Seriously considering Larsian to try grilled goods in Cebu City, a friend recommended for us to try, instead, Matias BBQ. “It’s cleaner,” she said, adding: “And yummier, of course.”
So we checked… and how was the visit to Matias BBQ for us?
@outragemag #Mandaue City’s #MatiasBBQ is worth checking as your #LGBT alternative to dining in the open in #Cebu ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine
Una, the place is NOT in Cebu City. It’s in nearby Mandaue City. We didn’t check where the BBQ place is, exactly; we just took a Grab and pinned the address. We just noted that the travel took a while, and yes, the fare wasn’t cheap (LOL).
Ikalawa, this is an open-air venue, similar to Larsian, though the difference is, here, there’s just one vendor (Matias BBQ). Maarte people beware: this isn’t for you.
Ikatlo, the servers were friendly… a pleasant surprise considering the number of people they had to serve. They knew what to recommend, and quickly dealt with some concerns (e.g. replace what was deemed stale rice).
Ika-apat, how was the food naman?
- The chicken – including the ₱85 pecho and ₱95 paa – were well-seasoned and well-cooked, remaining moist and not dry. Lasa-wise, they were smoky and sweetish.
- The ₱16 chorizos were actually good, properly cooked so that we were still able to taste the meat and accompanying sahog of garlic and the likes. This made us realize that when deciding to cook longganisa from Cebu, consider grilling instead of frying in oil. It just tastes better that way.
- The ₱165 balbacua (beef rind and oxtail soup) served to us was already cold, so was already greasy. The collagen-rich cuts were soft, and there were okay-tasting veggies, but the broth was already slimy from being oily.
- The ₱12 pusô was inconsistent; some were already stale (perhaps old stocks), and the others fresh. It’s hard to ascertain which is which since you’d be served with a lot. Order freshly-cooked rice if apprehensive… though this takes away from the overall experience of eating in a place like this.
Here’s the thing: our total bill was cheaper than the fare we paid to Grab to go there.
And so, for us, if this is accessible to you, consider this an alternative to, say, the likes of Larsian. That the food is good has to be emphasized, done in an outdoor setting that’d remind you of eating in the probinsiya.
But off we go again, in search of more LGBTQIA+ lagangan venues…
Open from 11.30AM to 8.00PM, Matias BBQ is located along A.S. Fortuna St., Banilad, Mandaue City.
