I always say that whenever you are at a loss and in doubt on what to eat, always choose inihaw (grilled foods)! You could never go wrong with it as I have yet to find a person who does not love to eat anything grilled. People love it by default! If you happen to be in Cebu and you are craving for grilled foods, Larsian is your best bet!
Arranged like those food courts we have in our malls, Larsian gets stuffed and jampacked especially during the weekends. As far as the ordering process goes, Larsian folllows the same procedure being done in dampa. Representatives of each stall stands at the gate entrance to make an impassing sales pitch of their service and how their dishes are better than the others. After picking one among them, you wil then be led to the stall they are rendering their service to and be assigned to seat at any of the tables situated in front of their stall.
We chose Pongsioy! Funny sounding name it is but I am glad we did choose it as the owner, Ate Sherly, is very attentive to our needs, the sauce that they concocted to coat their bbq's is delish and the service is lightning fast!
Here comes the fun part! Choosing endlessly from their extensive line-up of on-sticks!
They have every on-sticks you could think of! From longganiza to bbq, chicken intestines and gizzard you are sure to find it here!
To the more conscious eaters, they also have different choices of fresh fish and seafoods on stock.
At the center of the compound is where the magic happens! This grilling station is being shared by all the stalls around Larsian.
Tada! All of our orders are served to us fresh and grill-hot!
We got the Anduhaw fish (mackerel) as they call it in Cebu;
Who could forget the classics like this Chicken barbecue hita (thigh)?
Grilled squid complete with onion and tomatoes which I got addicted to!
The blue marlin was gone in seconds!
Of course, we also got the good ol' tilapia!
Also in our table are different kinds of longganisa and chorizo! There are other more grilled goodies that I failed to include here but I could honestly tell you that we ordered a LOT!
All the foods are meant to be enjoyed using our bare hands but I strongly suggest putting on those plastic gloves still to not get your hands too dirty!
All of the dishes goes well with these nicely wrapped steamed rice, weaved in coconut leaves called Puso. When I first saw these stacked pieces in a basket, it did not dawned on me, even the slightest that it was rice. I was at a loss when I first saw this, so to spare you the heart ache and mind work that it cost me, my cousin here will give a quick demo on how to go about eating it!
And just repeat the whole process! It is that easy to eat and enjoy the Puso!
While we are eating our heart out, Ate Sheryl circles around our table every now and then just to ask if we still need something. Most of the time we do not even have to tell here what we need, as she will give it to us even before we ask. That is how attentive she is to our requirements and one of the main reasons why I will hands down recommend her stall to anyone who plans to go to Larsian.
After emptying 8 plates and chowing down 35 pusos, we eventually reached our most filled state!
But look at our bill! Even our bellyful selves could not believe that the whole meal costed us only and approximately Php 1200! That's how very affordable Larsian is! A highly recommended place for those travellers who are on a tight budget!
To appease our sweet tooth and to cleanse our palate with a different taste, we bought slices of the cassava cake and egg pie from Cake Me Home positioned near the gate.
The slices only cost Php 18 each while the whole box is priced at Php 144.
I got the egg pie for myself which served as a nice finale to our rather smokey meal. The egg pie is very consistent and not to sweet which did hit the right spot for me!
Larsian is basically an inihaw haven. Unassuming as it is, people come here to have a good time and to munch their way to satiety with their friends and family. Aside from the food, the affordable price and exemplary service are two other factors that will keep me coming back to this foodieland. And for those who have not yet experienced the place, the next time you come around the city, make sure to reserve one of your Cebu city nights for a dinner at Larsian!