Tacloban City's Penduko's Barbecue for Grilled Chicken Skin

This is one find I'm happy I took pictures of, proof that indeed I ate there. There appears to be no mention of Penduko Barbecue online.  Your best bet is a local to get you there. I fell in love with the skewered chicken skin and longaniza. 

(L-R) skewered chicken skin, pork, longaniza (pork sausage) and chicken 

Penduko Barbecue is one of many stalls facing Real Street in Tacloban. It's the one with the longest line, which is always a safe bet when picking the better eateries.  Offerings included chicken thighs and wings, skin, intestines, liver, longaniza and pork. 

After making our selection, we were led to our table while our orders were grilled. Rice came wrapped in coconut. The locals call these puso. 

The sauce, which was also used to baste the barbecue, came in regular or spicy. I chose the latter.

the secret is in the sauce 

Leyte's Ocho Seafood and Grill for Grilled Prawns and Halaan (Clam) Soup

Next to pork, I go crazy for seafood. Make that fresh seafood, since with it, half the battle is won. 

I thought I had my culinary highlight dining at Rafael's Farm and Garden Restaurant (read my report here). Well, Leyte has more in store. Online, Ocho Seafood Grill and Restaurant comes highly recommended, and I think it's just right, since it's a shame to be surrounded by the sea and not enjoy its treasures. 

baked scallops

We first chose from the seafood display and instructed the attendant how we want our choices cooked. This was quite fun, and you can see first-hand that the selection is really fresh.

i had taken a number of shots of the fresh produce before i was told picture-taking was forbidden 

Everything we ordered were superb--spicy blue crabs, grilled pork belly, and gilled squid. But what were stellar for me were the baked scallops, pictured above, and the halaan (clam) soup pictured below. These two alone made the trip to the restaurant worthwhile, and I almost forgot the other items in the menu. Almost, hahahaha.

The scallops were buttery and clean, with just the right amount of butter and garlic so as not to overpower the delicate flavor of the mollusk. I was happy with the size of the clams offered at the display: I opted for the bigger ones, since these were rare in Manila. The clams were milky and flavorful, the broth very refreshing. 

With a meal that good, and prices at half those in Manila, I can't wait to return.

Ocho Seafood and Grill

Senator Enage Street, Tacloban City

(+63) 53 325-4171

Tacloban City's Stephanie Smoke Haus' Seafood Buffet for Fried Spareribs and Alimasag (Blue Crabs)

By some quirk, I'm here at Leyte for the second month in a row. You can read my prior posts here, here, and here. I wanted to try something different this time. Luckily, I have a team-mate who grew up in Tacloban. Considering that we'd be subsisting on hotel food for three days, we decided a restaurant buffet is the way to go, so Stephanie Smoke Haus it is, located right across Robinson's Mall. 

Basically the restaurant serves pork, seafood, some token vegetables, fresh fruits, and for those with a sweet tooth, fruit salad and buco pandan. The items were cheap, the choices decent. Everyone agreed that the best of the lot was the fried spareribs and the boiled blue crabs. 

What made these dishes stellar? We were lucky we got them fresh from the kitchen. The spare ribs were nicely browned in soy sauce and very flavorful, dispensing with the need for dips. The crab meat were sweetish, suggesting that the crustaceans were freshly caught that morning. I've been partial lately to mud crabs, but this time I came to appreciate the qualities of blue crabs--it is easier to pluck out the meat from the claws and the body, the meat is uniformly white and firm, and the fat buttery. 

Stephanie Smoke Haus

Avenida Veteranos, Leyte

(+63) 53 325-3797

Leyte's Chocolate Moron

Yes, you read it right. There are as many rice cakes in the Philippines as there are provinces, and this is Leyte's own. Made from rice flour and chocolate paste, wrapped in banana leaves and then steamed. They last for three days without refrigeration. I bought the special one, which costs P8.00 each, from Aida's of Tacloban Vity.