LECHON LOVE AT CEBU'S ZUBUCHON!

 

       Something I believe I took for granted in all my years in Cebu, was their lechon. In all honesty, I didn't realize that Cebu Lechon tasted different from Lechon anywhere else, because my dad would have Cebu Lechon flown in from Cebu for family events (Trust me, it sounds "Sosyal" but its actually done quite often by Cebunanos). But then again, during my days in Cebu, Lechons were only really available as a whole.. And despite my declarations of love for the animal, there was no way I could finish an entire pig by myself, let alone afford it. Aside from that, there wasn't really a place back then where I could sit down and enjoy a kilo of Cebu Lechon at a reasonable rate. 

        According to my dad (Who spends most of his time in Cebu), two places have risen to the top of the Lechon heap in Cebu.

    One of them has the distinction of having none other than World Famous Chef Anthony Bourdain declared it "The Best Pig Ever".. 

    This is the awesomeness of Zubuchon. 

             Since I was staying at Portofino Resort in Mactan, going to the City looking for places to eat is a bit harder than usual. Luckily for me, my dad knew about the Zubuchon branch that opened in Mactan, meaning it was technically around around a 15 minute drive away, at the lobby of the "Islands Stay Hotel", sister company of Islands Banca Cruise, so he took me, Rina, Baby Rain, my cousin Neil, My brother Ryan, and our friend Shem out for a late lunch.


        Not really much to say about the interiors, except that it was clean with a minimalist feel to it. Truth be told, I was so excited to eat some lechon, we could have been in a sewer and I wouldn't have noticed (But thank god we weren't).


THE FOOD

            The week before we left, my cousin John told me he had just come from a short vacation in Cebu with his family. He asked me where I planned on going to for my blog. I hadn't worked out the itinerary just yet, but I had been dying to do a Zubuchon post for quite some time now. The first thing he said was that I had to try the Kamias Shake. I grew up with my cousin John, and look up to him till this very day, but we were talking about a restaurant that is known for serving the world's best roasted pig, and the dude is raving about their unorthodox fruit shake?
       Well, apparently he was right.


       I'm honestly not sure what a kamias fruit looks like, let alone how it tastes. But the darn fruit makes one bad ass shake that would give Shakira a run for her money.   

           I was honestly expecting it to be extremely sour, but it was not at all. it had a nice tinge of acid on it, but it had a smooth blend of sweetness to it that made it really refreshing, and a perfect palate cleanser to the savoriness  of the lechon that was coming up.  

 

       It would go against everything I stand for if I went to a restaurant that had a rice dish called Five Pork Fried Rice (P190) and didn't order it, right? The five types of pork is the Zubuchon, Tampalen (no idea what that is, but I heard its a fatty part of the pig), Chicharon, lard, and Zubuchon drippings. The rice is then mixed with Bagoong (Shrimp Paste) and little bits of Green Mango. 


      This actually seemed more like a bagoong fried rice than it did a rice dish that boasts of an abundance of pork, because truthfully, apart from a few tiny pieces of chicharon, I couldn't find any meat in it.


      The bagoong flavor, however wasn't overpowering, with the bits of green mango adding light sour flavor to the rice. Despite the false advertising, I actually really enjoyed it.     

           My dad proved that I didn't get my pickiness from him when he ordered the Ginataang Langka with Daing Lapu Lapu (P140). I didn't try it but he seemed to enjoy it.   


        (The first time I smelled "Daing" was when I was a kid coming back from the States. When my Yaya told me that the stinky fish she was cooking was calling "Daing", I said "Dying? I think that fish smells like its been dead for a long time now!" Yes, even back then, my Yaya said I was "Pilosopo" (Smartass).)

        We all seemed interested in trying the Zubuchon Pancit (P190).. which was pretty amazing. The noodles with bathed in a thick sauce, and mixed in with a medley of meat, shrimp and mushrooms. And the best part about it.. It was topped off with crispy Lechon Skin! 

    The star of our late lunch feast was undoubtedly the Zubuchon (P490 for 1 Kilo & P260 for 1/2 Kilo). This pile of pig meat just reinforced my belief in Cebu Lechon being the best kind of lechon. The meat was packed with herby flavor that Cebu lechon is famous for. It was so delicious, I didn't even need any form of dipping sauce with it.. whether it's Mang Tomas, or Vinegar.


     The crispy skin was roasted to a beautiful golden brown, and would let out a beautiful crunch with every bite..       

         With a meal like that, I've gotta say that it's pretty hard to argue with Mr. Bourdain's declaration of Zubuchon being the best pig ever, which is proudly displayed on the kitchen window that let's you view them chopping up the lechon right before your very eyes... 

        .... And unto your plate or into the pre-packed batches per kilo, ready for taking with you on your trip back home! 


      Unfortunately my flight was at 10:40pm so we weren't able to pass by to take some Zubuchon home to Manila with us. 


        :(






PIX AT ZUBUCHON

Me and my pop

  Shem and Neil, seems to have only eyes for each other, 

while Ryan sits between them.

 

Playing Peekaboo with Baby Rain

I jumped out to surprise her, and she gave me the most wonderful laugh!

Zubuchon Locations

CEBU:

One Mango Mall, Gen Maxilom Ave

Cebu City, Cebu

Philippines

Escario Bldg., 731 Escario St cor Clavano St

Cebu City, Cebu

Philippines

Mactan:

Islands Stay Hotel Lobby
M.L.Quezon Avenue
Lapu-Lapu City

ZUBUCHON MENU