Greatest Pig Of all time: Cebu Lechon
The next day of Sinulog our group packed up prepared to head right down to Oslob to swim with the whale sharks however we had just one detour. "The greatest pig ever" as explained by Anthony Bourdain in his travel food show, No Reservations, we needed to look into the extremely popular Cebu lechon to see exactly what all of the fuss was about.
Since featuring the local roasted pork, the lines pertaining to lechon in Cebu are actually increasing and, like all the other 2.7 million tourists to Cebu, we desired to try it out the morning right after Sinulog. Zubuchon was initially the particular one highlighted on the program yet we got been told by a number of close friends there were better places to check out. First on the list was Rico's Lechon, so we grabbed our luggage, called in advance to reserve a spot for 4 and headed out.
I have to discuss the inefficiency on the reservation method for Rico's, though, because despite the fact that we called ahead to book and received a confirmation, when we arrived we were placed at the bottom of the listing of 20 waiting persons. Rico's is a small place that seats about thirty and it was torture looking at the lechon with all the mesh of lemon grass, chilli, garlic, and other seasoning mixed in with the tender pork through the glass. And the smell of all of it was the perfect remedy to get rid of the remnants of beer and fresh paint from the party the night prior to.
The next day of Sinulog our group packed up prepared to head right down to Oslob to swim with the whale sharks however we had just one detour. "The greatest pig ever" as explained by Anthony Bourdain in his travel food show, No Reservations, we needed to look into the extremely popular Cebu lechon to see exactly what all of the fuss was about.
Since featuring the local roasted pork, the lines pertaining to lechon in Cebu are actually increasing and, like all the other 2.7 million tourists to Cebu, we desired to try it out the morning right after Sinulog. Zubuchon was initially the particular one highlighted on the program yet we got been told by a number of close friends there were better places to check out. First on the list was Rico's Lechon, so we grabbed our luggage, called in advance to reserve a spot for 4 and headed out.
I have to discuss the inefficiency on the reservation method for Rico's, though, because despite the fact that we called ahead to book and received a confirmation, when we arrived we were placed at the bottom of the listing of 20 waiting persons. Rico's is a small place that seats about thirty and it was torture looking at the lechon with all the mesh of lemon grass, chilli, garlic, and other seasoning mixed in with the tender pork through the glass. And the smell of all of it was the perfect remedy to get rid of the remnants of beer and fresh paint from the party the night prior to.
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| Cebu Lechon |
Rico's is very well situated for takeout
and many of the nearby folks wandered in while we were waiting and purchased for take-out. After waiting
around for 20 minutes without
having a move from the line, we made the decision to get a little strategic and put Rico's on hold until after we got back from swimming
with the whale sharks. A friend
had seen a small lechon stand on the way and made the decision that they would go back and check it out so
we accompanied them to a small
joint called Tatang's Boneless Lechon. The tagline for Tatang's is "extra crispy" which they lived
up to. At Tatang's they get a slice of the pork without having the bones and roll it all around the herb-garlic-chilli stuffing and sewn it up. The skin is bubbled properly like chicharon.
 |
| Extra Crispy Lechon |
About this particular style -- our buddy Tin Magsaysay, who is aware of her comfort food all too perfectly, mentioned that the
bones were definitely an essential part of the lechon experience as well as has contributed to the
flavor. The debate also included the skin with some commenting that lechon-style skin ought to not be chicharoned but slick-crispy. Personally, I really liked the skin at
Tatang's. It was one of the very best I've tasted, and I am
not one to be a purist about food.
We also got to try their lechon flakes which had been a brand-new item on the food list
and was actually very
good. I do feel the bone issue was a good point so John Cruz and I put
those comments away in our thoughts right up until we had a chance to try out Rico's.
After traveling to the south and a few days of swimming with the whale sharks in Oslob, we were back in the city to for the day and on our way to Rico's. The crowd from the festival had thinned out so we were right in and prepared to eat. We got the spicy lechon that seemed so good a few days before and John and I were both quietly nibbling on the bone portion to settle the argument in our individual heads. Personally, looking at the head on the lechon completes the experience for me so I understand the point of acquiring the bones on the lechon from a purist's point of view. Looking at the whole roasted pig brings me back to family gatherings in Aklan and is a bit of a nice idea. The two were very similar in taste. Each had completely absorbed the fragrant zing of the lemongrass, garlic, and chili filling, and were amazingly delicious.
Bourdain was right: Greatest pig of all time.
Juice Suggests:
If you are going even further south (to Davao, to be exact), you absolutely must try out Binggoy's.
Another Cebu most desired is also a pork dish -- the Balamban Liempo!
After traveling to the south and a few days of swimming with the whale sharks in Oslob, we were back in the city to for the day and on our way to Rico's. The crowd from the festival had thinned out so we were right in and prepared to eat. We got the spicy lechon that seemed so good a few days before and John and I were both quietly nibbling on the bone portion to settle the argument in our individual heads. Personally, looking at the head on the lechon completes the experience for me so I understand the point of acquiring the bones on the lechon from a purist's point of view. Looking at the whole roasted pig brings me back to family gatherings in Aklan and is a bit of a nice idea. The two were very similar in taste. Each had completely absorbed the fragrant zing of the lemongrass, garlic, and chili filling, and were amazingly delicious.
Bourdain was right: Greatest pig of all time.
Juice Suggests:
If you are going even further south (to Davao, to be exact), you absolutely must try out Binggoy's.
Another Cebu most desired is also a pork dish -- the Balamban Liempo!
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