Fiesta is one of the colorful events in the life of Filipinos because it serves as venue to reunite with friends and relatives. A Filipino fiesta is incomplete without a feast, literally, on food that are usually local to that certain province. Pinakbet, grilled catfish (locally called as “paltat” in Ilocano), dinengdeng (vegetable soup with fish sauce as base), dinakdakan, and sinanglaw, are only some of the Ilocano dishes we prepare during a fiesta on our place in Pangasinan.
The main goal of Golden Cowrie is to let families and friends, entering their restaurant, experience Filipino fiestas by enjoying great Filipino food without waiting for the next festival schedule. Golde Cowrie in Lahug, Cebu City is the first and only one of their numerous branches in the province, and also in some key destinations in the Visayas, and Mindanao.
There are no banderitas and groups having lively performances because they want their customers to have everything just by relishing the quality Filipino food they offer. There is a myriad selection on the menu that is divided on seven sections: Simply Souperb, Fresh Starters, Seafood Platter, Veggie Entrée, Meat Galore, Sweet Somethings, and Cool Washdowns. We started to order and were a bit picky on what to try.
For soup we got bowls of Sinigang na Baby Prawns (PHP192), Sinigang na Tangigue (PHP210), Baked Scallops (PHP147), Balut Sisig (PHP135) and Green Mango with Bagoong (PHP69) for appetizer, Ngohiong (PHP72) and Laing (PHP99) for veggies, Ox Tail Humba (PHP225), Kare-Kare (PHP275) and Crispy Pata (PHP389) under the meat galore, Tuna Belly (PHP239) and Fried Tuna Fingers (Php215) for another seafood. For dessert, we sampled the new items on the menu: Budbud Turon (PHP79), Tropical Brulee (PHP89) and Ube Crisp Ala Mode (PHP99).
When the food was served, the entire table exactly transformed into a feast with everyone choosing the dishes they wanted to try. Different hands entwine during the process and “fiesta” is the precise word that can define the scenario.
I almost devoured all the prawns on the Sinigang na Baby Prawns served just in-front of me. Freshness of the prawns was very apparent as shells easily separated from the prawn meat. Soup was just right, not too mild yet not too sour. Same goes to the Tangigue. I will be biased because I actually love baked scallops especially when it was covered by that garlicky butter, makes me droll right now. Baked Scallops is actually the bestselling specialty.
One of the newest items on their menu is the Balut Sisig. It was really good and I like how they blended the “balut” well with the dressing/cream. The white albumen, the hard part of balut, with its rubbery texture adds a certain quality to the appetizer. Second best, next to the scallops, from the meals we tried that evening.
The aroma and flavor of the peanut butter of the Kare-kare reassures that they really do it from scratch as what is indicated on the menu. The tender chunks of beef was generously covered with the thick peanut sauce and topped with blanched string beans, eggplant, and banana blossom.
There’s nothing wow with the Grilled Tuna Belly as well as the parched Fried Tuna Fingers. But I prefer the way the skin of the crispy pata was cooked; crunchy and chewy. Ngohiong is a must try and don’t forget to dip it in a mix of chili sauce and soy sauce. Green mangoes went perfectly with the sweet-salty-spicy shrimp paste. Forget the laing and the humba, they were not my thing that night.
For desserts, the twist they made on Cebuano staple “budbud” is remarkable by utilizing it as a filling for a “turon”. But they can improve their Tropical Brulee and can go better than just by simply caramelizing brown sugar drizzled on sweet mangoes and pineapples. The Ube Crisp Ala Mode is pleasing to set a sweet layer on your taste buds. Alternatives are the fruits shakes and quencher.
GOLDEN COWRIE Filipino Restaurant
Salinas Drive, Lahug, Cebu City
032-233-3278 / 032-233-4243 / 032-233-4670
www.alwaysafeast.com.ph
www.facebook.com/HukadGoldenCowrie
