I have fond memories of Cebu in the Philippines. Not only is the region and food great but so is their version of lechon (Philippine suckling pig). What sets Cebu lechon apart from other versions of lechon is that the meat is so damn tasty that you don’t even need any lechon sarsa (sauce). The unique blend of spices and herbs that goes into the stuffing takes the flavours of the meat to another level.
Sydney Cebu Lechon by the Mahusay family has been
operating since 1991 as a made to order/catering lechon business in Sydney. In
fact, we actually ordered the lechon for our engagement party from them way
back and I remember it being the best lechon I’ve had in Sydney. Fast forward
to 2016, Will Mahusay took over the
family business and has also opened a restaurant in Enmore a few months ago.
It’s a small casual restaurant with a minimalist type menu that highlights
their main product, Cebu-style lechon.
Their signature Cebu
lechon (charcoal roasted pig) is $18
for 200 grams and it comes with atsara (pickled papaya salad) and
some vinegar soy blend sauce. The sauce is just there as an option but to be
honest, the pork is already incredibly tasty on its own. The meat is tender,
smoky, rich in notes of garlic and other spices, full of umami and very
aromatic. The tiles of crisped crackling makes amazing shattering sounds with
every bite.
Then there’s a dish local to the Cebu region called humba
($23.50). Only the chicken version
was available at the time. It’s Cebu-style adobo that‘s heavily influenced by
Chinese cuisine. It’s heavier on spices rather than being vinegary compared to
other versions of adobo in other parts of the Philippines. The sauce is very
close to an aromatic umami rich Chinese masterstock. So you get notes of
garlic, star anise and other spices. The braised chicken was so tender that it
easily fell of the bones.
There are also weekly rotating desserts available. We had ube cheesecake and frozen brazo de mercedes. The frozen brazo
de mercedes was like almost like a meringue and custard flavoured ice cream in
texture with a crumble-type base.
Besides the delicious food, the service was also excellent.
As there are rotating specials on the menu, I would definitely go back to try
them.
Sydney Cebu Lechon
Shop 4/80-80A Enmore Rd, Newtown NSW 2042
Ph: 0481 205 589
Opening hours:
Friday to Sunday 11:45am-3pm, 5:45pm-9pm
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