A few months ago, I had the great opportunity to explore the flavors of Cebu via the #TheVikingsareComing event hosted by the Vikings Luxury Buffet and Air Asia.
It was in partnership with the Department of Tourism in Cebu and coincides with the opening of Vikings Luxury Buffet in SM City Cebu.
Cebu is very close to my heart. I consider it my first travel destination (my first flight experience was en route to Cebu); however, we were mostly traveling to Bantayan Island and Mandaue during those times when I got the opportunity to visit Cebu.
Our lovely hosts made sure that we experienced eating like a Viking as we explored different restaurants and cuisines in the city.
Starting off with our flight from Manila to Cebu. It was only an hour flight but we were served with Hot Meals courtesy of our carrier, Air Asia.
Airline meals are usually so-so, bland and unhealthy. But Air Asia makes sure that they serve the best meals for their passengers.
Read about Air Asia’s Hot Meals.
The Suite Room by Casa Verde
4F, Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu City, Metro Cebu, Philippines
Operating Hours: 10:00AM-10:00PM
Contact: (+63 32) 254-0508
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSuiteRoom
We were welcomed by the lovely Patrcia and the well-suited wait staff of Suite Room by Casa Verde in the elegant and luxe dining room. The place looks small which calls for intimate lunch outs and dinner with friends and family. I love the comfortable seats and black couches that spell elegance.
The place looks intimidating but not until they hand you the menu.
You can enjoy a good meal (and date) with just Php 500.
I love everything that they served us. I cannot pin point which one I love the best. But I know for sure that I am silently praying that they open a store in Manila.
From fresh seafood dishes and ribeye steaks to delectable pasta dishes, Suite Room got you covered.
I was surprised to find out that a plate of Ribeye Steak only costs Php 600 and the Baby Back Ribs is only at Php 588. They are of prime quality and served with fine side dishes of fresh veggies.
I fell in love with Suite’s Room’s pasta dishes. I can live in this room for weeks.
The pasta selection comes in different colors, flavors and shapes. There’s always something to entice the pasta-lovers like me. There’s Ravioli with Spinach & Ricotta Cheese in Tomato Cream Php 248, Truffle Cream Pasta Php 178 (one of the best I have tasted!), and Penne Arrabbiata with Chicken Php 208.
Down to dessert, the Suite Room does know how to cap the perfect lunch or dinner experience. We were served with luscious ice cream desserts.
Apple Cinnamon Raisin Pie Ice Cake (Php 238), Green Tea Ice Cake (Php 228), Caramel Macchiato Ice Cake (Php 238), Double Strawberry Ice Cake (Php 238).
My favorite is the Caramel Macchiato Ice Cake. While everyone hailed for the Green Tea Ice Cake.
Southpole Central Hotel
Junquera St., Brgy. Kamagayan, Cebu City
(032) 234 – 7777 / +63 925-304-3473
During our #thevikingsarecoming Food Tour in Cebu, we did not just visit fancy restaurants in the City, but also checked out budget-friendly restaurants. There’s one in Southpole Central Hotel that serves comfort food that is fit for everyone’s budget.
It was actually our third stop during our first day in Cebu, and we were literally crawling like mad gluttons but we still enjoyed what they served us.
We love extra cheesy and meaty Nachos paired with sweet ice cream drink.
Most of the food that they are serving in Southpole Central Hotel are sandwiches and burgers that you may also take out and bring with you as you tour around the city.
You may only need Php 200 to Php 300 budget.
Choobi Choobi Restaurant
What makes Choobi Choobi famous? How they serve and cook their specialty shrimp. The famous Shrimp in the Bag which is one pound of fresh shrimp with sweet corn on the cob and comes in 5 sauce options (Php 350).
Choose from 5 different flavors:
Butter Garlic
Garlic Sautee
Spicy Gata
Mild and Spicy Choobi Sauce
Extra Spicy Whaah! Sauce.
The whole drama of eating – from unwrapping the bag, smelling the fresh broth and enjoying the fresh shrimp meat give a super stellar dining experience.
Hap Chan Restaurant
Robinsons, Cebu
If you find yourself missing the comfort food in Manila, you can always find Hap Chan in the new Robinsons Mall in Cebu. Order the usual favorites. Bonus points for they serve Mug Rootbeer 🙂
Vikings Luxury Buffet
SM City Cebu
For the authentic feast, I would highly recommend the Vikings Luxury Buffet in SM City Cebu. Vikings is one of my favorite buffet restaurants in Manila as they always offer something new in the menu.
Check out my full feature here and get ready to #eatlikeaviking.
Rico’s Lechon Cebu
Mactan Promenade, Lapu-Lapu City:
(032) 231-5580 / (0995) 618-9363
Twitter: @DaBestGyud
Instagram: @RicosLechonOfficial
facebook.com/RicosLechonOfficial
www.ricoslechon.com
A trip to Cebu is not complete without tasting Cebu Lechon. If you are pressed with time and you only have a couple of hours to spare before the flight, you can always swing by Rico’s Lechon Cebu restaurant in Mactan Promenade. The best thing? The place is instagrammable!
We were welcomed by our gracious host. It was another food battle for me but who says no to Cebu Lechon? I love theirs spicy and crunchy with the perfect salty meat with roasted lemongrass aroma.
I wish to publish more photos along with this write-up but for some weird reason, I lost all the photos from our last day in Cebu (thus, the delayed posting of this blog post). Anyway, please do visit my friend – Yen’s blog for the awesome feature of Rico’s Lechon Cebu.
Here’s the pricelist of the Cebu Lechon packages. They can also arrange shipment of the good from Cebu to Manila.
Lechon de Leche – Php3,500.00
Regular – Php4,000.00
Large (for 40-45 pax) – Php5,500.00
Medium – Php5,000.00
XL (for 50 pax) – Php6,000.00
Cebu Lechon is truly one of the best pasalubongs to bring home aside from Mango Chocolate, Danggit and Dried Pusit.
Cebu Pasalubongs
Speaking of pasalubong, here are some pasalubongs you can buy and bring home from Cebu. I was surprised that there are variety of dried fruits (aside from Mango) that you can buy from Cebu. My favorite is the Dried Green Mango and the Spicy Pusit (only Php 35!).
You can also watch a few snapshots from the trip on this video:
Related Read:
** #thevikingsarecoming trip to Cebu was sponsored by Vikings Luxury Buffet, Air Asia, Movenpick Cebu and Department of Tourism.
Special thanks to Mactan airport who sponsored our VIP lounge access, NITAS Cebu, MTB Tours and Greenline Travel services for taking care of us during our Cebu trip.
Follow the hashtags #thevikingsarecoming #AirAsiainCebu for more photos.
Don’t miss me. Subscribe to my blog here and receive special discounts and promos.
