Ribs and Redemption at Casa Verde in Ayala Center’s The Terraces

I’ve always been a fan of baby back ribs. Whenever there’s an opportunity, I’ll make sure to order one….but at the right price. Usually, you can’t have it both ways with ribs. You’ll either pay a premium to enjoy the truly delectable ones or be wary of the ones that come cheap.

Fortunately for Cebuanos and Cebu visitors, there is one restaurant that has been serving affordable and delicious ribs for a while already. Casa Verde started out in a house converted to a restaurant near Ramos Street. Now, more people are enjoying their ribs and other dishes with the opening of branches at The Walk in the Asiatown I.T. Park and at The Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu.

I tried out Casa Verde at the Asiatown I.T. Park when it opened at the latter part of 2008. Since I've already tasted their ribs, my wife and I tried out their other dishes. My wife had pasta while I had a steak. The result was one of the worse dining experiences I had in my life.

I can’t even recall the names of our orders. There were more onions and bell pepper than pasta in my wife’s order. My steak was so small and the rice serving was equally miniscule. Food quality and quantity was not worth the price. Right there and then, my wife and I swore never to eat at Casa Verde again.

But fate would bring us back to Casa Verde when my wife’s officemates came to visit from Manila recently. They heard about Casa Verde's famous ribs and wanted to try it out.

It was packed when we arrived at Casa Verde in The Terraces. Even though they were still in soft opening, the service was quite excellent. The waiters got my cell phone number so they can contact me when tables become available. The waiters were very accommodating when they were unable to place us in one table. They promised to transfer us to one long table as soon as other patrons finished dining.

My wife and I settled at the bar and ordered Brian’s Ribs (baby back ribs) and Shrimps On The Barbie (skewered shrimps). We crossed our fingers while waiting for our orders.

We were caught by surprise when our orders arrived quickly. Ribs and shrimps under 10 minutes is fast. I was confident the ribs would be delicious. I was more apprehensive with the shrimps. Thankfully, the shrimp dish did not disappoint.

In my opinion, aside from its affordability, the sauce makes the ribs Casa Verde’s bestseller. The sauce is not the typical baby back ribs barbecue sauce. It’s more on the sweet side. It reminds me of tocino sauce. The only drawback with the ribs was its consistency. Some portions were not as soft and juicy as other portions.

shouldn't miss ribs

I tasted a familiar tinge of sweetness when I tried the shrimps. I was sure the marinade for the shrimps contained similar ingredients as the ribs sauce. The combination of onions and bell pepper with the shrimps plus the marinade has catapulted this dish to number two in my Casa Verde favorites list. For a seafood dish, this was quite cheap at P168.

yummy skewered shrimps

Additionally, the plain and harvest rice plus the side dishes of corn and carrots and buttered vegetables were perfect complements to the ribs and the shrimps.

Casa Verde at the Terraces impressed me with its efficient, excellent service and their delicious food. I also noticed that the steak entree I ordered previously was not on the menu anymore. When someone sitting beside us at the bar coincidentally ordered the pasta my wife had at their I.T. Park branch, I noticed that the dish was served as it should be, with lesser bell peppers and onions than pasta. Casa Verde completely redeemed itself.

Now, if only Casa Verde could continue to keep its prices affordable. I remember when Casa Verde ribs cost around P100. Now, it costs P188 for an order. If they keep increasing prices, I may have to look for other restaurants to have my ribs. That is if I ever find one.

I also need to point out some downsides which do not concern the food. First is the menu. It is not presentable at all with masking tape placed all over to mark changes in entrée prices and note unavailable menu items. Why can’t they just print new menus? Second is the overall theme of the restaurant. I noticed they are cloning T.G.I. Friday’s, from the interiors to the way the waiters dress. The dominant color may be different but the similarities are unmistakable. They need to be more original.

Overall, my "new" experience with Casa Verde has placed it back in my radar for restaurants to visit again. Despite my other concerns, food quality and restaurant service are top notch. Ultimately, their ribs should be enough reason for me and for everyone else to visit and then keep coming back.

An Afternoon with the Business Icons

June is Cebu Business Month. With the theme “Get Inspired!”, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has lined up various events to develop and promote Cebu’s businesses particularly in Tourism, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and Entrepreneurship.

I was able to attend one of the events for the Entrepreneurship track of the Cebu Business Month called “Meet the Business Icons”. This was held at the Marco Polo Lobby Lounge last Thursday, July 18 from 2 pm to 6 pm. For a minimal fee, with snacks already included, I had the opportunity to be sitting with other individuals, from students to other businessmen, as three prominent business icons shared their experiences and wisdom in business.

The icons who graced us with their presence were George Yang of Golden Arches Development Corporation (master franchise owner of McDonald’s Philippines), Justin Uy of Profood International Corporation (largest producer of dried mangos in the Philippines) and Dr. Alfonso Uy of La Filipina Uy Gonco Corporation (with businesses from agro-industrial to real estate).

With the masterful Bunny Pages facilitating the discussion, each business icon responded to different questions thrown by the audience. They were able to tackle topics ranging from the tame – typical day for a business icon – to the challenging – how they cope with the current finanical crisis.

Although I thought that most of what they shared were very generic, things that can be gleaned from any entrepreneurship textbook, these were still words of gold coming out of from the mouths of these very successful businessmen.

Out of the three icons, I grew to admire Justin Uy of Profood International after hearing his story. A true blue Cebuano, he was able to overcome his financial background and a very difficult start to his business and grow it to the size and profitability it is today. Every aspiring entrepreneur, Cebu based or not, should make him one of their role models.

Unfortunately, there were two downsides to this event. First, the venue was not enclosed. Noise from other parts of the hotel especially from the participants of another event in a separate function room was very distracting. Second, the event started late (around 2:30 pm) and ended early (4:30 pm). Event organizers should strictly follow the time stated in the brochure and the invites. I felt that ending the session early (plus its late start) shortchanged the participants who came and paid to be there.

As a plus, Marco Polo as usual, served excellent dishes for snacks. Listening to the icons while having a hearty snack of various pastries and cocktails was very pleasant.

So what did I take home from this session? Two things: persistence and diligence. George Yang, Justin Uy, and Alfonso Uy were unanimous on these qualities of a successful entrepreneur. And as George Yang added, a little luck also helps.

Kudos to the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) for holding this event. I’m sure every participant came out of this truly inspired.

The Cebu Business Month events continue until the end of the month. You can visit the CCCI website at http://cebubusinesswebportal.com for the list and schedule of events or you can call them at 2321421 to 24.

Ding Qua Qua, Harbour City and Dimsum Break offer the best dimsum in Cebu

The moment I first tasted Ding Qua Qua’s pork steamed rice and spring rolls when I was still in elementary, I knew I was hooked for life. I used to to be able to gouge down 5 bowls of pork steamed rice in one sitting and a number of their siomais back then. Although I am not able to replicate this feat now, there isn’t a week that passes by when I don’t have lunch or dinner in any of these restaurants.

There is Ding Qua Qua, Harbour City, and Dimsum Break. These restaurants, which have the same owner, essentially serve the same fares albeit in different styles. Ding Qua Qua and Harbour City are on the casual dining side. Dimsum Break is on the fastfood dining side.

The centerpiece of the eating experience in these restaurants is definitely the pork steamed rice. This dish, which is already a meal in itself, consists of steamed rice packed at the bottom of the bowl with a special sauce (containing some pork, some shrimps and some green peas) poured over it. Mix everything and enjoy this dish!

the "main event" - pork steamed rice - before and after mixing

Of the different dimsum available, my personal favorite is their spring rolls. Make sure that you dip it in its sweet and sour sauce to fully savor the combination of flavors.

the delicious spring rolls

There are also have a variety of delicious siomai to choose from. They have bacon siomai, quail eggs siomai, etc. From these, I have no personal favorites since all their siomais basically taste the same – the toppings just enhance the flavor. In fact, this variety is a plus since it prevents me from getting bored with the food when I drop by because I can order different flavored siomais every time.

plain siomai - just one of the many varieties

I’ve been all praises for the food in these restaurants. You may be wondering if there is anything that I don’t like about them. Yes, there are. First, I advise you to avoid their egg tart. When I tried their egg tart, I could not tell if it was egg tart I was eating. Second, I hate their iced tea. It’s very sweet and it irritates my throat. Do they make their own iced tea? If not, do they add another ingredient in regular powdered iced tea to make it taste that way?

One thing I noticed in Ding Qua Qua and Harbour City is the decrease in the number of dimsum carts going around the restaurant. In the past, food was ordered by signalling one of the carts and then pointing to the dish of your choice. The waiter then placed the dish on your table. Now, order placing is more conventional. I definitely miss the old way of ordering since this became part of my personal dining experience with them.

Price-wise, most of the dimsum hover around P52. They also have set meals available that range from approximately P90 to P120. In terms of serving, this is rather expensive. P52 for 2 to 3 pieces of siomai? But who can resist these dimsum treats?

So how do I put into words the taste of these enjoyable dimsum? Frankly, I can’t think of any. Maybe the mixture of flavors is just too overwhelming for words? (Or maybe it’s MSG that’s adding that extra bang to these dishes? Hehehe!) But really, the bottomline is this. These restaurants serve delicious dimsum and these dimsum are ultimately the best in Cebu.

Ding Qua Qua is located in JY Square, Lahug. Harbour City is in Ayala Center Cebu and SM City Cebu. Dimsum Break branches can be found in in Ayala Center Cebu, Banilad Town Center, Colon, Elizabeth Mall, Lapu-lapu City, Mango Square, SM City, Tabunok.

Thai cuisine in Cebu with Siam Thai Cuisine

Not being a fan of anything spicy, Thai food has never been on top of my favorites list. I prefer eating Filipino or Italian cuisine over Thai. But my wife has always held Thai cuisine in high esteem.I often had little choice if she wanted to eat in a Thai restaurant.

There was one “hole in the wall” Thai restaurant in Manila that we gravitated to most of the time. The place had very reasonably priced, authentic Thai fares. Surprisingly, the food was delicious – I avoided the spicy ones. And thus, I’ve set this small restaurant as a barometer whenever I try other Thai restaurants.

One Sunday night, my wife and I decided to try out the Siam Thai Cuisine at The Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu. The waiter recommended the Bagoong Fried Rice and the Chatuchack Spareribs. We added the Golden Bag and the Fried Tofu with Sweet Sauce to these orders.

So how did Siam Thai Cuisine fare against my gold standard?

The Golden Bag, vegetables and meat in a flour wrapper that are deep fried, tasted just average. I was not able to find anything different in this dish from those cooked at home. It was also very messy to eat with bits flying around when you try to slice it. You should try something else.

Golden Bag - just average

Fried Tofu with Sweet Sauce was no different. The tofu was very bland and the sweet sauce did not help enhance the flavor at all. A little spice sprinkled on the tofu or on the sauce could make this dish more exciting to the palate. This dish is in dire need of improvement.

Fried Tofu - boring dish

The Bagoong Fried Rice was above average. The differentiating factor for Siam’s Bagoong Fried Rice was the amount of onions with each serving. I never knew that mixing more onions on Bagoong Fried Rice could greatly enhance the taste.

Bagoong Fried Rice - better than most

The Chatuchak Spareribs when not dipped in the sauce was okay. The ribs were soft and were a bit on the salty side. But the dish, mixed in its sauce, suddenly tasted exquisite. The sauce greatly complemented the flavor and the texture of the ribs. The initial flavor was tangy and sour and then the spiciness comes out at the end. The Fried Tofu needed this sauce!

Chatuchak spareribs

Siam Thai Cuisine’s prices range from P150 and up. The servings can feed two to four persons.

My verdict? Siam Thai Cuisine was not able to match the standards I’ve set for flavor and price. I’m not dismissing Siam Thai Cuisine just yet since I’ve tried only a portion of their menu. And to its credit, the restaurant’s modern interior with Thai and Asian accents trumps most restaurants. But as for now, round 1 goes to my little “hole in the wall” Thai restaurant in Manila.



Siam Thai Cuisine is located at The Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu between The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and Cyma.