Kalami Cebu! - A Gastronomic Guide to Cebu

A c ouple of posts ago , I admitted to being a "burgaholic".  I guess someone from MDDN Burger read my post and they asked me to try out their burgers.  I obliged and I became an instant fan.  I can say they have one of the best food delivery services in Cebu.

#Summer2015 is one of the hottest summers ever. One of my favorite ways to beat the heat is to eat something cold, like Halo-Halo. I am quite choosy when it comes to halo-halo toppings. There are some places that offer too few toppings while some offer too much.  I love variety, but I usually prefer to make it at home and use only my favorite ingredients. The problem of making it at home is that it takes too much effort, especially when you do not have a decent ice shaver.  I finally found a great compromise when I discovered #KKhalohalo at Kublai Khan's. With Kublai Khan's "Check a Halo Halo", I can design my own halo halo with only my favorite toppings on it.

I was looking for a place to eat in the Mango Avenue area and I suddenly remembered that it has been a while since I last ate at Muvanz. Muvanz Pocherohan and Seafoods has been one of   +Nezte Virtudazo 's favorite eateries in the area.  The placed was introduced to me by him during one of our night outs with the Rainmakers Group.  Since it has been a while, I took a couple of friends here for lunch.

After a hot summer afternoon going to Busay , we were looking for a good place to eat after coming down from the mountain area of Cebu City.  Our host, Lotlot Madura, wanted to eat Filipino dishes and she suggested Manggahan at Wilson Street in Lahug. Manggahan has somehow established a niche of serving Cebuano comfort food in a very relaxing setting.

One time, Kalami Cebu team member Lotlot Madura was craving for meat.  She was really hungry and she wanted me to find a good place to eat.  We drove to Banilad and checked out Black Iron Cebu at the Ginza Compound in J. Panis Street.  I heard that this place serves some delicious burgers and other meat dishes. I was really glad that I was able to try the dishes of probably one of the finest burger places in Cebu. 

It was lunchtime and I was looked for a good place to eat near my house. I was craving for ngohiong and I decided to eat at Atek's Ngohiong in Kasambagan. I decided to have one of their Combo Hot Meals Special. 

A month ago, I attended a birthday party held at the Blue Elephant Sky Lounge on the 19th Floor of the Apple One Building in Cebu Business Park.  It was not first time to eat at this rooftop restaurant, but I always get awed when I dine there. I love the experience of eating in a restaurant with a view of the city's skyline.  If you eat here, you will realize how much Cebu has changed over the years.

I had a blog event last month and it was held at Cafe Sarree in Escario Street, Lahug Cebu City. This cafe is really known for its tantalizing desserts.  I was really looking forward to the snacks that they were going to serve.  Cafe Sarree did not disappoint as I was able to taste a very delicious Moist Chocolate Cake. I was not really feeling too well when I went to Cafe Sarree and I ordered a glass of hot kalamansi juice.  Chocolate cake with kalamansi juice is an unusual combination, but it worked out for me.  The cake was really yummy and I really liked the wet chocolate and caramel icing.  The cake was moist and had the right level of sweetness. Cafe Sarree is really one of the best cafes in Cebu when it comes to desserts. I will definitely come back here and check out their other specialties. Related articles Dessert Places: Enjoying the Variety at La Marea Cafes in Cebu: After-meal Coffee and Dessert at Le Cafe Noir Weekly Specials: Feijoada by Cafe de Geneve Eat A

A few weeks ago, Pino Restaurant opened their newest expansion which they call Plaza Pino Boulangerie. I have to look up what boulangerie means.  Well, it is actually French for a bakery. Pino is not just about Filipino cuisine anymore and their newest expansion is more of an extension of the Pino group's French flagship La Vie Parisienne.  I went to Plaza Pino Boulangerie with a foursome of students who wanted to celebrate the end of school year. Two of them graduated college so there was a wonderful reason to celebrate and have some wine and desserts.

In the past year, there have been several restaurants in Cebu that wants to claim "The Best Wings Place in Cebu" title.  The introduction of several chicken wing places cannot outpace the demand for delicious and spicy chicken wings. It is definitely a booming segment as many  Cebuanos flock to their favorite wing place.  Recently, I had a "wing night" with my wife and we restaurant-hopped in two of the best chicken wing places in Cebu. First, we visited the newly opened Bad Boys Wingz right across Bright Academy in Talamban. This wing place used to be a small, but very popular food stall at the BTC and because of the high demand of chicken wings, the owners opened a stand-alone restaurant. I would say it was an excellent decision because they really serve one of the best chicken wings in Cebu.

My wife and I usually eat out on weekends.  Since it has been a while that we last ate lechon, we decided to look for a yummy lechon place.  There used to be an eatery that serves very delicious boneless lechon near our house, but the eatery moved.  I used Google to search where Tatang's Extra Crispy Boneless Lechon relocated and found out that they have a branch in Wilson Street, Lahug. We went there and had an extra crispy and extra spicy dinner.

One time, I was driving around Cebu uptown and I was looking for a good place to eat.  I was not really keen on spending so much that day and I just wanted to eat at an eatery that has good food and a parking space.  Save for malls, it is really hard to find a parking space near the Fuente area during lunchtime. After minutes of driving around, I ended up in the Ramos Market area. I saw many cars parking at the back of the market and a lot of people seem to eat in the carenderias nearby. Luckily, I was to find a good spot to park.  I checked out the eateries nearby and I decided to eat at Ahong's.

Yesterday, I attended the opening of MexiMama Cocina Latina at the Hawkers Center of Mactan Newtown. MexiMama is slowly becoming one of the most popular Mexican restaurants in Cebu.  I was fortunate to be able to taste a few of their best dishes yesterday and I ended up going home with a #happytummy.

For months, I have been curious about this place in Lahug that has a logo that reminds me of Coca-Cola.  I knew that it is some sort of a cafe, but I really cannot find a reason to visit Le Cafe Noir. A few weeks, I finally had a chance to check out the place after having a hearty meal at Shalom Judges and Jireh Genesis Eatery nearby.

It has been quite a while since I have last eaten Steamed Rice .  I am not talking about cooked rice. Steamed Rice has a different meaning for Cebuanos.  Steamed rice is the ultimate rice dish found in dim sum places in Cebu.  The Cebuano favorite is made of fried rice topped with a rich sauce that has pork, shrimp, and peas.  A new dim sum place opened in Robinsons Cybergate and since I was craving for dim sum, I invited some of my workmates to eat at Tsim Sha Tsui.  

One time I was out with my friends and my wife told me to bring something when I go home. It was almost midnight when I was done, so I decided to buy pizza. I was coming from I.T. Park and ended up at Gallery Mabolo.  Luckily, La Bella Pizza Bistro was still accepting orders. Since my wife loves cheese, I decided to get a Quattro Formaggi Pizza. Quattro Formaggi mean 4-Cheese and I am confident that she is going to love the surprise.

The Abaca restaurant group opened its newest outlet that is fast becoming the trendiest bakeshop/cafe in Cebu.  The Abaca Baking Company started serving fresh breads and pastries to Cebuanos a few weeks ago.  It is located at the Crossroads Mall in Banilad. The Abaca brand has always been a favorite among upscale diners and this new bakery/cafe/coffee shop is another sure hit by the famed restaurant group.

I just love going to cafes to write or read up on something.  One of my favorite cafes here in Cebu is Coffee Bean Scent. Located just beside One Mango Avenue, this Korean-owned cafe is one of the most popular places to study or hang out in the Mango Avenue area.

After a week of meat deprivation, I broke my fast with a visit to my favorite pungko-pungko stall near the Redemptorist Church area.  This area is one of my favorite places to have some fatty treats.  This is second to the J.Llorente area which is near my office.

With respect to the Lenten Season, Kalami Cebu will not be posting articles for the next 3 days.  Blogging will resume on Easter Sunday. 

It has been a while since I last talked to my friend  +Nezte Virtudazo  who is taking up Law at the University of San Carlos.  I usually drill him with  some law-related questions just to keep himself sharp in his freshman year in law school.  One of our favorite study hangouts is Degree 9 Coffee.  We just usually have coffee or tea.  Recently, we had a meet-up during finals week.