Zubuchon Revisited

The last time I visited Zubuchon (review here), I wasn't exactly wowed by the food. I thought their Lechon (roasted pig) had a bit too much fat and needed more flavor. But my friends wanted to eat at Zubuchon, so here was my second try.

The interior is still very clean and pretty; white walls, big floor to ceiling windows, red chairs. Although the place looks expensive, the food is really reasonable and affordable. 

nice big open space

One side of the restaurant is the prep area where they chop up the Lechon. This part of the kitchen looked really clean and the server wears protective half masks.

nice looking pig :)

skin was pricked all over to make sure the spices they rub goes into the meat

One thing that was different in this visit is that they served some snacks while we waited for our order.

Fried peanuts with chicharon bits

The chicharon was too ground up to make a difference in flavor but the peanuts was not too oily or salty. Best of all is that it's free so good enough for me! - (hey, that rhymed! :D)

sold in packs but I didn't get one

Aside from Lechon and peanuts, they also sell chicharon (fried pork rinds) as well.

I like the background story on how they make their chicharon 

Again, like last time, we ordered their super refreshing Kamias (sour fruit) shake. They really nailed the best combination of sourness and sweetness. I would definitely return here for the shake.

After a couple of minutes, our orders started coming in. First up was the Mungo soup with Lechon. My friend said she could taste a bit of coconut milk in the soup so maybe that's why it was more thick than I remember and more flavorful. There was a good amount of Lechon bits inside the soup but even without it, the dish could stand on its own.

Next one was Sinigang. This dish had all the vegetables and the meat was really tender. However, it could have used a bit more asim (sourness). The broth was also a bit more cloudy than what I am used to seeing. It was a good enough dish.

Ensaladang talong was just okay

Of course we would not go to Zubuchon without ordering Lechon :)

For the 4 of us, we ordered half a kilo of Lechon. I appreciate the fact that they presented the dish nicely with bite size pieces cut uniformly. The meat was really, really tender and there were less fat than before. The skin was still a bit thick and not all parts of it were uniformly crunchy. Although I can taste the spices, it was so subtle that I wished they could have added more salt.

something interesting that maybe I can try next time?

Final Verdict

Better than my last visit. The dishes were more improved and I liked their Lechon better this time around. But I still wish they add more flavor to the Lechon. However, what sets this apart from other Lechon restaurants is that Zubuchon is a place that I would actually like to spend time eating in. They have nice interior, you can order while seating down and the waitstaff were fantastic. There were a lot of customers and it was dinnertime but they never neglected us and most of the time anticipated our needs such as bringing us water, clearing up the table to remove empty plates, adding condiments even without us asking!

For super good service, nice interior and yummy Kamias shake, I won't hesitate to come here again. But again, for pasalubong, I think the Lechon at CNT is still better.

Be prepared to spend P200-P350 each. Note that the most of the dishes is good for 2-3 persons.


Zubuchon Branches:

ONE MANGO AVENUE BLDG.
Gen. Maxilom Avenue, Cebu City - (032) 2395697

ESCARIO CENTRAL
Escario Street, Cebu City - 
(032) 2540247

MACTAN MARINA MALL
corner Airport Road and ML Quezon HIghway, Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City - (032) 2661310

PRE-DEPARTURE AREA
Mactan Domestic Airport - 
(032) 5110005

ZUBUCHON IT PARK
The Walk, IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City - (032) 2368256

Zubuchon : Not Everything It's Cracked Up to Be

Last month, I had to fly to Cebu for work. I took the opportunity to try Zubuchon, touted as the "Best pig ... EVER!" by chef/critic Anthony Bourdain.

Lechon, for those who don't know (where have you been, people?) is roasted pig. In the Philippines, it's cooked over an open fire pit and rotated slowly for several hours. Zubuchon lechon, I was told, is bathed in coconut milk and rubbed with different spices such as lemon, thyme, olive oil. No MSG. While roasting, the skin is pricked so the flavor of the rubs penetrate the meat.

Who says pigs can't fly?

There are about 4 outlets of Zubuchon in Cebu. Since we came from Waterfront Hotel in Lahug, it was easier to go near the one at Capitolyo building on Escario Street just beside 7-11 and before McDonalds. It's less than 2km away from the hotel but with traffic it took about 20 minutes. 

Nice, clean and cool restaurant

There were plenty of tables on a Tuesday afternoon. The restaurant was nice, clean and had big floor to ceiling windows on 2 sides. Even though it was located just along a busy street, the bamboo trees outside gave the customers some privacy. 

Some items on display:

Chicharon galore! P100 for 100 grams and P200 for 200 grams

they sold some marmalade as well

looks interesting

At the end of the restaurant is the room where you can see your lechon being chopped up. White, easy to hold boxes are ready for those who want to take some for pasalubong.

Kamias shake P95

My friend Ana insisted that I try their Kamias drink. Despite the fact that I don't like sour drinks, I decided to try one and boy, was I glad I did. Really refreshing, right amount of sweetness and did not have the cringe tingling sourness of the raw kamias fruit. There is some sourness but it was not too much that it overwhelms you. Really, really excellent.

Of course, we were there for the lechon. 

which to choose? 

Aside from the obvious, the waiter couldn't tell us the difference between boneless and with bone-in Zubuchon. I gather it has something to do with "dark meat" vs "white meat"? Nevertheless, only the Boneless Zubuchon was available so that settles that. 

Zubuchon Rice Meal P160

The lechon meat was not as salty as the other ones I tasted in Cebu. The skin was a bit thick but still crunchy and nicely flavored. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the layer of fat sticking to the skin. It was oily. I couldn't help but compare it to another store selling lechon which is CNT. At CNT, the skin is like really sinfully bad potato chips with little fat. Maybe the fat on Zubuchon lechon has something to do with the pigs coming from non-commercial piggeries?

Mungo with Zubuchon Meat and Chicaron Bits P190

The mungo is good for 2, packs a good flavor and plenty of meat but a bit watery.

Slow Cooked Adobo Rice Meal P110

Nicely caramelized bit of pork. Reminds me of my mom's adobo when she would simmer it low for a couple of hours until all the sauce is cooked out. Unfortunately, it was too much fat that you really couldn't taste the meat itself.

Sylvannas

I couldn't remember how much the Sylvannas were but it was really nice. I like the original one - not too sweet and just the right amount of crunch. The oreo one was also good but the original one was the best. 

rice meals good for 1

The Verdict? 

For the ambiance, cleanliness and variety of the food not to mention excellent Kamias shake, I would go to Zubuchon. For lechon pasalubong? I will still go to good ol' CNT. 

*******************************************************************************

They have 4 branches throughout Cebu for dine in or just to buy kilos of lechon for pasalubong. However, if you don't have the time to go, they have a small kiosk at the pre-departure lounge of the airport where you can buy pre-packed 1 kilo lechon to take home or eat a simple meal like the one above. They would even pack the meal for you should you want to eat on the plane. Note that the prices at the airport is about 30% more. 

Location: 

Zubuchon Escario

Escario Bldg. Escario St.

Cebu City

Tel #: (032) 583 – 5699

Zubuchon Capitol

Capitol Site, Cebu City

Tel #: (032) 254 – 7342

Zubuchon Mango

Mango Ave. Bldg

Cebu City

Tel #: (032) 239 – 5697