Sinugbo at Cebu's Golden Cowrie

The first thing one notices coming out of the Cebu airport are the festive jeepneys that look like banderitas criss-crossing the street. Cebu is saturated with color, and its spaces filled with the vibrancy of perhaps the same spirit that possesses the Sinulog. It is this sort of spirit that makes me wonder what becomes of new installations such as a massive Ayala mall (miniscule still compared to the monstrous malls we have in Manila but nonetheless frightening) or 24-hour call center offices in the IT center nearby and their consequent effect on Cebu's eating habits. Familiar names from Pan de Manila to Yellow Cab are starting to populate the city. I am no fan of restaurant chains and franchises, I hate the thought of food from assembly lines, and I despise pretentious restaurants that charge anything above a hundred pesos for stuff coming out of a can. I would still like notions of communal eating instilled, of community panaderias and local kainans that struggle to make the most of local ingredients, their artistry shining through the successful twists they make in order to push familiar dishes into something special and memorable.


Luckily, Cebu has not fallen in the negative practices of modern city life that has plagued much of Manila's restaurants. At least not yet. The signs are there, but there are still a number of places that struggle with the thought of what restaurants should be and hopefully Cebu would be able to find a balance between tradition and change. Nothing could be more traditional than Cebu's sinugbo, and our visit to the Golden Cowrie displayed the delicate balance between traditional inihaw cooking in a series of restaurant chains appearing throughout Cebu.

The food is good, but it also almost becoming ordinary as the simpler details tend to be ignored. For instance, the blue marlin was well seasoned but overcooked and dry.


And these baked clams were left to drown in cheese, not leaving enough room for the protein to sing. It would have also helped to put in some parsley or chives on top and a drop of citrus.


This kinilaw needed coriander. It was still lovely, and would put to shame any ceviche served in fancy Western restaurants.


I liked the adobong kangkong. You can never put too much garlic in anything adobo.


And also their crispy hipon. I am not sure if their crispy hipon is good since I am biased. My benchmark comes from Malolos, Bulacan and is made by the poet and lawyer Jing Panganiban-Mendoza's mother. Nothing simply compares to that one.


One of the real stars in this feast is the blue crab. This was served with melted butter as dipping sauce. It really didn't need any sauce but if they were to insist, perhaps a citrus-based sauce would be more sensible.


The other star for me was the grilled pusit, which was tender, moist and fresh.


Like this blog, Cebu has been a long time coming. It's been a while, but life just got in the way but the love for food has been constantly nourished and hopefully the next few posts will keep me at it.