Cebu on a budget

Flight (SQ) $400

Food around <$50 per pax

Hotel around $100 per night

Data: Covered under Simba

Cebu had been on my radar for a while and I am glad I could finally try authentic Filipino cuisine. — rich, bold, and full of flavor. Every dish felt deeply satisfying. Even the dishes in a Western restaurant were outstanding.   

Our first meal was at Bell+Amadeus. We had scallops, wild mushroom soup, chicken confit on creamy polenta, pork chop, a floral crème brûlée, and coconut panna cotta parfait — everything was spot on.

The next day, we had lunch at Parrt Ebelle Seafood Restaurant. It was lively and chaotic in the best way, with delicious local fish and grilled pork belly. We also explored SM City and Galleria Mall, dropped by the Chocolate Chamber, and tried a bunch of chocolates. Their black rice milk tea was thick, creamy, and memorable.

We liked Gerry’s Grill so much we went twice. I finally tried their wet bee hoon, grilled blue marlin belly, and beef kare-kare with shrimp paste. The halo-halo was a fun treat, and their adobo rice and ube dessert were great too. We even squeezed in some arcade time.

From Minante, we tried two pizzas — tomato and burrata. The next day, we had lunch at Pig and Palm, which didn’t live up to the hype, though the banana bread dessert and lava cake were decent. I find their Jollibee to be as good as Singapore’s.

The best meal of the trip was at House of Lechon. We had sisig, lechon, tuna belly, raw fish, chili cheese spring rolls, green bean soup, garlic rice, and chorizo. The sisig, especially with their house vinegar, was my favorite dish.

I found their local cuisine genuinely fascinating, especially the chocolate porridge. Glad I stopped by Tablea Café. The chocolate sticky rice porridge and dark sipping chocolate with mango sticky rice were amazing. I even bought a pack of their tablea.

Desserts from Leona — the carrot walnut loaf and chocolate banana cake — were moist and delicious. And I picked up some sourdough from Abaca before leaving.

This trip left me so happy. Between the food, the exploring, and the small discoveries in malls and supermarkets, it was a rich and fulfilling experience.