Visiting tourist spots in Cebu City wasn’t really on our itinerary. What’s in it though are the numerous lechon restaurants that the city is known for. I know, we only have to go to La Loma in Manila to enjoy this sinful porky treat, but since it’s been years since we last visited Cebu, we just have to try some of its newer pig-out places.

CEBU’S HOUSE OF LECHON

Coming straight from our breakfast at the Premiere Citi Suites Hotel, the first one we went to for lunch is Cebu’s House of Lechon, a restaurant specializing in Carcar’s version of roasted pigs. Carcar is a city about an hour away from Cebu City and it can compete, and even better, Cebu’s very best. I’ve tried CnT Lechon, Zubuchon (for purists, I know, I know), and Cebu’s Original Lechon Belly, but honestly, I’ve probably haven’t tried the best lechon in Cebu City yet. What I can do say is that I’ve tried Carcar’s version on its public market years back. And for me, it still is the best lechon I’ve ever had.

AIR-CONDITIONED INTERIORS

This famous lechonan is set on a one-storey modernist structure with bamboo for decor and accents; bamboo columns and rafters, wicker lamps, unpainted plank tables, rattan chairs. They have a stylish air-conditioned dining hall, but we chose to have our meals at their al fresco area. It was midday and it was quite hot, but they have ceiling fans, so no problem on that front.

OUTDOOR SEATS

Cebu’s House of Lechon opened in 2015. And new as they are, they placed number one as Lechon Maker of the Year by Cebu’s Business Achievement and Recognition Awards last year. Besides their Carcar lechon, they also offer Visayan cuisine like ngohiong, humba, and bam-i, to name a few; plus the usual Filipino favorites like dinuguan, caldereta, sisig, and even street fares like dynamite and squid balls.

MORE AL FRESCO SEATS

We were seven in the group so you can just imagine the feast that was laid on our table; baked scallops, utan bisaya na may pasayan, grilled and sinigang na tanigue, kinilaw fiesta cebuana, chili cheese sticks, a cauldron of white rice, and of course, a half-kilo servings each of their classic spicy lechon and Carcar special lechon.

BAKED SCALLOPS ~ PHP225.00

UTAN BISAYA NA MAY PASAYAN ~ PHP125.00

Filled with melted cheese, the baked scallops was absolutely delicious. The utan bisaya na may pasayan, which literally translates to boiled vegetable with shrimp, tasted somewhat like tinola sans the chicken, but with squash, tomatoes, okra, eggplants, onions.

CHILI CHEESE STICKS ~ PHP115.00

I would’ve liked to try their ngohiong, a fried spring roll variation popular in Cebu, but the group decided on their chili cheese sticks instead. To be fair, the chili lumpia-wrapped concoction, popular on the streets of Manila, bites hard. It starts evenly with creamy cheese and ends on a very spicy note.

KINILAW FIESTA CEBUANA ~ PHP225.00

GRILLED TANIGUE ~ PHP245.00

The grilled tanigue tasted very fresh, was quite tender, and very juicy. Its souped version, however, I never tried, being a non-fan of fishes swimming on soup. I also didn’t sample the kinilaw fiesta Cebu, since I also don’t dig raw fish, but my friends said it was good.

But what we were here for, or course, was their lechon.

CLASSIC SPICY LECHON ~ HALF KILO PHP400.00

Both servings, the classic and the spicy have supremely crispy skin, its insides clinging with melt-in-your-mouth fat. The tender meat, like the traditional Cebuano lechon is salty (too salty for some), flavorful and goes without any need for lechon liver sauce like Sarsa ni Mang Tomas. It does, however, come with its own dip—a tastier soy sauce concoction that goes really well with the classic lechon.

For spicy food lovers, House of Lechon’s spicy version might not please those with hardcore spicy taste. It is quite mild, but is far more flavorful than its classic counterpart.

LECHON PREPARATION AREA

Before going to Cebu, I was telling my friends that we simply have to go to Carcar to have a taste of their lechon, but with House of Lechon right in the city, it turned out we didn’t have to. Well, almost.

 

Cebu House of Lechon
Address: Acacia St., Cebu City, Cebu
Opening Hours: 10:00AM to 10:00PM
Contact Number: +63 (32) 231-0958 | +63 (915) 317-6357
Email: acaciahouseoflechon@gmail.com
House Of Lechon Menu | Facebook | Instagram
GPS Coordinates Map: 10.317750, 123.901695

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