Siopao King

Siopao

I married Angel Locsin last 2002.

You may not believe me on that one. It's okay, I won't hold it against you. But believe me when I say that after a thousand siopaos I have eaten since the dawn of time, only one stands out from the rest. Siopao is a chinese meat bun that has won the hearts of Filipinos over the years. Before, I usually eat siopao at the so called "aunthentic" chinese restaurants around Cebu. I thought that was it, I was eating the best siopao already.

Everything (except for my charm) that I used to believe was proven wrong when I entered college. In the busy street of Leon Kilat, there stand a shop called, Siopao King. They serve nothing but siopao and since it is friendly to a student's budget, I went in and ordered their siopao.

Like the famous overused quote, the rest is history.

The siopao in Siopao King is what a siopao should taste like. If you choose authenticity over how food should be served, well, Siopao King is only operated by a Chinese couple that can barely speak the dialect. Heck, they only even watch a certain chinese channel. I asked where they ordered their buns, the chinese husband said that he personally make the buns.

Bola-Bola Pao

The taste of the bun is really fresh that it gives you the homey feeling. Not just that, the bun is brutally soft, it's like celebrity breast implants in your hands. Their Bola-Bola Pao's (meatball) meat might be minimal with the ingredients compared to the top chinese restaurants in Cebu but the taste is way much better. All meat, no fillers.

Asado Pao

The awesomeness of their siopao does not end with the bola-bola. Their Asado Pao is crazy! The sauce and the meat of their asado is exceptional. Sweet and a little spice with a pinch of pepper on it is all that you need. It is equivalent to Prada or whatever the number 1 brand in the bag industry is.

For only 25.00Php, you can enjoy the heavenly siopao (flavor of choice) and a bottle of Maja Salvador's scripted favorite softdrink.

Siopao-dom

Believe me when I say that Siopao King lives up to its name, it is the king and the ruler of Siopao-dom. Believe me when I tell you that there is no paper at the bottom of their siopao. Believe me when I tell you that it is worth the money that you spend on a siopao because my reputation is all over this blog.

Now that I have told you the tale of the Siopao King, would you believe me if I tell you that Angel Locsin and Ruffa Gutierrez have something in common they may not realize?

Six years ago, they both wanted me.

Siopao King can be found along the furniture and cellphone shops in Leon Kilat St., Cebu City (beside Cebu Colesium).

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NL Cafe

I received an e-mail from Mr. Florentino Baliad, owner of NL Cafe. He wrote,

"We as the proprietor of NL Cafe would like to inform the public to know that we have changed address as from April 2010. NL Cafe is now located at 2nd street, Reclamation Area, Cebu Port Center (opposite SM, back of Sungold). Thank you once again."

Best Balbacua Ever

Just when you thought that Camp Lapu-Lapu in Lahug is not worth visiting, you better think again.

Not so long ago, every time we have visitors from other cities, we fill their stomachs with lechon and balbacua. The weird thing is, my father always went out of his way to buy the balbacua. Balbacua is a dish that is served anywhere. But the taste of the balbacua that he always buy is like no other.

After years of sleepless nights thinking about the best balbacua ever made, I finally asked him where to find it. Then I started my search and found NL Cafe and then I knew why my dad travels all the way from Talisay to Lahug just for the balbacua.

NL Cafe is a simple place where you can eat with your friends and family. Not too lavish in style, but they make up for their food. From their kinilaw to their pochero, it is made purely with science. But the superstar in the line up is their balbacua. Their balbacua dominates every aspect of the meal.

Balbacua is like kare-kare minus the peanut butter and vegetables. It may be a relative to kare-kare but balbacua is stronger and you don't need bagoong just to make it taste better. The strong taste of the meat, the spices in its soup and the little pinch of the ginger gives me thrills. It may look dull but like the autobots, it is more than meets the eye. NL Cafe's balbacua is so soft and tender, it make pillows feel like cement. The wonder of it is that, how can a thing get so soft without breaking the meat into pieces? It is served as a whole meat and when you take a piece of it, the meat would gently slide down from the bone. Watching the meat slide is like watching Eva Longoria's strap slide down to her shoulders. Orgasmic, yes.

NL Cafe

Even celebrities from Manila visited NL Cafe because of the food they serve. It gives you the feeling of eating at a simple eatery with food that is served at par with the best restaurants in town. You know, we celebrities like the fact that we are at a simple place, being a simple person.

For 120Php per serving, their balbacua is all worth the sweat.

Now I know what Camp Lapu-Lapu and its soldiers are guarding. The best balbacua ever.


. Prices range from 60Php to 210Php. Servings are good for 2 stomachs.

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