A quick note of thanks for Sandy Daza who mentioned his recent lunch at Cebuchon (I hope he meant Zubuchon :) in his column today in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, on-line version here. That was the lunch I wrote about here, and I am so pleased that our guests enjoyed their food… If I could only predict the demand for truly fresh kinilaw na tangigue, I might be able to offer it at our restaurants rather than making it a very special treat for diners on the terrace of Zubuchon. Most folks don’t think to order kinilaw because they aren’t sure if it’s really fresh and tastes really good. But if they don’t order it, restaurants won’t stock it… so it disappears off menus. A vicious cycle. Hmmm… how to break that? I love a good kinilaw and wish it was as popular as say tuna sashimi is now for diners at Japanese restaurants… and 95+% of that sashimi is made with previously frozen fish!
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I just came from a meeting with the Asst VP (and her team) of Robinsons Land from Manila. Before the meeting, I asked if they had a chance to go around the city. Her reply: “Oo, we had dinner last night at Zubuchon, yung lechon na na feature sa show ni Anthony Bourdain.” Apparently, they frequently buy your frozen lechon at the airport. Amazing how Zubuchon, in such a short time, has become part of the “to do list” in Cebu.
Ley, they, along with several other mall operators have all offered spaces for malls in Manila and nearby provinces, but we don’t have a lechonan in Manila yet, and not sure when we will take the plunge into a mall setting… :)
Sorry about the email can’t seem to find the underscore in my daughter’s iPad. Saw the article and I thought cebuchon is copying your familiar recipes :-)
I agree with you regarding the kilawing tanguige. It’s something that I would most surely order at a restaurant if it was on their menu, but then have that nagging feeling about the freshness of the fish. There are even some restaurants that use other kinds of fish for their kilawin but pass it off as tangigue. I truly wished the genuine article was not so difficult to come by.
How about Malasugi for kinilaw? I tried one before and I thought it tasted better than tanigue. Or the tanigue I tried wasn’t fresh enough?
very sure he meant ‘zubuchon’ … must have a lot on his mind. > for us in this household, kilawin is food cooked with vinegar (cooked, like with fire, heat). kinilaw would be food marinated in vinegar – no heat …
Senior moments for Mr. Daza! :) Anyway Zubu is the old name of Cebu.
Madami atang nacoconfuse sa Zubuchon and call it Cebuchon.
Basta tama yung pinupuntahang place, ok na =)
Those guys know what they’re doing, and eating! Since visiting Cebu last week I’ve developed an addiction, so I have a whole Zubuchon flying in on Monday on the pretext that it’s my stock trader’s birthday, but since I built an annexe and moved the office to my house, guess who gets to eat the leftovers! Apart from the lechon, the 5-pork fried rice was AMAZING!
i was at the Escario branch 2 days ago. how come zubuflakes is not on the menu? would have loved to try that :) i couldn’t take home any frozen zubu products because i will constantly be on the move. so sad…
dianne, Escario has a slightly limited menu as it has an open kitchen with poor exhaust… but in a few weeks when its larger sister or neighbor opens, that will be resolved. Lechon flakes are on the menu in stores that have breakfast like the Islands Stay Hotel… but maybe we should add it to the lunch and dinner menu as well… josephine, thanks for dropping by, and for leaving the wonderful prosciutto… :)
MM, the kilawin that you served at the first Cebu EB, the one with that special kind of lime (can’t remember what it’s called right now — it’s very similar to kaffir lime, but from Mindanao), is still THE BEST kilawin I have ever had, bar none. Whenever I eat good kilawin in restaurants, I compare it to yours, and none have passed.
My Dad called the other day asking about updates in the office when he mentioned that he is on his way to Zubuchon, then I screamed and he was literally asking what happened since I am on my way home. I mentioned that I am an avid fan of your blog and bought Zubuchon in the airport the last time I was in Cebu, October 2011 to be exact.
I bragged about how good your lechon and its the best. He was even asking how come I know of the place. Hahaha, I said, its Market Man!
After a few minutes he called again, asking where in Mango is the store located. I mentioned Sunburst Chicken and its just near the big SC Mango branch. I mentioned all that I could about your store until he reached the place.
The next day in Manila he mentioned how he liked your menu and the clients also raved about the food and they stayed in your Mango branch until 11pm.
The next time I visit Cebu, I’ll definitely eat in your store! Now my Dad knows Zubuchon, yet he mistakenly pronounced it as Cebuchon. For sure, on his next business trip in Cebu, he’ll frequent your store with other clients as well.
More power, MM!