The Pearl Meatshop

Pearl meat shop is one the more popular Korean restaurant in Cebu now. Its popularity is mainly because of the cheaper price of their meals as compared to other Korean restaurants in the city and through word of mouth. And you would hear people talking about it, even from those who never tried Korean dish at all.

However, the place it not that clean or as cozy as, say Soora. The place is packed, mostly by yuppies and students trying out a less expensive Korean dining. Of course there are also Koreans, both tourists and residents of the city and other local patrons who loves eating samgyeopsal, me included ;)

While you can ask the waitresses to cook the meat for you in some other restaurants, here you have to cook it yourself (we never tried to ask if they are willing to cook it for you). But I prefer that we cook it ourselves instead of asking the restaurant staff. That way you really get to experience the Korean way of eating samgyeopsal and it is more fun!

So, if you are craving for samgyeopsal on a tight budget who is not looking for a cozy place to dine and hang out, then try out Pearl Meatshop along A.S. Fortuna street. They do not have as many side dishes as what others are offering, but that's part of what you pay for anyway. Head out to this place and prepare to enjoy a different kind of dining experience, I always do. :)

 

 

Eating pork entrails at makeshift eateries!

Cebu has plenty of dining spots from fine dining to gourmet restaurants, street food stalls to hole in the walls. Of course there are also the famous barbecue and grill spots too, Larsian and Matias to name a few, and the ever growing Japanese and Korean restaurants. You can read my blog about samgyeopsal (popular Korean dish) here!

And if you are the type craving for those deep fried pork mesentery, pig's tongue, pork intestines and stomach linings and other entrails then there are a lot of places to go to along the sidewalks of the city. These are the famous pungko-pungko or duko-duko eateries of Cebu. One of the many popular place is a small makeshift eatery at J.Llorente street near the vicinity of Hi-Precision Diagnostics at Fuente Circle.

The place is always pack with people from all walks of life. One would wonder why? Is the food really that good? Well, yes, the food does tastes good for a chicharon bulaklak and other deep fried pork entrails. But definitely not for an everyday lunch or dinner venue.

Been there three times, twice with my girlfriend (both times for breakfast) and once for lunch with my team (office mates) and that was the last time I was there.

Expect to sweat and elbow to elbow seating with these kind of eateries. There are no utensils so you have to eat with your hands and if you prefer you can wrap your hands in plastic cellophane.

If you plan to go there, get ready to enjoy a different kind of experience. Once you are seated, make sure to have the table cleaned first as there are no plates too. Take note that you have to wait for the other patrons to finish before you can take his place and be seated. You will be given at least two pieces of plastic cellophane, one for your hands and the other one for you to place your food with. Then you just dig in the basket of deep fried entrails and start eating.

Occasionally I enjoy eating these kind of food, and there are really times that I would crave for these. But I do not recommend eating these often. Firstly, they are very unhealthy. Secondly, as you are eating with your own hands with a plastic over a table with strangers eating with you and digging at the same basket of food, it can be very unhygienic. Thirdly, as already hinted, the place is not clean. Lastly, it is not that cheap, depending on how many you eat. However, it is delicious and an experience you should not miss if you are Cebuano or a tourist visiting the island adventurous enough to try out street food.

  Use the plastic as a makeshift plate. Place it on top of the table.

 

 Puso (Steamed rice wrap in coconut leaves)

 

Food is served on the table for everyone to share. Just pick the food you want to eat, and take note you are sharing these with complete strangers.

Vinegar with chop onions and chili

Chicharon Bulaklak (deep fried pork mesentery)

It is always a gastronomic experience and a lot of fun to eat at these places. However, the last time I was here, I felt so bloated afterwards and felt sick, maybe because I ate a lot. So I do not plan to go back eating this for a long time. After that last experience, I decided to avoid deep fried recipes and meat for a while and start eating a more healthier choice of food, starting with salads!

Summer Salad

My version of a summer salad.

It is simple and easy to prepare. Just perfect to quench the summer heat.

Ingredients, includes apples, lettuce, pineapple chunks, cucumber, parsley, tomatoes and raisins.

You can enjoy this refreshing salad in a jiffy. Basically all you need to do is mix all the ingredients and your done.

Chop the apple into smaller pieces and put in a bowl.

Then, peel and slice the cucumber, mix them with the apple.

Slice the tomatoes and put it in together with the apple and cucumbers.
 
Then just add the lettuce and pineapple chunks with the juice for a refreshing taste.

 

Top it with raisins and parsley.

 

Mix and enjoy!

Here's another variant to this, this time without tomatoes and pineapples. Instead, I mixed it with unripe mango and flavored yogurt for the dressing. Happy eating!

The Korean Way - Samgyeopsal Experience

I am a meat lover and so no wonder I enjoy sampyeopsal a lot.
It is a popular Korean dish, and with Cebu a hot spot for Korean tourists, you will always find a Korean restaurant all over the city.

The literal meaning of the word is “three (sam; 삼) layered (gyeop; 겹) flesh (sal;살)”, referring to what appears to be three layers that are visible in the meat. * from wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samgyeopsal

Sampyeopsal are thin slices of pork belly, however, the meat is not marinated. You have to grill it at your dinning table (or in some restaurants, you can ask them to cook it for you -- they will still grill it at your table - part of the experience). It is dipped in seasoning and wrap in lettuce usually with rice and garlic. It is a unique dining experience that I always look forward to for the next.

Of the many Korean restaurants in the city, one stands out for me, Soora at Lahug. The service is excellent and the staff are very friendly. The place is very clean and cozy unlike other Korean restaurants. The plus of eating Korean meals are the side dishes. And with Soora, they have plenty of different side dishes with soup.
Another good Korean restaurant is Maroo located at Banilad. Maroo too is clean and classy, has plenty of side dishes and you can also ask them to cook the meat for you.

Then there is also Pearl Meatshop, while the prices are cheaper, the place is not that cozy. They have fewer side dishes as compared to the two places above but they still have a serving of Korean soup. It is still a good place to enjoy this delicious Korean dish.

Bike to Work - Day 2

On my second time of biking to work, I feel a bit more confident braving the rowdy and unruly streets of Cebu. I said "unruly" because unfortunately, there are a lot of crazy drivers out there that have utter lack of regard for traffic rules. But, this is what makes biking to work more exciting and fun, and now, I look forward to commuting by bicycle more often.

Today though, I noticed, I was sweating more than during my first bike to work day. Maybe I was pedaling a lot faster today, and took me about 20 minutes for a 6 kilometer ride. It is great to know that you are not contributing to any irreversible damage to Mother Earth. Rather, you are helping save the environment with zero carbon footprint pedaling all the way to the office while burning fat!

Now, I don't really need to give more time to go to a workout or run a few kilometers, just hop on to my bike for my commute and I am keeping my self fit while saving on gas. However, I am not too sure yet if I can sustain this but I am looking forward to my next bike to work day. There are still a lot of reasons and issues that made me think I cannot sustain this activity.

1. Safety on the road
2. Rain
3. Fumes.

But other than that, it is worthwhile and fun. The best part of it is it will help me save money.
Read somewhere on the internet, "Car runs on money and make you fat, Bike runs on fat and saves you money" , funny but true.