Cebu City, Cebu | Day 3. Greatest Ribs, Sky Experience and Pasalubong Shopping

Casa verde
No doubt the best ribs in sugbu! For only P208 you get to taste Brian's ribs. (That's right, you get to taste the stokedtraveler's ribs :P)

 "If you taste me, you'll never forget me". That's what was said on the menu for Brian's Ribs. Who knew Brian's ribs tasted that good! :P

The ribs look small in the photo but the rice there is regular sized and the plate is just equally super-sized

 The serving was huge and could easily be good for 3 people on a normal diet. The stokedtraveler and his two friends had 3 orders of Brian's ribs and one salad. The marinated ribs were so flavorful and satiating that they were already too full just halfway through their meal. 

There's no question why this restaurant ranks high on tripadvisor's recommended dining experiences in Cebu . This is definitely a must-eat-at place while in Cebu. Reserve a seat in advance on their original store (not the one inside the mall) to get that authentic home cooked experience.

Sky Experience Adventure @ Crown Regency Hotel
Crown Regency Hotel is just a few blocks away from Casa Verde. The stokedtraveler and his friends didn't know this so they took a cab to get there. By the time they reached Crown Regency Hotel, the taxi meter was still at P40.00!

The viewing deck

It was around 1pm when they reached the sky experience adventure on the Crown Regency tower. They paid a P250 entrance fee to get further up to the viewing deck of the tower. There were a few high powered binoculars available for use by tourists. Viewing with the binoculars cost P10 for a few seconds. The sun was out in its scorching glory. Unfortunately, this was the only time possible for them to try the adventure because one of them had to catch a flight back to manila the same day.

You get to see all of Cebu from high on top of the Crown Regency Tower

Malacañang of the South?

The stokedtraveler was the only one fond of high places in their group. He could only ask one of his friends to take one ride with him. It was either the skywalk or the edge coaster. Lucky for him, one of his friends got persuaded into taking the edge coaster. This was the same ride the stokedtraveler was looking forward to if he could only choose one (which he had to) out of the many options in sky experience adventure. The skywalk photos looked better at night.

This edge coaster in Cebu is the first edge coaster in the world. The ride costs P300/person. It is all about cruising on a tilted two-seater contraption along a rail on the edge of the 37th floor of the tower. The seats can be titled anywhere from 45-55 degrees depending on which suits the taste of the riders. Even the bravest daredevil will get some adrenaline rush when the seats are tilted all the way to maximum. The trick is just to look into the horizon and not all the way down on the ground. For best results, tilt the coaster as much as you can so the photographer is sure to be able to capture your faces for the souvenir shot. If you do this, brace yourself for a hell lot of cursing from your partner if he is not up for the challenge. :) If the photo turns out well then you can buy a print for P150 per photo.

Because of Cebu's humid weather and climate, it is really better to just do these sky experience rides late in the afternoon or at night. The city lights will be an added feature in the viewing deck if you're into those kind of things.

Mooon Cafe

This mexican themed cafe also claims to have great baby back ribs. The stokedtraveler still had the taste of Cafe Verde's Brian's ribs in his head. He had to give it justice and make the memory linger longer. 

Mooon Steak. Spaghetti ala mooon. Margarita Pizza

So instead of ordering more ribs, he tried the signature Mooon Steak. The gravy sauce was good and the meat was tender. It was served a bit cold though. Nonetheless, it tasted ok for the price of P199. Their spaghetti ala mooon tasted better while the margarita pizza had a light taste minus the italian touch of tomato sauce. Mooon Cafe is also located in Ayala Center which seemed to be the group's go-to place for anything convenient and safe in Cebu.

Tabo-an Public Market

Failing to do more research, the stokedtraveler and his friend decided to leave for the market past 5pm (Tabo-an market is only open from 8am-5pm). Even worse, they decided to take a walk since google maps said that it wasn't going to be a long one from their hotel. After getting misguided directions from locals, they ended up walking far more than what they expected. They reached the market at around 630pm and most stores inside the market were already closed. The only ones still open were those that had their stalls within the road or outside the market complex.

Danngit bai!

Tabo-an market is Cebu City's go to place for anything dried: Dried varieties of fish, fish bone, squid, mangoes etc. Danggit and dried pusit are the most frequented items here. Dried fish alone smells bad so imagine what going to a market with mounds and mounds of dried seafood would do to you. Wear clothes (the entire package including underwear) that you don't plan to wear again during your trip. Best to visit the market on the last day of your trip to spare your hotel room of the smell of dried fish. It really does stick to whatever cloth material you bring with you on the market (even your bag).

The prices are almost the same per store but remain vigilant of sellers that will rush you into buying. The smaller stores usually sell cheaper than those occupying bigger spaces. The simple truth to this is because the smaller stores pay lower rent and therefore can offer better prices than the bigger ones. Be sure to compare the items too, they will always say theirs is better but better do some research before you buy. The stokedtraveler learned that Danggit which look fuller and has a touch of green is better than those that look pale black/grey in appearance. Bigger dried pusit is better than smaller ones simply because the small ones get too small when cooked. Also go for the naturally sweet pusit than the ones that have been added with sugar. There are new varieties of dried mangoes being sold. They now have green dried mangoes and chocolate coated dried mangoes. The former tastes better than the latter. The taste of chocolate and dried mangoes cancel out each other leaving a bland taste.