Balbacua: The heavenly Ox tail stew

"A rich and thick broth." "Tender and succulent meat." " A hearty meal." " Heavenly."

These words are not enough to describe the Visayan dish called Balbacua. Said to have originated from Spain, Cebuano's made it their own using cow skin, Ox tail and cow legs.

In the 21st century, Cebuano's have perfected it. And speaking of perfect, I have found the "One" in Cebu.

At NL cafe, located between SM City and Whitegold, you can find the most delicious Balbacua in the city. At the first taste of the soup, everything stopped moving!--time stood still.

Everyone around me appeared to be in slow motion while I was chewing
the most tender chunk of meat that I ever tasted in my life. Exaggerations aside, this is definitely the best. The broth is perfect. The meat--superb.

To be honest, I was never really a fan of this dish not until in my early twenties. Working as an apprentice on a construction project for a cell-site somewhere North, Balbacua was a personal favorite among construction workers-thus being served by it for lunch at least once a week.

Boiled for at least 7 hours on charcoal to get the right tenderness of the meat. Spices consisting of ginger, star anise, leeks, chilies and onions for that excellent aroma. And lastly, peanut butter and tomato paste to make the sticky sauce.

The verdict: A resounding perfect 10!

                                               ** The aftermath! Haha!**


I will definitely come back to this place and will never get tired of eating Balbacua for lunch. A must try for SM goers who are bored to death of eating the usual fast food. You'll need to walk for several minutes though to reach the area but the reward is worth it.

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