cebu lechon – Jellybeans in the City

Affordable and fuss-free lunch at Chic-Boy, Tomas Morato

Ever since my coworkers and I were required to #ReturnToOffice, the highlight of our working day is our mid-day meal together: our so-called #HappyLunch.

One fine day, our lunch break forays took us to the recently re-opened Chic-Boy nearby.

Chic-Boy serves a variety of Filipino comfort food, notable for its delicious and affordable menu items that cater to a broad range of customers, and to our petsa de peligro-prone group in particular.

The name “Chic-Boy” is a combination of two words, “chicken” and “baboy” (Filipino for pork), which are the two main ingredients used in most of the dishes. The restaurant chain’s concept revolves around serving tasty and budget-friendly Filipino food in a casual and welcoming environment.

The restaurant has a casual, no-frills ambiance, making it a perfect spot for a quick and fuss-free lunch. As it is conveniently located in a strip of eateries a mere walking distance from our workplace, we had no trouble getting here and sating our lunch cravings.

The service is fast and efficient, ensuring that we got our food in no time; the server even gamely took our photos for those requisite group photo opps.

Of course, the highlights of our dining experience here are Chi-Boy’s affordably priced yet deliciously filling dishes, all served with steamed rice and a bowl of hot soup, such as:

Cebu Lechon Liempo (Php190). This is Chic-Boy’s best-selling dish, and for a good reason! The tender and juicy pork belly is roasted Cebu Lechon-style, giving it a crispy skin and mouth-watering flavor. It’s served with a side of vinegar dipping sauce that perfectly complements the meat.

Lechon Sisig (Php170). The crispy, savory, and spicy chopped pork belly is a must-try for anyone who loves sisig. The dish is perfect as a pulutan or a main dish that goes well with rice.

Chicken Inasal Paa (Php155). Chic-Boy’s version of Chicken Inasal is a crowd favorite. The grilled chicken is marinated in a blend of spices, giving it a deliciously smoky flavor. It’s served with a side of sinamak (spiced vinegar) dipping sauce that enhances the taste of the chicken.

So if you’re on the lookout for an affordable and fuss-free lunch, Chic-Boy in Tomas Morato is the perfect destination for you . With its wide range of tasty yet budget-friendly Filipino dishes, including the best-selling Cebu Lechon Liempo, Lechon Sisig, and Chicken Inasal, Chic-Boy offers a deliciously Filipino dining experience that won’t disappoint.

This Chi-Boy branch is located at The Terraces, Tomas Morato Avenue corner Scout Borromeo Street, Barangay South Triangle, Quezon City, open for dine-in, delivery and pick up from 11am to 10pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 86316213 or 63 929 2323237.

Know more about its menu and offers by visiting its website or following Chic-Boy on Facebook and Instagram.

Liloan’s Pride, California Garden Square

Every once in a while, we all get a craving for food that’s hefty and fatty, the kind that will make a cardiologist’s heart skip a beat (ironically so).

And when that craving comes, there’s no better (or tastier) way to assuage it than to indulge in a juicy and succulent piece of lechon.

Well, if you can’t buy the whole roasted pig, why not indulge yourself in some lechon liempo?

Liloan’s Pride Liempo combines the use of traditional culinary methods and ingredients and modern cooking processes to produce a perfectly roasted pork belly. Each serving is meticulously marinated to infuse the meat with flavor and roasted exactingly to give the skin a satisfying crunch to the bite.

I got another taste of this famous lechon together with my fellow foodies when I joined a foodie meetup at the Liloan’s Pride Liempo store at Calfornia Garden Square in Mandaluyong.

There, our feast included:

Cebu Liempo (Php360). A huge slab or pork belly marinated and roasted Cebu lechon style. A spicy version is available for Php380 if you’re craving for additional heat.

Roasted Chicken (Php360). The chicken version of the Cebu liempo which makes for tender and juicy meat and flavorful skin.

Liempo Manok Rice Meal (Php190). The best of both worlds, really: the lechon liempo and the roasted chicken plus a cup of steamed rice in one plate.

Classic Sisig (Php160). Pampanga’s famous dish made with pig cheeks flavored with calamansi, onions and chili peppers. For me, it could use a bit more crunch and saltiness (from crushed Cebu liempo skin maybe?).

Garlic Bangus (Php220). A whole medium-sized bangus (milkfish) butterfly-filleted, marinated in garlic and vinegar then fried to a golden brown and topped with toasted garlic. It’s very fragrant from all the garlic but it could use more of the vinegar taste so keep some of the store’s sawsawan handy when you order this. A rice meal with a quarter of the garlic bangus is also available for Php99.

Pochero Meal (Php149). Pork belly slices stewed together with chickpeas, sliced bananas, potatoes, green beans and cabbage in rich tomato sauce. I find it ok but would prefer the beef version of pochero.

Beef Pares Meal (Php99). The power combo of beef asado, garlic rice and broth.

So the next time that craving comes, you know what to do! Hie yourself over to Liloan’s Pride Liempo.

Many thanks to Ms Ani Conanan and the staff of Liloan’s Pride Liempo for the meal and to Harvard of AlwaysHungryPH for extending the invitation.

This Liloan’s Pride Liempo branch is located at San Juan California Garden Square, Domingo M. Guevarra Street, Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City.

Other branches may be found at

SM Hypermarket, Upper Ground Floor, Building B, SM Megamall, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
Ground Floor, Connecticut Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Center, Greenhills, San Juan
Lower Ground Floor, SM Cubao, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City
Third Floor, RCBC Plaza, Ayala Avenue, Salcedo Village, Makati City
The Block, SM City North EDSA, Bago Bantay, Quezon City
SM Hypermarket, North Wing, SM Mall of Asia, MOA Complex, Pasay City
Food Court, Second Floor, Alabang Town Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa

Disclosure: Together with other foodies, I attended a foodie meetup held here wherein food and drink items were served to allow us to sample the fare. These were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my reviews of other Filipino restaurants:

Liloan’s Pride Liempo, Greenhills

Much has been said of Cebu’s take on the lechon: its crunchy golden skin, its tender, juicy and flavorful meat, its independence from sauces and condiments that usually accompany the country’s national dish.

Liloan’s Pride Liempo, the brainchild of a family based in the municipality of Liloan in Cebu, is borne out of the recipes and practices that make the family’s lechon a local treasure.

The secret lies in choosing the freshest and juiciest meat, marinating it in garden-fresh herbs, spices and seasonings, then slow-roasting the flavor-infused meat to tender and flavorful perfection.

The Cebu lechon chain recently opened its newest store in Greenhills Shopping Center where it serves up, not just its celebrated Cebu lechon-style liempo, but also other classic Pinoy dishes that brings a taste of home away from home, all affordably priced to suit the Pinoy everyman’s budget.

Together with my fellow foodies, I was able to sample some of its offerings which included:

Cebu Liempo (Php360). The star of the show, this roasted pork belly is infused with herbs, with juicy meat highlighted by its crispy skin. A spicy version is available for Php380.

Roasted Chicken (Php380). A whole chicken prepared in the Cebu lechon manner.

Crispy Garlic Bangus (Php200). Marinated and lightly battered milkfish pan-fried to a holden brown and topped with toasted minced garlic.

Classic Sisig (Php160). Minced pig cheeks seasoned with calamansi, onions and chili peppers, topped with egg and served on a sizzling plate.

Bulalo Sisig (Php199). The store’s new take on the classic sisig which combines the classic dish with beef bulalo.

Beef Pares (Php99). Braised beef stew served with clear soup and garlic rice.

Pochero (Php149). Pork belly slices stewed in a tomato-based sauce along with potatoes, garbanzos. green beans and shredded cabbage, and served with sliced plantains.

While food choices – many of which are from foreign cuisines – abound in Metro Manila, it is heartening to know that our local delicacies are also represented.

Many thanks to the management and staff of Liloan’s Pride for the tasty meal and to EJ of #WeLoveToEatPH for extending the invitation!

This Liloan’s Pride Liempo branch is located at Ground Floor, Connecticut Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Center, Greenhills, San Juan.

Other branches may be found at

SM Hypermarket, Upper Ground Floor, Building B, SM Megamall, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
California Garden Square, Domingo M. Guevarra Street, Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City
Lower Ground Floor, SM Cubao, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City
Third Floor, RCBC Plaza, Ayala Avenue, Salcedo Village, Makati City
The Block, SM City North EDSA, Bago Bantay, Quezon City
SM Hypermarket, North Wing, SM Mall of Asia, MOA Complex, Pasay City
Food Court, Second Floor, Alabang Town Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa

Disclosure: Together with other foodies, I attended a food tasting event held here wherein food and drink items were served to allow us to sample the fare to facilitate honest reviews. These were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my reviews of other Filipino restaurants:

Abbiocco Alternative Filipino, Paligsahan

Isla Sugbu Seafood City, McKinley Hill

Chef Robert, Greenhills

The Lechon Shop, Tomas Morato

Angus Tapa Centrale, Tomas Morato

Gerry’s Grill, Tomas Morato

Luna J Filipino Gastropub, Tomas Morato

Gerry’s Grill, SM Marikina

Bacolod Chicken Parilla, Tomas Morato

Classic Savory, SM East Ortigas

Jaytee’s Tagaytay