Good Eats in Cebu - Part 1 - Hukad sa Golden Cowrie Restaurant

On our first night in Cebu, HB and I dined in one of Cebu's finest homegrown restaurant - Hukad sa Golden Cowrie which was located at the Terraces of the Ayala Center Cebu.

Menu board in front of the restaurant

interior dining area

exterior dining area

We chose to sit outside because we wanted to enjoy the view of the Ayala Center gardens.

overlooking the gardens of Ayala Center Cebu

For starters, we ordered the baked scallops

Baked Scallops, Php 123

and it was absolutely divine. As I popped the first scallop meat in my mouth, I felt my eyes open wide as I tasted the lemon butter and garlic and I felt the cheese melt. It was really delicious and baked to perfection. I easily understood why this dish is one of the restaurant's best seller.

Our next dish was a boo-boo of sorts. We ordered atchara (pickled unripe papaya) as a side dish and were surprised to be given this huge serving:

Atchara, Php 29

We couldn't help but laugh at ourselves and exclaimed that for less than 30 bucks, we did not order the  content of a whole bottle.

Our main course was the grilled baby back ribs.

Grilled Back Ribs Regular, Php 209

The meat was tender and succulent and it easily came off the bones. This was just the regular sized back ribs and it proved enough for a couple of not-so-heavy eaters.

We were curious when we saw that they served "blue crab" which was known locally in Cebu as lambay. For 110 bucks, we figured it was worth a try. We chose to have the crab grilled (the other option was steamed) and it was served with lemon butter sauce. 

Blue Crab (Lambay), Php 110

Though the crab was small in size, it was meaty and had plenty of the orange-colored deposits (which we Filipinos call taba or fat) beneath its shell.

Rice was served by a roving waitress who scooped it with a ladle from a wooden bucket to our plates. The restaurant's name, Hukad, was actually derived from this gesture. In addition, diners could ask repeatedly for more and eat all the rice they wanted. 

The service was good and efficient and we barely had trouble communicating with the purely Cebuano staff. Even when all our orders were served on our table, our waiter came up to us several times and asked us if there was anything else we wanted or needed.

It is no wonder then that the local Cebuanos take pride in recommending Hukad sa Golden Cowrie Restaurant. The affordable prices and quality of food make the dining experience memorable and worth coming back to.



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Hukad sa Golden Cowrie Restaurant
The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu
Cebu Business Park, Cebu City
Telephone Number:  417.1301




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