Cebu Secret Chows: All Spice Bistro

I used to live in Guadalupe (around five years ago) and back then, there really wasn't much decent dining places around other than Dong Juan, CnT, Mooon Cafe, Aranos and Domeng's, or the regular lechon manok along the streets at night. But with the trending home-based restaurants popping up around the metro, it would only be a matter of time until you find at least one home resto in your neighborhood (do I hear a squeal?). 

Guadalupe is one of the original neighborhoods that is home to humble home-based resto's that have grown to be big commercial ones -- such as Mooon Cafe and Dong Juan. There must be something about 'Guada' soil that nurtures these little 'shrooms… Okay, I'm getting off track. But I guess it has something to do with both resto potential factor and Cebuano palate upgrade (to more adventurous) -- the resto's have been consistent with their service and food quality that word gets around and people are willing to lose their way just to visit the place. 

One unique resto recently joined the bandwagon in Guadalupe, right across CnT.  All Spice Bistro is owned by two friends who have both had international culinary stints -- Chef Francis Ed Saberon and Chef Chad Mercado of Las Vegas. Chef Ed was part of the first batch of students at AICA here in Cebu and graduated top of his class. Chef Chad is a Fil-Am who took culinary education at Le Cordon Bleu and has worked in several prestigious kitchens such as Bobby Flay's resto. Despite that success in Las Vegas, he fell for Cebu (a Cebuana, rather) during vacation and decided to settle down in Cebu and work with his partner, Chef Ed. Together, they continue the passion to serve dishes with depth in flavor.

         All Spice Bistro has a simple setting with a tinge of Spain seen in the black and red colour scheme but their menu is composed of rich Spanish and Tex-Mex dishes, all created from scratch.  

           It was my first time to visit a resto that has sort of like a foyer at the first floor than the usual immediate dining space. A wooden staircase leads to the main event where pictures of paintings (a painting in a picture) streak the walls. 

          On this floor, the space is divided into an air-conditioned room and an open dining setting. We stayed in the air-conditioned room since summer's humidity still loomed in the air even at dusk. The air-con room has a mini bar and a flat screen tv. All the black and red around me made me feel like this is a place where matadors unwind. :D

         Our friends did the ordering so I was excited to be surprised by the dishes that were to come. 

         What better way to be greeted by a resto than through it's food. The first of many was the chowders. These had a pleasantly thick, creamy consistency but the bread bowl just didn't seem to have that slightly crisp and chewy texture I wanted. Maybe it had cooled off while we were busy probing with our eyes and taking photos of it. I enjoyed the clam chowder though. I could taste the clam essence in the thick liquid and the clam meat were cooked just right. It definitely gave us a warm welcome.

Seafood Chowder   P140

Tejano Beef Chili   P160
Stewed Angus beef with three kinds of beans and melted cheese

             I am pretty particular with how shrimps/prawns are cooked. These should be perfect (same goes for eggs!). Gambas is one of the dishes I enjoyed since my childhood (mom's cooking) -- whether al ajillo or a la marinara -- so I'm picky when ordering this at a resto. Whenever I do, I expect to be pleased. It ruins the rest of my meal (since this is usually eaten as an appetizer) unless the main course saves it. Theirs, however, was one of the best I've had. Perfectly sweet and tender shrimps swimming in olive oil with garlic and chili.  My partner and I even finished the sauce by pouring it on our rice (*insert evil gluttonous smirk).   

Gambas Ajillo   P140

             It was a first for me to see a quesadilla served with an egg on top. The tortillas were evidently homemade and so were the sauces that dotted the surface. This was one of my favorites here. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a perfectly cooked egg. :D

Chicken Fajita Quesadilla    P140

          Callos, along with gambas, is another childhood favorite of mine. I was truly impressed by their version because it was tender and... just perfect! This was a nostalgic piece for me. Definitely my favorite dish here. :D

Callos a la Madrilena   P160
 A traditional Madrid style dish with beef and tripe, served with rice.

Paella Valenciana   P340

                 The lamb caldereta was a tad too strong for me but the chef explained that he intentionally wanted to keep the strong flavor of the lamb because "if you want to mask the taste of lamb, you should be getting another kind of meat then." Good point. Take it from the chef then. 

Caldereta de Cordero   P160
A Moorish-Spanish lamb stew with potatoes, carrots and chives served with rice.

            I love our beloved MOLMOL -- the creature that's both fish and bird but can't fly. Haha. Okay, that was lame. But yes, ze parrotfish is a glorious piece of fillet especially when seared. In this case, it was coated with flour but I loved the pesto sauce and mixed bean mash that came with it. It's a fish dish that's heavy enough to share! This is definitely a meal worth coming back for. Nom nom!

Seared Parrotfish   P220
Pimenton spiced parrotfish (mol mol) with a three-bean sauce *with a choice of side

              And finally, the beef. This was another masterpiece -- a glorified beef stroganoff. I could taste the white wine and the creamy sauce was not overwhelming after a while at all.  A dish to die for, for both sexes. Highly recommended on your visit! Yes, because I know you'll be running to All Spice after a glance of the photo. :p

Grilled US Angus Beef   P280

           All Spice looks like a promising resto and is definitely a place to go to for some Spanish cuisine -- affordable and tasty. I'd love to see and taste how they'd do lengua if they added it to the menu. :D

BFF's Picks:  Seafood chowder, Gambas, Chicken Fajita Quesadilla, Callos, Seared Parrotfish, Grilled US Angus Beef

All Spice Bistro

1311 V. Rama Avenue, Guadalupe (across CnT lechon)

Cebu City 6000

Contact: 0917 707 4569

Operating Hours:    11 am - 12 mn daily

Price range:   P120 - P340 per dish

Facebook: AllSpiceBistro

"To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D"

oink oink,

Babe for Food
- your BFF in Cebu dining

Cebu Secret Chows: Buddies - Home of the Ultimate Burger Challenge

           It's rare for me to visit a resto twice in a week but this one was a pleasant surprise. Actually, it's a funny story I wanna tell you; one of my biggest blogging bloopers to date. So it's epic. Sit tight and enjoy the ride. :))

FIRST VISIT:
           One of my foodie family friend couple whom I meet in church every week invited me to this new resto for lunch one Sunday. They're just such a nice couple -- Tito Nic and Tita Rachel -- who support my blog by reading it or occasionally treating me meals out and telling me about new places they found through other blogs as well. Tita Rachel was the one who led me to Surfin Ribs with her resto update one time. 

           This new resto, BUDDIES, was a bright, neat place that has a diner setting. What's special about it is it's the only legit resto with a burger eating challenge like the ones you hear about or watch on TLC, more popularly on Man Vs. Food with Adam Richman. They have a wall of fame for victors and give out free shirts to the worthy. It seats around 40 people. 

              Like most fastfood diners, self-service is the system here. It's still convenient though. They have condiments and what else you need on a tray at the end of the counter.

           The ultimate burger challenge is to finish their quadruple burger in 5 mins and you get a souvenir shirt and your photo on their wall of fame. It's the real thing! :D 

the wall of fame

burger slayers

These huge posters on the wall make me drool!

It's a great way of enticing customers and recommending the best dishes of the resto. 

           Since they have a burger eating challenge, I went for the basic Buddy burger to know the taste in case I join the challenge someday. ;)

         Who knows, I did join Dong Juan's burger challenge last year. Would be nice to see a girl on that wall of fame. :D

Buddy Burger - 89 php

              I was excited to taste their burger but after the first bite, I found the patty too soft for my preference. I like my burger patties charred crisp and juicy on the inside. It wasn't bad though. 

           Tita Rachel made the orders and she asked for the philly cheesesteak sandwich, chilidog and steak burrito. We all cut up the orders and shared it to get a taste of everything.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich - 150 php

           This was a pretty thing. I loved the steak and the bun. It wasn't just an ordinary bun, it was a hoagi bun; much like a baguette, crisp exterior and chewy interior though a little softer than a baguette. The steak was flavorful and juicy. 

           I missed to take photos of the chilidog and the steak burrito but anyway, the chilidog was nothing extraordinary. The hotdog used was a good quality but I think it was quite pricey for a sandwich. The steak burrito, I loved. They got the distinct Mexican flavor just right and the tortilla wrapper was also good. That's something to go back for. I noticed they're steak products are pretty good. 

What we had:

Buddy burger - 89 php

Philly Cheesesteak sandwich - 150 php

Buddies Chilidog - 130 php

Steak Burrito - 135 php

SECOND VISIT:

     

             Now for the funny one... I had received a text from an unkown number inviting me to Buddies for a feature. He said he was JP. I know two JP's and I thought this was one of them -- JP Fernandez, a close friend of Doyzkie of iluvcebu.com, since he'd be the one most likely to invite me to features. We agreed to meet on Wednesday. 

           I was wondering why he was the one who invited me when Doyzkie could've asked me himself. And when I asked him if Doyzkie was coming, he said he wasn't but that I could invite him. And I wondered even more, why he'd tell me to invite him when they're the closer friends. (you must be as confused as I was by now) 

           So, when I arrived at Buddies with my food blogger classmate, JM of Big Food, I saw a man wave at me and I figured he'd be the owner so I just waved back. Then, he approached me and introduced himself as JP. WOW. Mind blown. This wasn't the JP I was expecting to meet. He had some friends as well and introduced me to them. I was just so stunned, I was speechless. I still didn't know his family name so I wasn't sure if he was familiar or not.

            He welcomed me warmly into the resto and when we settled down, he ordered his recommendations for me. I then explained myself, why my text messages were unusally casual and how I mistook him to be just one of my friends. I was just really so embarrassed I couldn't stop laughing at myself. (Yes, I laugh at my own bloopers.I'm silly like that.)

             Anyway, so, laid before us were steak tacos, nachos, a Buddy burger and sizzling burger steak silog. 

steak tacos - 120 php

        I think most of us would usually picture out the hard shell tacos at the mention of the dish but Buddies offers the soft shell type which I think I prefer more than the hard shell type. 

nachos - 85 php

         This, I loved! Well, I've always been a fan of nachos but the carne asada's flavor pleased my palette well and I just couldn't stop popping this in my mouth despite being stuffed with the rest of the dishes before us. This serves two but if you want a medium heavy snack or an appetizer, have this. 

sizzling burger steak - 85 php

         This is one of my favorites in the menu. I liked the consistency and flavor of the gravy and it went really well with the burger patty. Buddies isn't just about the buns and the burgers. This is a rice meal you'll be coming back for once you've had a taste. :D

JM (Big Food) with her Buddy burger - 89 php (not inclusive of JM. hihi.)

Big Food, Babe for Food, Bethany's Luis

            I needed these foodie friends to help me finish all the food! We were so stuffed. Happy bellies! :D

the Babe and the Buddies (from left) JP Chongbian and Nino Bascon with their friends Miguel and Rany :D

             So, I found out JP's complete name -- JP Chongbian, and that's when things started clicking in my head. He's actually the owner of Vudu and Formo. Oh well, funny encounter with this guy but he sure can be a 'buddy'. He explained that the resto was named Buddies because it is owned and managed by 3 high school buddies, JP Chongbian, Blake Go (not in the photo) and Nino Bascon. 

             It was definitely a pleasure meeting these buddies. I'm glad that another decent resto is finally added to Talamban (nearby my residence), where it isn't as resto-endowed as Banilad. Haha. Now, residents of Talamban and Cabancalan can hover at Buddies for a decent quick fix for quality fastfood cravings. 

Buddies
Piazza Elesia, Talamban, Cebu City 6000

Operating Hours:
Mon - Thurs     11 AM - 2:30 PM, 5 PM - 10 PM
Fri - Sun          11 AM - 2:30 PM, 5 PM - 11 PM

Like them on Facebook - facebook.com/BuddiesBurgers


To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

oink oink,

Babe for Food

 - your BFF in Cebu dining! :)