Karlo Pacana
Zubuchon’s Newest Branch in SM City Cebu
Craving for Zubuchon lechon? Want to surprise your taste buds with flavorful Filipino dishes? Looking for a distinctive Cebuano dining experience?
The King of Sinulog is off to Zubuchon’s newly opened 8th branch at SM City Cebu to experience first-hand the best pig ever according to Chef Anthony Bourdain.
The name Zubuchon is from “Zubu”, the name of Cebu island from old Spanish maps and “chon” for Lechon. This restaurant chain has brought to the Cebuano food scene the essence of old-fashioned lechon preparation by stuffing the finest ingredients into backyard-raised pigs skewered on bamboo poles with its skin basted with natural sea salt, sprayed with fresh coconut water and hand-pricked before roasting over charcoal.
Here is an account of my recent dining experience at this restaurant favorite.
Getting There
Assuming you’re already in Cebu City, tell the taxi driver to drop you off at SM City Cebu located in the North Reclamation Area. As of this writing, there are three SM Malls in Cebu.
The restaurant is located in the upper ground floor right across Bibo Arcade.
Ambiance
With a seating capacity of 80 people and populated mostly by modern tables and chairs of gray, red and white color palette, the restaurant is perfect for casual dining with family and friends. The place is quite neat and minimalistic and can be seen from the outside through its glass walls.
Food
If you’re looking for Filipino cuisine, then you’re in the right place. The menu has a wide array of seafood offerings, appetizers, soups, vegetables, salads and desserts. Meat dishes also dominate the food choices and usually lechon is incorporated in some dishes. They also serve complete meals with rice and papaya pickles.
For our appetizers, we had the Special Fish Skin Tacos at PHP290, tangigue ceviche served with deep-fried fish skins. This is like the Filipino-version of a Mexican Taco, a very creative concept of a dish!
For our soup, we had the Monggo with Zubuchon at PHP190, mung beans with lechon broth, lechon and vegetables. You can never go wrong with coconut cream in any dish whatsoever.
For our seafood, we had the Mixed Seafood Platter at PHP660, a selection of grilled shrimp, squid, scallops, fish and deep-fried fish skins and Sizzling Squid stuffed with Sisig at PHP280. The grilled tanguige was cooked just right, the scallops covered with pork cracklings tasted great and the squid stuffed with sisig tasted as good as it looked.
For our salad, we had the Tomato, Salted Egg and Smoked Fish Salad at PHP180. This is an acquired Filipino taste but you’ll surely get the hang of its varying flavors once you try it.
For our rice, we had the Five Pork Fried Rice at PHP230, pork fried rice with lechon meat, pork cracklings, pork renderings, lechon drippings, a bit of lard, shrimp paste and minced green mango. This dish is a meal by itself. This is by far the best fried rice I’ve eaten with a surprise crunch in every spoonful.
For our main event, we had the Boneless Zubuchon Lechon Medium Platter at PHP330, roasted pork belly stuffed with aromatics. This is what we came for and it surely did not disappoint with its lean and flavorful pork meat. Extra rice please!
For our desserts, we had Leche Flan at PHP60, Budbud Kabug at PHP50, Cassava Cake at PHP100 and Ube Jam at PHP100. Zubuchon did justice to popular local delicacies and I commend them for including these in their dessert menu. The budbud kabug and the cassava cake are a must-try!
For our drinks, we had Kamias Shake at PHP90, Grape Shake at PHP100, Pineapple Mint Shake at PHP100 and Hot Kalamansi Honey Juice at PHP75. Indeed, the Kamias Shake perfectly pairs with Zubuchon with its sour sweet taste that’s truly Cebuano.
Price
A typical meal for two would cost around PHP600. Prices are VAT inclusive and an additional 5% service charge is added to the final bill. Food prices may change without prior notice.
Service
Our server, Yeng, was very responsive to our needs and very knowledgeable about their menu. Food preparation took quite a while but was considerable due to the peak lunch times and a full-packed restaurant. The team at Zubuchon SM City Cebu was competent in their food and service quality.
Overall
If ever you’re in Cebu and are looking for a unique Cebuano experience, Zubuchon has eight branches open and waiting to serve you. Later!
Restaurant Information
The newly-opened 8th branch is located on the Upper Ground Floor of SM City Cebu right across Bibo Arcade. For inquiries, you may call their main office through these numbers (032) 254 7342 / (032) 236 5264 / (032) 401 0889. For promos and updates, you may check out their website and official Facebook page.
