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How to eat Chinese (oh-so-cheaply) in Cebu City

When thinking of Chinese food the cheap – albeit greasy – way in Cebu City, a must-check is Ngohiong Chinese.

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Filipino food’s evolution owes a lot to Chinese influences; so much so that when eating Chinese in a food court in, say, Hong Kong, Macau or Shanghai, it’s almost like ordering from a food court here. Yeah, yeah, we have differences (thanks to other influences to our foods – e.g. Spanish, American, et cetera); but really, the Chinese influences just can’t be denied…

It is not surprising, therefore, that eating Chinese continues to be a fave of many. This is even more so when the goodies are not only yummy (albeit greasy, LOL) but are also way cheap.

And when thinking of Chinese food this way, in Cebu City, a must-check is Ngohiong Chinese.




WHAT’S THERE

“Ngohiong” is this food that’s like “lumpia” (spring roll), though the filling is different. This place made a name by selling, obviously, ngohiong. The exact combo of what’s inside is a trade secret; but you can taste –ubod (heart of the coconut), singkamas, garlic, spring onions, spices, ground pork/shrimps, and ngohiong powder. It goes without saying, obviously, that this must be tried. And if you’re not sure how good their ngohiong is, consider that this place supposedly earns well over P100,000 per day just from their ngohiong (thanks for the chika/story, Mr. Guard!). This is why the place was named very, very typically: to pay tribute to what made this a HUGE success to begin with.

Now, just to be clear, even if this place is popular, this isn’t fancy at all. In fact, it’s just like any other “karinderya” (eatery), though with somewhat limited offerings. Because it isn’t fancy, in use are monoblocs, tacky curtains, et cetera. Get this: This isn’t a place you’d frequent for the ambiance; instead, you come here just to eat.

Fortunately, the place now has other delicacies, from “alimango” (crab) meat to “longganisa” (chorizo) to pork BBQ to stuffed egg to fresh “lumpia” to “atchara” (preserved shredded green papaya). You eat any of these, or all of them, with “puso” (rice cooked while wrapped heart-shaped in woven coconut leaves).

WHY GO THERE

In three words: Cheap good food. One ngohiong, for instance, sells just for P7.00. The accompanying “puso”? P3.00! Except for the chicken slices (selling for P50.00), just about everything here is under P15.00 (!).

A big plus is seeing where the locals eat – e.g. during lunch, see a snake-like queue as people from all walks of life flock here.

WHY AVOID IT

In one word: Grease.

Almost everything is fried, so…

Plus – as was said – the place isn’t “pa-sosyal” (classy), so not everyone may feel comfy eating there (though if this is so, you can also do take-out).

IN THE END…

If the goal is to discover food areas in Cebu City, then this place is a must-check. Obviously, it helps that it’s not that far from downtown Cebu City. It helps, too, that the price of what’s there is (scarily) cheap. And yes, it helps that it’s a good way to immerse – i.e. be with the locals where they grab chow.

No, there are no stereotypical Chinese delicacies here (fried veggies and the like; or dumplings and the like). Instead, here we have Filipinized “other” Chinese offerings. And if this is what’s craved, well, head over to Ngohiong Chinese.

Ngohiao Chinese is located at Junquera St., Cebu City.




Believing that knowing on its own is not good enough, "you have to share what you know, too", Mikee dela Cruz gladly shares through his writing. A (BA) Communication Studies graduate, he had stints with UNAIDS, UNICEF and Ford Foundation, among others, writing "just about everything". Read on as he does some sharing through Zest Magazine.

Destinations

Looking for good Ilonggo food in Bacoor, Cavite

If you’ve tried batchoy the way many locals in Iloilo prepare it, hahanap-hanapin mo siya. And this is how Old Recipe, this non-pretentious restaurant in Bacoor, Cavite came to our attention.

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If you’ve tried batchoy the way many locals in Iloilo prepare it, hahanap-hanapin mo siya. And this is how this non-pretentious restaurant in Bacoor, Cavite came to our attention. Passing by some highway in the middle of the night, we came across Old Recipe, which boasts to sell “original” (open and close quotation) Ilonggo food, including batchoy.

@outragemag The #LGBT search for #Ilonggo ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

As FYI: This is supposedly an old resto, opening in 1988, though at first as Ilongga House. The name change happened in 2018, though the resto owned by Rufino Gallo must be doing something right since it now has a handful of branches.

The branch we went to was… nothing grand, even if it can seat around 80 pax. Old tables, old seats, and so on. You get the drift.

The staff was at least friendly; they even provided the info I sought for this quick review.

But the wait time was sobra. And to think we just ordered batchoy (the supreme sells for ₱198, and if you add extras, you pay ₱15 for an egg and ₱18 for chicharon or bawang), as well as pansit molo (₱168 for solo size). They have a sizable menu; this is one of those restos that has too much to choose from.

But to be extremely blunt, the food wasn’t great.

For the batchoy, you don’t get a lot of noodles and sahog. And it was too watery so that the batchoy taste was just not there. The pansit molo, at least, had okay broth; but the pork dumplings tasted like they just came out of the freezer.

This isn’t the Ilonggo resto I – personally – can see myself regularly going to. But I understand if others may like it, whether for after-inuman sabaw, or for those wanting to try Ilonggo offerings particularly if they live nearby. To each his or her own, sabi nga.

So off we go pa rin, as we look for more lafang venues.

OLD RECIPE is located at Greenfields Commercial Bldg., Mambog IV, Bacoor, Cavite.

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Destinations

Craving for smoked meat? We checked Jfred’s Smokehouse for you

Are you searching (or craving) for #smokedmeats? We head to #Cavite to see if the noise about Jfred’s Smokehouse is deserved.

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You see their ads often… these restaurants that offer smoked meats that are said to melt in your mouth with goodness. Sa visuals, maaakit ka, as they showcase slices of meat that remain juicy after being processed, and so yeah, maglalaway ka sa akala mo ay yummy.

This is how we discovered Jfred’s Smokehouse in Cavite.

After a visit, ano ang masasabi namin?

@outragemag Takam ka sa #smokedmeat? #LGBTQ food trip to Jfred’s Smokehouse @jfreds.smokehouse in #Bacoor, #Cavite ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place is easy to find naman, as it’s not too far from malls. Note that this is in Bacoor; meaning, you’d need to allocate time to drive to the place, and extra cash for tolls if you take expressways.

Ikalawa, the actual venue is… okay kahit di full-blast ang aircon. Malinis ang lugar. May maayos na furniture. Proper ang cutlery. Di mausok, so you don’t leave smelling like you sat beside the grillery. And so on.

Ikatlo, attentive naman ang staff. Halimbawa, they can explain the items in the menu; and they’re readily available if you need stuff.

Now… let’s talk about the food.

  1. The Smoked Angus Beef (₱900) was noteworthy for being soft, yes. You won’t even need a knife na when you eat because this is what “melts in your mouth” is like for real. However, this tasted quite bland. So when chewing, you – instead – taste the not necessarily desirable meat fat. Also, for ₱900, you get a small serving.
  2. The Beef Ragu (₱380) was malaman, and was cheesy. But it was also quite sweet. And yes, maliit ang serving.
  3. The Caesar Salad (₱250) was sariwa, and was cheesy. But for ₱250, the serving was quite small din.
  4. The French Fries (₱150) was served warm. But eat fast because mabilis kumunat.

Jfred’s Smokehouse is not a bad place. So if looking for smoked meat while in the area, yep… add this to your list of venues.

And yet this place made us realize that smoked meat is an acquired taste. Hindi lahat makaka-appreciate nito. And so yeah, revisiting isn’t in our calendar pa. So we just search for more lafang venues.

Jfred’s Smokehouse is located at 4930 Molino Blvd., Niog III, Bacoor City, Province of Cavite. Contact them at 0999 929 7624.

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Dining Out

Heading to Cavite to try Som Thai Silang Bypass

We go to Silang to check Som Thai Silang Bypass.

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There’s this venue in Silang in Cavite that started referring to itself as “Little Bangkok”. And why not, when – in a compound – there are various Thai-related offerings, helmed by a Thai resto called Som Thai Silang Bypass.

We checked it, and… how was it for us?

@outragemag

Looking for #LGBTQ #thai #cheapeats in #Cavite? We checked Som Thai Silang Bypass to see if it's worth visiting

♬ original sound – outragemag

Una, this place is closer to Tagaytay than it is to Manila. So magbaon ng pasensiya at pera sa biyahe… considering that, yes, you have to allocate more time and monetary allocation for the gas and tolls just to check this place.

Ikalawa, the actual resto isn’t grand; it almost looks like a karinderya in the province. But then again, it reminds me of the micro and small entrepreneurs in rural parts of Thailand, where locals convert their houses into mini-restos for lunch and for dinner. Just don’t expect much when here.

Ikatlo, the service people were nice (e.g. they’d ask you if things are okay), but they were… slow (e.g. I had to approach the teller to pay the bill).

And lastly… the food; how was it for us?

  • The Som Tam (papaya salad, ₱120 for the solo serving) was – in a word – malansa (fishy). There are different ways to prepare this, with some adding shrimp paste (bagoóng alamáng) or dried shrimps (hibi). But the version of Som Thai Silang Bypass tasted like it used fermented fish (bagoóng isdâ) from Pampanga. Now… if you’re familiar with Pampanga’s bagoong, you’d know what I mean when I say malansa.
  • The Tom Yum seafood (₱291 for the solo serving) was, at least, malasa (tasty) and contained lots of seafood.
  • The Pad Thai chicken (₱249 for the solo serving) was… tasteless. This is sorta disappointing because when a Thai resto can’t make a proper Pad Thai, you start to have doubts re authenticity.
  • The Mango Duo (two pieces of half-cut fresh spring rolls + mango sticky rice + garlic mayo and peanut sauce, ₱265) is a cheaper way to get spring rolls and dessert. Nothing special here, but the mango slices used were really sweet.
  • The Chicken Satay ((with peanut sauce and vinegar, ₱210) was bland. We were anticipating red curry (or massaman curry) or at least peanutty taste, but neither was noted. Even the peanut sauce did not taste peanutty.
  • Be warned that the servings here are small – i.e. when they say “solo”, they’re serious in limiting you from sharing.
  • Be warned, too, that some Thai condiments – e.g. tamarind paste – aren’t available. “Ubos na,” we were told.

If there aren’t other Thai restos in the area, Som Thai Silang Bypass should suffice. But this is Silang, a municipality in the Province of Cavite that has too many restos to count. So yeah… you can try if you want, and considering its limitations. Otherwise, let’s just discover more lafang venues.

Som Thai Silang Bypass is located along Bypass Road, Aguinaldo Highway, Silang, Cavite.

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