BATCHOY (CDN PHOTO/EDD BUENAVIAJE)
RAINY, gloomy weather? There’s a soup for that. How about a piping hot bowl of batchoy to keep you warm on a cold and wet day?
Batchoy is a popular dish that originated from La Paz district in Iloilo City. A hearty soup, its main ingredients are pork offal (spleen, kidneys, liver, etc.) and miki (round egg noodles). Served on a deep bowl, the soup is garnished with scallions, golden brown garlic bits, crushed chicharon or pork cracklings and raw egg.
For some reason, batchoy has found its way into many places around the country. Here in Cebu it has been ben around for a few decades, and many places now serve their own version of this Ilonggo comfort food.
Here, two of our favorite batchoy houses in the metro:
If you want one that’s close enough to the real La Paz batchoy, head to Row’s Batchoy House at the vicinity of the Ramos market. This hole-in-the-wall eatery is on the ground floor of the house of sought-after makeup artist Romero Vergara.
Vergara’s sister Normalita, 54, who manages the outlet, said the batchoy recipe was passed down from their Ilongga mother. It’s almost the same as the Ilonggo version—but without the shrimp paste (ginamos) and with chopped pork liver only—to suit the Cebuano palate.
“We used to sell batchoy years back in Lapu-Lapu market, but it was destroyed by fire in 1992. That was it, until two years ago, when we saw this place owned by my aunt and we decided to start again,” said Normalita.
Row’s Batchoy House (CDN PHOTO/EDD BUENAVIAJE)
Row’s Batchoy comes in Special or Super serving. Special batchoy, which has egg in it, is P49. Super comes in a bigger bowl of course, with chopped boiled eggs, and worth P69.
According to Normalita, young people prefer the Special, while groups would usually order the Super.
“A lot of our customers are families. And there are also late-night party-goers looking for soup to minimize the effects of a hangover. Our patrons are satisfied with the generous serving of our rich-flavored batchoy,” she said.
Not only that. Try other bestseller dishes like the beef steak, pancit guisado and barbecue.
There are only four small tables in this modest-size eatery but their patrons tend linger to look at the artworks, photographs and quirky bric-a-brac.
A former beauty shop, the place was transformed into this cozy eatery with a motley of interesting decoration that Vergara collected from his travels.
There’s also an al fresco dining area lighted by Japanese lanterns.
Row’s Batchoy House is open from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily.
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Carlo’s Batchoy (CDN PHOTO/EDD BUENAVIAJE)
If spicy is your kind of thing, Carlo’s Batchoy is the place for you.
With branches strategically located around the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu and Consolacion town , you can go right to the nearest Carlo’s Batchoy House to try its Spicy Super Batchoy with 1 to 3 levels of heat, worth P69.
Special batchoy without egg is worth P55, while the other with the raw egg is priced at P65.
On very late evenings, diners vary from couples and friends having a midnight snack to youngsters and adults straight from a night of partying or binge drinking.
Most Carlo’s Batchoy branches are open from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. every day.
Two are in Mandaue, in barangays Centro and Bakilid; one on Osmeña Blvd. near Capitol building, Cebu City; Ompad St. in Lapu-Lapu City; and one in Consolacion near Fooda Supermarket.