Bohol + Cebu Quickie: Roaming Around Cebu City

Cebu City was the real destination for this trip so early in the year, and as a runner Cebu City Marathon was naturally the expected reason, but this time it is not. The real reason behind this trip: to go to Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño to give thanks for all the blessings.

2012 was a specially challenging year for me. I prayed for the resolution of my challenges and pledged that if it did before the year ended, I will return to Cebu to give thanks. The year was about to end with no solution in sight and I was almost to the point of giving up when out of nowhere, almost like a miracle, my prayers were answered! Whether it’s a miracle or mere coincidence is irrelevant to me as my prayers were granted so must I fulfill my promise. And so there was I in Cebu.

It was the start of the Sinulog festival

The façade of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño

It was my first time to see the plaza in front of the Basilica open

Some religious relics you can buy at the Basilica

Of course the collection would not be complete without the image of Sto. Niño

Going out of the Basilica compound to explore the rest of Cebu City

The pylon that marks the oldest street in the Philippines, Colon

Food Trip

No trip to Cebu is ever complete without food! Cebu is just one of the best places to eat because of the wide selection of good food and reasonable prices. I may not have had the chance to eat in a lot of restaurants with this visit, but I made sure that I had a visit to some of my favorites.

Ayala Center Cebu: one of the best places to eat in the city

Tsim Sha Tsui

Probably named after a street of the same name in Hong Kong, this place obviously serves Chinese food. We got to try their “eat all you can” for ₱350 where you may eat any of the food served in their conveyor belt.

The seemingly endless conveyor belt of food

While the concept may be good, the food is okay, and the price relatively reasonable (offer also includes a glass of iced tea and rice and noodle soup upon request), the execution isn’t quite ideal as the selection at times are limited. It’s good for those who really love dumplings, but for those picky eaters (like myself) your ₱350 would go very far in Cebu City and could be better spent elsewhere. Tsim Sha Tsui is located in Ayala Center Cebu.

Abuhan Tres

Abuhan Tres is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere! They just serve the best versions of Filipino food. What I particularly love is how tender their pork is, but I just love everything that they serve.

Despite having some bitter taste because of the ampalaya (bitter melon), this is actually delicious!

This dish is called “humba” and is now one of my favorite dish from Abuhan Tres. Pork is *unbelievably* tender (“perfect” by my standards) and the sauce is tasty. It’s so good I even ate the skin and fat which I rarely do. Highly recommended! 😀

Abuhan Tres is located at Cebu IT Park.

CNT

If you ask about the best “lechon” in Cebu, CNT has got to be one of the names you’d hear. No further explanation needed. Just eat. 🙂

CNT Lechon: so good you do not need any sauce (not for the faint of heart)

CNT has branches all over Cebu and some of the more prominent are in Ayala Center Cebu and across SM City Cebu.

Dessert Factory

One of the stores I really wish we had in Manila is Dessert Factory because of all the delicious desserts that they offer. If you love cakes, ice cream, and even something in between, you’ll love Dessert Factory.

One of the better tasting sundaes I have ever had

Dessert Factory also serves dishes other than desserts. It is located in Ayala Center Cebu.

Have you ever seen a café in Manila that offers USB charging ports for customers? Well here in Cebu there is and this one is in Cha Time in Cebu IT Park.

Manila-Bound

I really felt that this trip to Cebu was really short, which made it more difficult to leave. Hopefully I get to return soon and be able to run once again on their streets. Until that time, thank you Cebu!