Micky Fenix, that is. The Philippine Daily Inquirer Country Cooking columnist was a guest of the Radisson Blu Cebu over the weekend, and I was official tour guide.
“Why don’t you make this into a regular tour?” she asks me, quite intently as we shuttled from one gastronomic high to another. That got me thinking. Cebu’s culinary scene is bursting at the seams, awaiting discovery. In the past three years, our palates have opened, ripened, and—true to our entrepreneurial streak —become lucrative businesses, whatever their scale.
Are we ready for a food tour? Here’s a smattering of three of the Delicious eats we indulged in a couple of days ago, the next half out next issue. You be the judge.
CHICKEN CLAYPOT RICE
(Taitong’s Steamers Foods; A.S. Fortuna, beside AA Barbecue; 239-0023)
Chicken Claypot Rice
Famous for their fried siopao (crisp on the outside, juicy inside) and the gargantuan 5-in-1 steamed siopao (count this: asado, bola-bola, chorizo, salted egg yolk, siomai!), the latter an
addiction introduced to me by Waterfront Cebu City Hotel’s Resident
Manager Carlo Sainz.
Taitong’s just added new items on their menu. Must-trys? The rich claypot rice and the Seafood Sea Moss Soup. It’s the century egg in the soup that gives it an edge.
VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE
(The Chocolate Chamber; President Quirino corner Magsaysay Sts., Mabolo (the road beside Sarossa Hotel) ; 09176287661)
Ralfe Gourmet’s retail space is always full for their afternoon high “tea” from 3:21 to 5:21 p.m. Try their hibiscus hot chocolate (“And if you already have, there are 20 other reasons to come back,” quips Edu Pantino, the TCC’s chocolate technician, referring to the other flavours of hot choco on the menu) or my personal choice: salty caramel!
But the vegan chocolate cake is a standout: light and delicately sweet, it is the perfect chocolate cake for those such as myself who are easily overwhelmed by the thickness of choco. It is made without eggs and butter, and instead uses a whole lot of olive oil in the recipe. Here’s to new cravings!
BREAD PUDDING
(Radisson Blu Cebu; Reclamation Area beside SM City Cebu; 402-9900)
Bread Pudding
Is there room in Feria for another icon? Radisson Blu’s Prime Rib Nights every Friday already has a cult following, despite the fact that these nights are full price.
And then here comes another whispered favorite, thankfully available daily.
“We use a lot of butter, milk,” says Marco Amarone, Director of Food and Beverage. “And croissants!” Instead of just ordinary bread, the bread pudding at Feria uses the French pastry as base, spelling all the delicious difference. Drown it in Vanilla sauce and enjoy!
