A "SULIT" heritage and gastronomic experience in Cebu

I never miss having a taste of lechon whenever I am in Cebu. Though this whole roasted pig can be found in almost every corner of the country, Cebu is one of the few places which can pride itself as among the lechon capitals of the Philippines. Be it the native and original recipe or new and gourmet recipes like this one from Zubuchon - lechon is everywhere in Cebu City.

I was in Cebu City a week ago to join the launching of the Cebu office OLX.ph - formerly sulit.com.ph. The said press conference gathered media people from Cebu, Bacolod and Iloilo for a big event held at the Grand Convention Center of Cebu. It was also the start of the nationwide tour of the "Yesss Yaman!" campaign of OLX Philippines.

OLX.ph assures that the rebranding is simply a name change. All the things sellers and buyers came to love about Sulit.com.ph, such as wide variety of listings, free ad posting, and multiple seller choices, will still be reflected on OLX.ph. “The brand change is a representation of our commitment to change how Filipinos perceive online selling” said OLX Philippines Managing Director RJ David. “It also reinforces the great feeling of being able to get value from items that are just gathering dust in your home.”

He added that there will be no impact to the sellers and the items they have posted for sale. Even the local management team remains the same Sulit team that has been serving its online users since its launch in 2006.

OLX.ph is the Philippines’ leading buy and sell website that is committed to change how Filipinos perceive online selling and encourage them to join the millions of people around the globe who have already used OLX to sell their things.

The successful rebranding of Sulit.cp.ph to OLX.ph to become a more convenient platform that will inspire Filipinos to rethink what they know about online selling in the country. Read more about OLX.PH.

Photo courtesy of ESCARIO CENTRAL Facebook Page

After lunch at the launch, we headed to one of Cebu's newest and hippest places - Escario Central. A complex of restaurants, bars, convenience store, cafes, amenities, services and more.

The "more" would be our home away from home - Escario Central Hotel. This charming hotel is located behind the entertainment complex. Hidden and homey would be the best words to describe it as it becomes a refuge from all the hustle and bustle of the outside world. A landscaped area makes a perfect lobby and common area for the guests before they retire to their respective rooms.

Photo courtesy of ESCARIO CENTRAL HOTEL Facebook Page

Here' a brief information from their Facebook Page

Escario Central Hotel, a 46-room sprawling type accommodation in a fusion of modern and zen design that offers a diverse experience of fun and relaxation through its interesting and unique concept. The hotel is located within the commercial complex of Escario Central Mall, which will provide entertainment to guests right outside their doorstep.
Each room is provided iwth Satellite/Cable LCD TV, Desk, Air Conditioning, Hot & Cold Shower, Complimentary Shampoo, Soap and Bottled Water, Wi-fi in rooms and public areas. This bed and bath in the city is sure to make each guest's trip an enjoyable one. With a full range of popular amenities including the Mall for recreation and not to mention the friendly, caring staff, Escario Central Hotel is definitely the new appealing destination for Cebuanos and tourists a like.

Photo courtesy of ESCARIO CENTRAL HOTEL Facebook Page

It was perfect for our rejuvenation as we went directly to the event from the airport. Well-rested and refreshed, we then had a taste of Cebu's heritage with a tour inside Museo Pari-an sa Sugbo or more popularly known as the Jesuit House.

It's actually my third (or is it second) time inside this museum but I never would mind. It seems that for every visit there's something new to discover, new to learn. My visit this time was with Ka Bino Guerrero of Galleon San Pedro Tours.

Obscurely located in one of the many streets in the heritage area of Downtown Cebu, the Jesuit House stood and watched how Cebu has transformed for almost three centuries. Built in 1730, the museum is almost hidden (no, it is really hidden) from plain sight - as one would first enter a warehouse to find the museum.

The tour would start with the history of the place - how it was discovered to contain much history supported by the relics unearthed during the excavation and renovation of the house. From room to room, artifacts to artifacts, one would really feel and relive what its like during the 18th century.

Image courtesy of MUSEO PARIAN SA SUGBO Facebook Page

The tour would end with a light snack consisting of the Cebu's tsokolate drik known as sikwate in one of the rooms of the museum. And for our special tour, we received a delightful sampler of Cebu famous delicacies - otap, rosquillos and dried mangoes.

Good thing it was just sampler size as next on our agenda was dinner. Back at Escario Central Mall, we headed to one of the more popular modern lechonans around - Zubuchon!

From Zubuchon's Facebook Page...

“Zubuchon” is stuffed with more than a dozen herbs and spices, the pig’s skin is “acupunctured” or pricked all over, then sprayed with fresh coconut water. These processes result to a crispy and brown skin once roasted. No MSG nor soy sauce are used. The lechon is roasted over charcoal, using bamboo poles. ZUBUCHON is coined from the words ZUBU (Cebu’s name in old Spanish maps) and LECHON

Though I find most Cebu lechons to be salty and/or full of spice, I liked Zubuchon better than others. It is less salty and the skin... delectable and crunchy. Of course, I took the suggestion I read and paired it with kamias or iba shake - perfect!

A nice way to end the day my first night in Cebu ...

... and waking up on my second day, we had breakfast at Cafe Sarree which was just a few steps from our hotel. Guess which breakfast plate is mine - the Angus Beef Tapa or the Cheese Krainer?

As goodbyes given to my fellow attendees who will have to catch their respective flights back to Iloilo or Bacolod, I was just getting "warm" myself. After all, this morning in Cebu is just my second and I was out to discover more of Cebu in the next four days. Indeed, it was really a "sulit" heritage and gastronomic trip in Cebu!

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

Easy Century Tuna Recipes

If you're looking for simple, easy and delicious Century Tuna recipes online, congratulations, you've found it right here! How about spicy tuna sisig or tuna sinigang ? Maybe stir fried tuna with pickles or just yang chow fried rice . I love Century Tuna from its flakes in oil variety, the spicier the better, but when I discovered the versatility of its solid variant, it became an obsession. At first I was just into the usual tested recipes; pasta and sandwich filling, but then it got simpler – I just eat it straight from the can! Usually with a piece of bread or an apple. I just add a few drops of vinegar to spice it up a bit. Then came the experiments. Yup I got tired of that habit that one day, I decided to test my skills in the kitchen. Serendipity, you might call it yet most of them turned into good recipes that I have shared now and then. Satisfying my Palabok cravings had me experiment on this recipe on the spot. With Century Tuna in lieu of the usu

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

An Ilonggo favorite: Pancit Molo

Named after one of Iloilo City’s districts, Pancit Molo is one of the more identifiable pancit dishes in the country. It stands out uniquely among the noodle dishes mainly because of its non-traditional pancit look. It is a derivative of the Chinese wonton (filled dumplings) made into a soup. One of the first questions always asked is "Where's the Pancit?". With pancit as a sort of "prefix" to the name of the dish, first timers always for the noodle-like component of the dish. It's then explained that the pancit is actually the molo ball wrappers which is basically of the same mix as any pancit/noodles. Pancit Molo is more of a household specialty and the recipe varies from household to household. From the meat filling mix to the soup, there could be a hundred and one ways of making pancit molo. Pancit Molo Filling I suggest to make this days before the actual cooking of pancit molo so that the flavours will be full.

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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