S&A Food Hauz

Sizzling Shawarma

Shawarma, yes, we all know this popular middle eastern sandwich has been romancing our appetite for a while now. If the west have burgers, the east have shawarmas. In the middle east, it is a selection of lamb, beef, goat or turkey. But since us Filipinos have fused it with our own, most commonly used meat is beef.

Pita Bread

We may have a different mixture of spices and meat used in making shawarma, but there is only one way to eat it and it is to wrap it with pita bread. If you find a shawarma shop that does not serve it wrapped and ready to eat, then you are at S&A Food Hauz.

You see, the boys at S&A Food Hauz serves a new breed of shawarma, the sizzling shawarma. I bet my 16 Gmail accounts that S&A Food Hauz is the only place in Cebu where we can find this type of shawarma. The combination of middle east and Filipino is topped with egg and just like sisig, you will have to mix it all up. Sizzling shawarma is served with, of course, pita bread.


Do you notice the first time you had your shawarma and you just can't get enough of the mysterious sauce in it? Worry not because the best part of this sizzling shawarma is that, you get to make your own little shawarmas and you will get to have your own sauce! Oh, and did I mention that the sauce is unlimited? Man, I'd donate my kidneys for this one.

One might say, this is crazy. Well it gets crazier because if you buy 2 orders of sizzling shawarma, you'll get 1 order free! For an approximate price of 100.00 Php per serving (pita bread excluded), you sure will get your hard earned cash worth.

Photo by Ed of soloflighted.com
(got too drunk to take a pic of the store)

Once you pass by Mabolo, be sure to check it out and don't get tricked with the simplicity of the place because S&A Food Hauz is one of Cebu's best kept secrets. One will surely fall in love with this shawarma just like how Claudine Barretto fell in love with Mark Anthony Fernandez. (Old school huh)

S&A Food Hauz also serves Shawarma Pizza, Siomai and Siopao. It is located at Juan Luna St., Mabolo (beside Leona's Bakeshop, in front of San Carlos Seminary)

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Abuhan Restaurant

Abuhan Dos

Native Filipino restaurants are all over Cebu. We have an A-Team when it comes to native restaurants and every one of them specialize on something. One of the elite Filipino restaurants in Cebu is the legendary Abuhan Restaurant. Their old Filipino cooking style has been mesmerizing the Cebuanos for 25 years already and they strive to continue by opening more branches.


Abuhan is the home of the best Pochero (Beef Shank) in Cebu. My girlfriend from Manila says it is Bulalo, not Pochero. But for Cebuanos, it is Pochero and this is the only way to cook Pochero. And since it's my treat, I win.

Classic Pochero

Abuhan gives you 2 choices on how your Pochero will be served. The first one is the classic Pochero. Classic style Pochero consist of cabbage, baguio beans, corn, bamboo shoots and beef. Don't get fooled by the minimal ingredients though, Abuhan's pochero is so eatable. The meat is well prepared that you can pull the bone off from the meat by just picking it up. Like sweat from Angel Locsin's cleavage, the meat just slides down as you pull the bone. Now that's sexy. This classic Pochero is devastatingly delicious.

Sizzling Pochero (photo by Melo Villareal)

The second choice is their unique, Sizzling Pochero. The Sizzling Pochero is all meat, no fillers; it is like Megan Fox wearing white shirt and denims. This heavenly thing gives me orgasms the first time I tasted it. The taste of the gravy does not fight with the flavor of the meat. Believe me when I tell you (at least in this food blog), the level of greatness is off the charts with this dish.


Another thing with Abuhan's Pochero is that, it doesn't come in small sizes. You can have their medium size or large size of the Pochero. Being confident enough that we can annihilate the famous pochero, Bans and I ordered the large one.

And then we failed.

Please put a note on yourself that Abuhan's large size pochero is good for 3-4 persons. But if you really are into gluttony, you can have the large one and in case you just can't shove any more meat in your mouth, the waiters are always willing to wrap it up for you so you can bring the pochero home.

Abuhan does not only offer pochero though. Their other specialties are Calderetang Kambing, Kare-kare, Crispy Pata, and Sizzling Squid.

If you get addicted to their Pochero, you know who to blame.

And I am sure it is not the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol.

Abuhan Restaurant is located at F. Ramos Street, Cebu (Main branch is in front of Velez Hospital and Abuhan Dos is located at the back of Robinson's.) Abuhan Tres is located at I2 Asia Town, I.T. Park, Lahug, Cebu City.

For reservations and info, call 253-1151 thru 57.


*Pochero prices are 350.00+ pesos and other dishes vary from 160+

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Dessert Factory

After every full meal, we always look for something to remove the edible taste in our tongue. And I am not talking about lip service. Good restaurants don't always have good desserts to finish you up and that's a fact. This is where Dessert Factory comes in. With a crew sporting a wizard-ish hat, they will be your tooth faeries for your visit to their factory of epic win.

Turtle Brownie Ala Mode

They have a good set of Ala Modes to choose from. Turtle Brownie Ala Mode is one of my favorites (there are no animals hurt or used in this Ala Mode). It is a slice of brownie topped with ice cream (of choice), toasted nuts, caramel syrup and the love of the chocolate syrup. This Ala Mode's taste really explodes in your mouth. With all the stuff getting mixed up, nothing could go wrong with this turtle.

Rocky Road Brownie Ala Mode

Another Ala Mode that hypnotized me was the Rocky Road Brownie Ala Mode. Again, it is a slice of brownie topped with ice cream (of choice, of course), toasted peanuts and marshmallows to go. I say, it is like the Rocky Road cake but with enhancements from the syrups and the ice cream, this is one heck of a Rocky Road.

Fish FAILlet

If you're hungry and does not want to indulge any sweet stuff yet, I suggest NOT to try their Fish Fillet. It is well fried and tender and nice but the thing is too salty. Not for me. Go try another meal on their menu.

Their Fish Fillet may fail but that's okay, they are the Dessert Factory. They specialize in desserts, not meals.

Achocolypse Now!

If Ala Modes does not rock your boat, then have a slice of their Achocolypse Now! cake. This is the cake that will end all chocolate cakes. This chocolate cake comes in layers of different kinds of chocolates. The line up consists of chocolate cheesecake, chocolate walnut ganache, chocolate extreme and chocolate pudding. Oh, and did I forget the chocolate icing and the nuts? I don't have the words to tell you how good this chocolate cake is. I'm sorry but this cake makes me speechless. This is food for the gods.

They should put on the menu:

WARNING: Awesomeness.

Dessert Factory is located at the Ayala Terraces.

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Mactan Majestic Seafood Restaurant

Pancit Canton

I happen to visit China some time back and what I miss was the food. Surprisingly, what I found in the island of Mactan is a restaurant that serves good chinese cuisine. From the restaurant's ambiance up to its scent, it was like remembering an ex-girlfriend, it reminded me a lot like the restaurant I visited in China. If you don't mind having oily lips, then make your way to Mactan Majestic Seafood Restaurant.

Bird's Nest Soup

Of course, the Bird's Nest Soup is first on the table. The texture of the soup is mild and light. Feels very good to the stomach. The soup is a great opener for one great meal. Next comes their Fried Chicken. Covered with prawn crackers, it makes the presentation of the dish unique. It is very well fried (Chinese style),with a dip that flirts with your sweet tooth, it gives a little twist on the dish.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Their Pancit Canton is marvelous. Serves good for 4 hungry stomachs, the flavors of their Pancit Canton blooms like lovely daisies on a hill. How can I forget the juice from the Pancit Canton? God, that was one of the best noodles I ever had. Please do not stop yet, their Sweet and Sour Pork is a must-have. Soft diced pork coated with the glittering sweet and sour sauce, this dish is godlike. It was the best sweet and sour pork I ever had. It blew me away like a pack of cards in a whirlwind. This is highly recommended.

Steamed Lapu-Lapu with Soy Sauce

But since Mactan Majestic Seafood Restaurant offers various seafood dishes, do not stop yourself from ordering their Steamed Lapu-Lapu with Soy Sauce. Fresher than a freshman, this dish compliments well with the dishes I had. Mactan Majestic Seafood Restaurant satisfied my hunger for Chinese style cooking. With the price range of 200 to 300 pesos, you really get your money's worth with their excessive servings.

Visit the Mactan Majestic Seafood Restaurant in Marina Mall, Lapu-Lapu City.

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Blog Update!!!

Bite me.

I would like to interrupt normal programing with this special announcement.

Recently, Hungit Cebu has been a regular on the top food blogs in the country. Every week, the number of visits in this blog is slowly getting higher and it now ranks up on the top 25 food blogs in the Philippines. I am so thankful, I think I'm gonna cook a lustful chocolate cake for you guys. =)

And no, that is not the announcement. This interruption is caused by Cruiser Magazine. Yes, it is finally out and Hungit Cebu is now on print. You will see my column every issue of Cruiser Magazine from this month on. The magazine is for free, so please do not hesitate to grab a copy. With the Cruiser gig, it means that I will be reviewing more food and more restaurants, not only in Cebu, but also in other cities.

We'll see if other places in the Philippines can make a Cebuano tastebud happy.

Love, peace and chicken grease!

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