Monday, March 21, 2016

Three Pasalubong Centers in Cebu

After having a great time in Cebu, you may want to take some of the good times home by bringing back some pasalubong. Food is the easiest thing to buy. And it is also the most universally enjoyed. In this post, I'll be recommending some places where you can find most loved of the native delicacies to make your Cebu memories last.

1. Island Souvenirs Pasalubong Center

Island Souveniers is the most convenient and enjoyable place to shop for pasalubong. The shop gained fame for their personalized "I love Cebu" shirts. And from there they branched out into full-fledged pasalubong centers for food, trinkets and souvenirs. There are a number of outlets around Cebu, with the one at airport road being the most comprehensive and easy to find. This outlet is beside Starbucks next to Marina Mall in Lapu-lapu. A second outlet, and next best option, is in Salinas Drive, Lahug, near Chika-an Restaurant.

There will be a lot of options when you get to the delicacies section. My advice, if you truly want something authentically Cebuano, is to steer clear of the delicacies from the other regions such as piyaya and pinasugbo. Instead, try the following:

Turones

These are crisp rice paper stick rolls with sweet peanut filling inside. The assorted variant has fillings such as cashew and chocolate, to name a few. Addictive!  

Peanut Broas

These are small peanut cookies that are delicately made. The texture of the cookie is crisp and chewy at the same time. Super yummy! 

Dried Mango

Philippine mangoes are arguably some of the best in the world. Cebu, in particular, is well-known for making world-class dried mango products. Our dried mangoes are exported worldwide. And if you're feeling a little tired of the plain variant, there are other options: chocolate covered mangoes, green mango, and tamarind-mango balls, to name a few. Everything's good in the dried fruit department! 

Masareal

This delicacy is a bar of ground peanuts and sugar (I'm assuming!). It's sweet and rustic. And as far as I know, only made in Cebu. This product has a short shelf-life, so it's best consumed immediately after it's bought.  

Dried fish

The dried fish or buad is sealed well and should be safe for bringing through to the airport. Our favorite dried fish is danggit, but you can find other fish variants with varying availability. Dried fish is the one on the list worth bringing home! It's perfect for breakfast.


2. Metro Gaisano in Ayala Mall

Metro Gaisano is a supermarket. And it has pretty much everything in terms of the food pasalubong mentioned above. The sweet and fruit delicacies are located in one aisle, while the dried fish can be located near the eggs and sugar section (near the fresh fish). 


3. Shamrock 

Shamrock in Fuente Osmena surprisingly has a good selection of delicacies. The store is not the prettiest. The stock arrangements are not the most enticing. But if you're in a bind, this is an option. I also just found out that their dried fish and squid is getting quite the reputation for good quality. Some have said that it's almost the same quality as going to Taboan yourself.