Khalil Ramos (left) and Gabbi Garcia (right) try tuslob buwa. |Screengrab from Garcia’s Youtube video post
CEBU CITY, Philippines — “Ang husay mag luto ng mga Cebuanos.”
(Cebuanos are good cooks.)
This was the reaction of Kapamilya actor and singer Khalil Ramos in a recent food crawl in Cebu with his girlfriend Kapuso star Gabbi Garcia.
The Kapuso actress released the 28-minute video on her YouTube account on September 7, Saturday, which has gained more than 50,000 views as of noon on September 8, Sunday.
Ramos explained that he followed the suggestions of netizens where to take his girlfriend for a food crawl in Cebu.
The food crawl was the couple’s way of rewarding themselves after work.
Both stars came to Cebu recently for a campus tour and to promote their upcoming movie, “The “LSS (Last Song Syndrome).”
Their first stop was in a lechon restaurant in Cebu City, trying both the regular and spicy lechon.
“We will not miss Cebu trip without eating the world-famous pig,” he said in the video.
Cebu is well known for its lechon or (roasted pig) and a must try for most of its visitors.
The celebrity couple also tried ngohiong in the restaurant aside from the lechon.
Ngohiong is a popular street food in Cebu, a deep fried meatless spring roll made of shredded coconut palm.
“In my opinion, in terms of Filipino cuisine, parang nasa top rank ang Cebu,” Ramos said.
After lechon and ngohiong, both stars visited a “tuslob buwa” stall in Cebu City.
Tuslob buwa, another popular street fare, is a fried concoction made out of pig’s brain and chicken liver. A puso (rice boiled inside woven coconut leaves) is then used to dip in the sizzling brain-liver gravy.
Ramos said he learned about the food when he watched Netflix’s “Street Food Asia.” Tuslob buwa was featured in the April 2019 episode along with nilarang bakasi (stewed eel), lechon, and Chinese vegetable lumpia (spring rolls).
For a complete tuslob bula experience, Garcia personally mixed the oil, onions, shrimps, pig’s brain, and chicken liver at the frying pan.
“It is worth the experience and worth the taste,” Garcia said.
Gabbi Garcia (left) and Khalil Ramos (right) at Larsian, Cebu City’s popular food strip.
Their last stop was the Larsian, a popular barbecue strip near the Fuente Osmeña Circle in uptown Cebu City.
The celebrity couple had pork barbecue, chicken intestines, and Chorizo de Cebu.
After buying a barbecue, both stars went back to the van and eat.
“May iba silang timpla. Parang smoky siya,” he said.
(It has different taste. It is smoky.)
Their food crawl ended up with a bottle of wine in a cozy restaurant where both stars answered netizens’ questions about their movie, “The “LSS (Last Song Syndrome).”
The film is one of the official entries in Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) 2019, which will run from September 13 to 19, 2019.
This is their first film together helmed by Jade Castro./elb