Lechon Ahoy!

Lechon is one of the most popular “fiesta” foods in the Philippines.  To the uninitiated, it is a roasted whole pig  – prepared differently depending on which part of the Island you end up partying in.  Cebu (south of the Philippines) is famous for its lechon. In fact, when  Anthony Bourdain visited the place, he only had three words to say about the lechon: “BEST PIG EVER” (watch it here, I’m not kidding!). It’s probably the cholesterol kicking in that made him fall into a gastronomic stupor, but who cares?! It’s not always you get to hear a superlative from Anthony Bourdain.

I have not eaten lechon in years (perhaps 8 years or so). The main reason is that I had to cut down on my pork intake after my bout with hypertension. My friends from Cebu promised to take me lechon-hopping  if and when we get together in Cebu. In my mind I know it will happen but not soon enough, so I went to check out the lechon hotspots in the  area where I live. I found about 5 lechon stalls a few blocks from each other. The 4 stalls only sell whole pigs. The fifth stall has a little restaurant (Lechon Ahoy!) so I ordered the lechon value meal for $4. The meal includes lechon, rice, pancit and iced tea.

As you can see, the portions are for little people. The pancit was salty and soggy so it was a big letdown. The lechon was good but it’s forgettable. Perhaps I had very high expectations given that I have not had a taste in years and the Cebu lechon has been on my mind for some time. Again, the lechon was good but it didn’t quite hit the spot.