When I visited Cebu City, I decided to try Filipino cuisine and entered KUYA J RESTAURANT. KUYA J is a Filipino restaurant chain with around 50 locations across the Philippines. The one I visited is located at SM City Cebu, and there is also a branch at Ayala Center. By the way, you’ll go through a metal detector check when entering shopping malls.
At the entrance, there were people sitting on chairs, but it seemed like they were just resting. I asked the staff at the entrance, and they kindly guided me inside. There were a few vacant tables inside.
Since it’s in a shopping mall, it’s easy to access and suitable for solo diners. I ended up visiting twice, on both the first and last days of my trip.
KUYA J is located at the far end of SM City Cebu, so it has windows that let in natural light, creating an open and airy atmosphere. The interior is spacious, and each table is equipped with tissues. Payment is made at the table.
I thought it might be a magazine, but it turned out to be the menu.
They offer a wide range of classic Filipino dishes, including pork belly, sisig, lechon, crispy pata, and sinigang soup. The menu includes photos of popular items. The detailed menu is available on KUYA J’s official website.
Let me introduce some dishes I enjoyed:
Since I dined alone, I was mindful of portion sizes when ordering.
Most dishes at KUYA J cost around 300 pesos, and dishes exceeding that price typically come in large portions, unless they contain high-end ingredients. Be careful with dishes like crispy pata and soups.
Grilled Scallops:
A popular Filipino seafood dish is grilled scallops with butter and garlic, known as Grilled Scallops. I tried it on my first night in Cebu, and it was delicious. Although I usually think it’s a waste to sauté scallops in garlic butter, it tasted great this way. Each scallop is served in its shell, giving it a luxurious touch, though the scallops themselves are small.
It pairs perfectly with San Miguel beer. I loved it so much that I came back for it on the last day before heading to the airport.
Pork Berry:
Pork Belly is simply grilled pork belly. While the name might make Japanese people like me think of berries such as strawberries or raspberries, no berries are used here. The pork is subtly flavored with barbecue seasoning.
On the left is marinated carrot, and the black sauce is a soy-based dip, which is extremely sweet. Filipinos love sweet flavors with meat, so I enjoyed the pork without using the sauce, as the meat already had enough flavor.
Pork Barbecue:
On my last day, I ordered Pork Barbecue. The menu mentioned skewered pork with rice, and the portion seemed just right for one person. It turned out to be a great choice.
The skewers looked like skewered offals and came in a set of three. The rice portion was also perfect for one. As usual, the accompanying sauce was very sweet, perhaps a sweet and sour sauce, but the skewers themselves were well-seasoned, so I didn’t need the sauce.
San Miguel Beer:
When you think of beer in the Philippines, you think of San Miguel Beer, and of course, they have it. In the photo is San Miguel Light. They also serve the most popular variety, and I love that they chill the thick glasses before serving. However, this means the foam stays for a long time and doesn’t disappear, which is amusing.
About
Name KUYA J RESTAURANT
Open Day through night
Reservation Available
Credit card Available
URL Website
Google Map
