Sunday, April 27, 2014

Welcome Back (Isla Sugbo) Seafood City!

Ah, Seafood City! Brings back childhood memories!

In the 90s, whenever my parents had visitors, we'd always go to Seafood City in Lahug. I remember walking into the huge restaurant (because of my size, the place seemed really huge), and my siblings and I would go straight to the aquariums to look at all the creatures while our parents chose some of these (un)lucky creatures to be put on our plates.

The return of this impressive seafood restaurant of the 90s as Isla Sugbo Seafood City is joy! Though the new Seafood City at the ground floor of the Grand Convention Center of Cebu is not as huge as my memory of the old one, Isla Sugbo Seafood City can seat 300 guests.

Isla Sugbo Seafood City
Ground Floor, Grand Convention Center of Cebu
Archbishop Reyes Avenue, Cebu City
(032) 260 8000
Lunch 11AM–2PM daily
Dinner 6PM–10PM daily

Isla Sugbo Seafood City sticks with the same concept as its ancestor: fresh catch laid out for your choosing alongside sea creatures swimming in aquariums not knowing how it'll end up on your plate—it's your choice how it should be cooked. If you have no idea how you want your fish or prawn or crab or whatever you have chosen cooked, ask the servers for the different cooking styles. Prices of dishes depend on the weight of the seafood/meat plus the cooking fee of Php 40 per 100 grams. A one page menu lists just drinks (for available desserts, just ask the servers).

 
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, which ones should go (to the pot/pan)?

Isla Sugbo Seafood City opened about a month ago and barely three weeks old in their new home, I was invited by a friend to their media launch. Seefood diet, here we go!


Look closely. A part of a land creature snuck onto the table: (grilled) pork belly. The pig was probably found swimming in the sea, the people around the table joked. But, really, Isla Sugbo Seafood City has chicken, pork, and vegetables, too. All (including the seafood, of course) cooked to your liking by their chefs from Hong Kong.

I will not describe each because I have a very poor foodabulary. With my limited adjectives for food, I am picking the most used: delicious! My favorites were the sole fish fried with garlic butter sauce, deep fried blue crab with salt and pepper, and the prawns with lemon butter sauce. Oh, and the desserts were delightful, too!

The buchi is from Tsay Cheng, the Chinese restaurant next door.

It's time to bring my parents to Isla Sugbo Seafood City—just like old times but with reversed roles. All the same, we'll be there for the same reason the family has frequented the old Seafood City: the excellent seafood!

Friday, April 25, 2014

Siopao is Boring... Or Is It?

What is siopao? I believe it's the Filipino spelling for xiaobao 小包, which means "small bun" in Chinese. Sure you've heard of siopao. Sure you've eaten one (or dozens in your lifetime). White bun with meat and egg inside. The meat can be asado (pork barbecue) or bola–bola (meatball).  Boring but always good for a snack.

If you take the literal meaning, then this here, is not a xiaobao. It's a dabao 大包 or big bun! (The siopao around the Philippines are really dabao 大包, only a few have the small buns.) And what's inside makes it, in my opinion, a hen dabao 大包 (very big bun). But enough about the Mandarin lessons.


Why did I say it's a big bun? Because it is about 10 cm in diameter (well, wiki says a dabao 大包 measures 10 cm in diameter). And why "very big bun"? Because this siopao—Taitong's Special Siopao (Php62)—has not one or two but five fillings: asado, bola–bola, Chinese sausage, plain siomai, and salted egg. Boring it certainly isn't. Taitong's Special Siopao is a fiesta in a white bun. Hen hao chi 很好吃—very delicious!

 Taitong Steamers Foods
AS Fortuna St. (beside AA BBQ), Mandaue City, Cebu
(032) 316 2438 / (032) 316 0327
Lunch 10AM–2PM daily
Dinner 5PM–10PM daily

Taitong offers not only siopao—the "Foods" in Taitong Steamers Foods clearly says so. Taitong also has a bunch of dishes up the chef's sleeve. Check out the menu below.

 Click photos to enlarge

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Haiku for the Hungry: Ofuku–san

Heard a stomach growl...
May I suggest Japanese?
Go to Country Mall

There's Ofuku-san
A worn and faded facade
Treasures hide within

Many moons ago when Ofuku–san was still new

Treasures in boxes
Red and black bento boxes
Complete meal inside

Craving for porkchop
Have a tonkatsu bento
Perfectly breaded

Php 270
kakiage (vegetable tempura), sweet and spicy anchovies, tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet),
 tamagoyaki (scrambled egg), macaroni salad, rice

Is fried prawn your thing?
Try ebi furai bento
Served with chicken, too

Php360
chicken teriyaki, ebi furai (fried prawn), agedashi tofu, rice

Something bacon-y?
It's perfect for you

Php 270
kakiage (vegetable tempura), sweet and spicy anchovies, buta shogayaki (thinly sliced pork),
 tamagoyaki (scrambled egg), macaroni salad, rice

Complete bento meal
Comes with miso soup and fruits
Surely make you full

But try others too
Like agedashi tofu
or Cali maki


Kind of expensive
But worth it I must declare
Exit with a smile



Ofuku–san
Gaisano Country Mall, Banilad, Cebu City
(032) 232 5036
Lunch 1130AM–230PM daily
Dinner 530PM–1030PM daily


What is a haiku? Haiku is a short form of Japanese poetry consisting of just three lines with 5, 7, and 5 syllables. The other two characteristics of a haiku are kigo (word/phrase that symbolizes the season) and kireji (word that cuts the stream of thought)... both of which I don't know how to apply :))