Mabuhay again!
Documenting some of the food places I went to during my 2019 Cebu trip. I would say, The Philippines really has some good Lechon and meat dishes.
-Cebu City Centre-
CNT Lechon
Jollibee
CNT Lechon
Jollibee
Turon
Max's Restaurant
Bo's Coffee
Cardinal Coffea
Greenwich
Abaca Baking Company
-Moalboal-
Genevieve's Garden Cafe
Cafe Cebuano
Pleasure Principle
Balut
Smooth Cafe
Makan
The French Coffee Shop
-Bohol-
Gerarda's Place
Mang Inasal
Cebu City Centre
Our flight stops at Cebu City Centre, before we could take a car to Bohol and other parts of Cebu which had more activities to do. However, there are lots of decent food in the city.
CNT Lechon
The first order of business after we touched down was to go the the nearest mall for some famous CNT Lechon. Fortunately, there was one in the food court of Ayala Mall and we ordered some to share. Have not tried other brands in Philippines but this was so good! It is a must try!
L4, Food Choice, Ayala Mall Cebu, Archbishop Reyes Avenue, Cebu City, Cebu
Jollibee
What is Philippines without some good ol' Jollibee. The meat here is definitely salty, but it's nice to have such sinful food once in a while. Though I would say, it's nothing special after you had it so many times.
Various outlets
Turon
Turon is a snack that is kinda like the Singapore version of Goreng Pisang. If you like Goreng Pisang, you would love this snack. Found it randomly in a booth while shopping in the SM Seaside City.
Max's Restaurant
A restaurant we found in SM Seaside City. Didn't know that it is a famous chain that has outlets in other parts of Asia and even Singapore. The fried chicken is apparently their specialty and I found it quite nice.
PHP 749/4pax
Various outlets
Bo's Coffee
Didn't realise that Bo's Coffee is a Filipino coffeehouse chain started in 1996 in Cebu City. No wonder I saw so many of their shops in Cebu itself! However, I find that there are more flavour varieties in Starbucks for Frappucino options (not sure about the normal coffee) so I'm not a fan.
Various outlets
Cardinal Coffea
A cafe famous for their cheese rolls, cakes and coffee. Glad to have tried out a decent cafe during the trip! Food was nice, but not very wowed as per the other comments you find online though. But it is worth a try if you really need to strike a cafe off your to-go list in Cebu.
PHP 469/4pax
Don Jose Avila St, Cebu City, Cebu
Greenwich
Had a random meal here in Ayala Mall on our last day in Cebu. This place reminds me of Pizzahut, with emphasis on pizza and pasta dishes. Not the best, but will do.
Various outlets
Abaca Baking Company
One of our last meals before leaving, wanted to find a trendy cafe to just sit down and chill for a bit before we say goodbye, and randomly found this place. This cafe serves artisan crafted breads, from-scratch baked goods and classic American food. Well, this Whoopie Pie was ok-ish. Forgot to take pictures of the coffee or smoothies we had!
PHP 800/4pax
The Terraces Ayala Center, Cebu City, Cebu
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Moalboal
This was the place we had to go for the most part of the adventures - snorkeling, canyoneering, hiking etc. The whole area gave off a very rustic and old skool vibe; not commercialised, houses were run down, can't be sure if the stalls had clean food etc. But well, that's just how the place is.
Genevieve's Garden Cafe
Was finding a lunch place after our snorkeling session. Walked a whole stretch of road under the hot weather only to find this and waited super long for our food too. Had Sinigang (Filipino soup), Pork Sisig (mainly pig’s parts such as minced pork meat, ears, and face) and San Miguel beer because that's the classic Filipino food and beer that one should order while in Philippines. Memorable because the place was super hot! And I almost fainted here due to the snorkeling session earlier and hot weather which resulted in a mild dehydration.
PHP 880/4pax
Panagsama Rd, Moalboal, Cebu
Cafe Cebuano
We were so tired (I had exhibited signs of dehydration as mentioned above) after snorkeling and had a good afternoon nap before going out to explore the Moalboal area for some cafes to sit around till dinner time. This was the cafe we chose. Can't say much about the food cos it was not memorable. But the view here was good, overlooking the sea, Very chill.
Panagsama Rd, Moalboal, Cebu
Pleasure Principle
Had pizza here, which was actually not bad. What was memorable was that the drinks here came in very traditional forms that one don't see in Singapore, and price was really reasonable.
PHP 530/4pax
Panagsama Rd, Moalboal, Cebu
Balut
After our dinner, we decided to walk around the area and hunt for Balut. In case you aren't aware, Balut is a developing egg embryo, ie. an almost fertilised egg (usually duck) and is a delicacy here in the Philippines. It tasted like a regular egg though, and you have to drizzle some salt and vinegar for better taste. Not for the faint hearted, since you can totally see the almost formed head of the little half duckling. yikes.
Smooth Cafe
Saw this prominent hipster cafe and I knew we had to come here. Food was actually quite good (I had quinoa salad), but expensive compared to the other eateries around the area. Seems hipster and catering to the tourists I guess, but at least I enjoyed the food and drinks here.
Approx PHP 300/pax
Panagsama Rd, Moalboal, Cebu
Makan
This is just some simple Filipino fare. Had the Sizzling Eggplant, Sizzling Calamari and Eggplant Omelette. Had Pork Sisig again because Hep said that the previous sisig we had at Genevieve's Garden Cafe didn't taste like how sigig should be. However, both are not to my liking.
PHP 1055/4pax
Panagsama Rd, Moalboal, Cebu
The French Coffee Shop
Had our last breakfast in Moalboal in this seemingly "French" cafe. Food was kinda bad. I would rather go back to the expensive cafe mentioned earlier and treat my tastebuds and stomach better.. this is not recommended.
PHP 550/4pax
Panagsama Rd, Moalboal, Cebu
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Bohol
This was our last stop before going back to the city. Bohol is known for their Chocolate Hills and touristy attractions like the Sipatan Twin Bridge, and cute Tarsiers. The area was more developed than Moalboal for sure. We had some of the best food from our trip here.
Gerarda's Place
This was highly recommended online, so we decided to try our luck and check out the restaurant. They serve Filipino cuisine with a twist, and we all loved the food here! I would dare say it was one of my favourites throughout the trip!
PHP 1295/4pax
30 J.S. Torralba St, Tagbilaran City, Bohol
Beancurd
Was at Alona Beach and saw a makeshift vendor selling beancurd! As I love beancurd, thought we should give it a try. Tastes... like a regular beancurd so, great!
Mang Inasal
Had this before in Manila. It's one of the more famous Filipino fastfood joints with cheap prices and good marinated chicken. Except for the part where there is hardly any vegetables in their plates, I kinda like this.
PHP 478/4pax
Various outlets
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So that is all! The sauces and flavouring in Philippines are really good! On the heavy or sweeter side definitely, therefore it is great for those who love flavourful food.
Click below for more of what went down in Cebu:
