Saturday, November 2, 2013

Matia's BBQ

Eating is one of my absolute favorite things to do. However, I don't think I have a particularly refined palate. My brother swears that I have very cheap tastes -- he's supposedly more discerning. And while it's annoying that he rubs it in my face, I'm going to have to agree with him. It's nothing to be ashamed of -- I think -- haha! I like what I like. And that's really tasty comfort food.

Cebu is known for barbecue. Many talk about Larsians but it was never my family's go to place. When I was younger, there was no place better for chicken BBQ than Junjun & Malou's. Fresh, juicy and tasty! However, when I returned to Cebu after being gone for almost 10 years, the chicken quality wasn't top notch anymore.

Luckily, a BBQ place near Junjun & Malou's looked promising. It was called Matia's Barbecue. It's been another 10 years since that first tasting and this joint is still the best place for good chicken BBQ for me. They have the best pork BBQ as well. And that's surpassed my love for chicken BBQ these days. The meat is clean and fresh. And you know when you're getting good and meat. And this is one of the reasons Matia's is highly recommended.

Matia's is no nonsense, so there's not a lot of ambiance. The place is very near the AS Fortuna road but it's shaded and lined with trees so it's cool and fairly comfortable. Service used to be quick and efficient but now it's not so great since the staff seems to be turning over quick. If you want good service go to the part served by the middle-aged Manang with curly hair. She'll make sure your order comes in fast. If you're being served by young ones who look and act like zombies, expect to make two to three follow-ups for your order.

You can order by the grill or order through the waiter. Expect plates, chilli and calamansi, and a dozen puso (rice ensconed by weaved banana leaves) to come to your table immediately after ordering. Once these come make sure to give the waiter your drinks order. He won't ask for it, so take the initiative.

I can't remember how much each pork and chicken stick costs but we're five in the family and we usually buy 20 pork BBQ, 3 to 4 chicken sticks, 12 pieces of puso and drinks. And that's sets us back a very reasonable P550++  only.


Knoww more about Matia's on their FaceBook page here.
Location is at A.S. Fortuna, Mandaue City.