffee shop chain, but then I researched on it a bit and found out that CoffeeCat originated in Davao. If so, big props to the owners! ^^ But then again, I'm not 100% sure so please correct me if I'm wrong.
CoffeeCat has wide array of coffee & tea drinks. From the usual coffee & tea blended drinks, to ones that are more Asian (ex. Black Sesame Latte), to frozen yogurt, CoffeeCat has it all. Since we were about to fly back to Manila in a few hours though, I didn't want to upset my stomach with anything that has dairy. I opted for Chamomile tea that night. :)
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| Yogi Calming Chamomile Tea |
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| Super chic to-go cup |
My drink came in this chic black & white to-go cup. Simple yet very
sossy looking! I love! I really like how their minimalist chic concept was carried throughout the store from the interior down to the cups.
They had a lot of interesting drinks I wish I tried. Next time I come to CoffeeCat, I'll make sure to come with a not-so-full stomach. :)
After about an hour, that cup of tea & some laughs, we said our goodbyes & rode the cab to the airport.
So that wraps up our 12-hour food trip in Cebu. It may be short, but the food surely didn't disappoint. Thank you, Cebu! I'll be back soon!♥
