Have you ever eaten in a place where there's no drama? No fancy cutlery, no expensive decor, no cheesy music but you're just there for the great food? That's how I felt with Bulalohan sa Mabolo. Except that I only realized how great the food was after we've finished devouring all the plates clean.
Maybe the only thing you'd find fancy-looking in the restaurant are these chandeliers.
This tiny hole-in-the-wall is tucked in a quiet side street across Persimmon Condominium in Mabolo. Finding the place may be a bit difficult for first timers since there isn't any signage at all and the people in the area may not have heard of it yet. It turns out, they are still on their soft opening and are due to fully open in the coming weeks.
Don't expect too much of the interiors. It's basically just an old house converted into a restaurant. I think they are slowly trying to renovate the place as they gain momentum in penetrating the local market and earning word of mouth referrals from people.
But who's to say the interiors influence how good the food is? Don't let the looks deceive yah.
Their signature dish - Bulalo (350 Php).
I often get confused with the terms Bulalo and Pochero. As someone explained, Bulalo is just the Tagalog term for its Pochero counterpart in the Visayas (though there may be a few ingredients added here and there).
Whichever name you use, this dish is made of beef shank with the bone marrow still intact and slow cooked until the meat almost falls off the bone. This hearty soup is a perfect comfort meal after a long day's work and most especially during the rainy season which we do get often here in the Philippines.
Every now and then I crave for Pochero but I find it too expensive in well-known restaurants. There's a place here in Cebu that serves dirt cheap Pochero but there just doesn't seem any meat left at all. The Bulalohan in Mabolo is somewhere in between the spectrum - not too expensive but has more meat and tastes way better than the expensive ones.
Bopis at 80 Php.
I first tried Bopis when I was in Manila several years ago and it tasted good. Here in Cebu, we have our own version of cooking pig innards called Paklay though it's way different from the Bopis being served in Luzon. Talk about diversity in cuisine, eh?
Bopis is a spicy dish made up of minced pig's heart and lungs sauteed with tomatoes, chilis and onions (thanks Wikipedia). If you get grossed out with "innards", just think of these as ground pork instead but you'll soon forget you're eating the pig's internal organs anyway because the Bopis served in Bulalohan in Mabolo is really tasty and flavorful.
Lumpia Shanghai (90 Php).
I love lumpia shanghai and the ones being served at Bulalohan sa Mabolo were good though I kinda wish they were a bit thicker.
There you go, folks! That's our superb and comforting dinner at Bulalohan sa Mabolo. We will definitely be back when they fully open and when I crave for Bulalo/Pochero again.
I do believe this hole-in-the-wall restaurant with humble beginnings will go a long way. Here's their menu, just in case you'd want to have a bang for your buck at Bulalohan sa Mabolo.
Bulalohan sa Mabolo
116 H. Joaquino Street, Mabolo, Cebu City
Opens from 5 pm to 10 pm (Reservations are encouraged)
For reservations, call/text: 0936-991-8924
Like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BulalohanSaMabolo/
Follow them on Instagram: BulalohanSaMabolo
