Golden Cowrie, Cebu's homegrown restaurant has been bringing families together since it opened its doors in Lahug, Cebu City in 1982. Fast forward to 2018, the Filipino restaurant continues to offer traditional Filipino flavors along with its restaurant venture - Hukad.
The brand Hukad which means " limitless servings of food" was developed in 2008. Like the Golden Cowrie, Hukad also brings native Filipino cuisine WITH THE ADDITION of fresh and exciting dishes to welcome the new wave of customers. The Cebu-grown brand now has branches all over the country one of which is located at the newly-opened wing of SM North EDSA.
Hukad, North Towers
If I'm not mistaken, the North Towers opened on December 7th along with their art walk installation. I really wanted to see the creations of our young, talented Filipino artists so my family and I decided to hear the mass early and go straight to the North Towers.
Thank goodness the building have plenty of parking spaces. It really helped lessen the traffic due to the Christmas rush. Anyway as I was looking for the art walk, my grandmother noticed a line building in front of this well-lit restaurant. Since it was almost lunch time, we decided to enter Hukad.
Hukad has a simple signage and interior but the vibe; not to mention, the staff are very welcoming. They were also very conscious about the elderly and would really help them out. Speaking of which, my grandmother accidentally spilled her iced tea twice. We feel very sorry but they very kind, understanding and quick to react. *Thank you so much - I don't know your names but we visited on December 9th lunch time.
Moving on, Hukad offers classic Filipino dishes as well as new notable dishes perfect for sharing. They actually have various choices which include: Bicol Express, Crispy Pata, Lechon Belly, Baby Prawns Sinigang, and Baked Bantayan Scallops. For our first visit, we enjoyed the following dishes:
Hukad Gambas
Hukad's gambas is cooked with egg, stir-fried in spices and chili peppers for a spicy kick.
Adobong Talong
This sweet and savory eggplant dish is a crowd favorite.
Baked Bantayan Scallop
Fresh Bantayan Island scallops topped with special cheese.
¼ Kilo of Lechon Belly
Of, course we didn't pass up the chance to taste one of the things Cebu is famous for! This lechon belly is crispy on the outside and juicy, tender and so flavorful pork belly meat on the inside.
Sago't Gulaman
Hukad's takes this Pinoy thirst-quenching sweet refreshment to the next level with sweetened pearls and colorful gulaman.
My family and I had a great Sunday feast here at Hukad. Their food are delicious and worth every Peso. If you want to try their lechon belly, I can honestly say that it is good. But keep in mind that there are also other great dishes Hukad has to offer such as the Baked Bantayan Scallop and Hukad Gambas. Both of these especially the scallop are so tasty. You'll definitely every bite. And oh! I love their Sago't Gulaman. They really did level it up. It made me forget I was craving for milk tea that day.