Location: 
Stall F209 2^nd Level

The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu

Cebu City

Specialty:
Filipino Dishes
 
Rating:
Nyss - 3/5
Geus - 3/5

FOOD:
Every once in a while, we miss eating in Filipino Restaurants hence we decided to try this Golden Cowrie-sister restaurant located at the Terraces in Ayala Center.  Hukad is a Cebuano term that means getting rice from the pot and putting it on a plate.  That is why when the servers in Hukad would ask you if you want more rice, they would say "Hukad pa?".

We ordered Kare-kare.  It was made of thick peanut sauce but unfortunately it was not rich enough and we both felt that it lacked salt.  The thing with Filipino is that the food is usually served "ready" unlike Americans who would always have salt and pepper on their tables to add taste to the food they're being served.  But some people would say that Kare-kare is best eaten with Bagoong (shrimp paste) which is already salty so there is no need to add a lot of salt to the kare-kare.  I agree but there are people who are allergic to shrimps so adding a little bit of flavor to the main dish won't hurt.

We also ordered scallops.  Geus loved it.  For me there was too much butter and too little cheese.  Also there were only 6 scallop shells in one order so if you are a seafood lover, it would be best if you order another order as one order can be good for 1 person only.

Lastly, we ordered puso salad (salad made of banana flower or banana blossoms) because it's been a while since we've last eaten puso ng saging.  The blossoms were diced.  Our helper would also often cook this dish but instead of dicing them, she would just slice the banana leaves into cubes of about 1 inch long.  Our helper would also put a generous amount of vinegar, onions, and garlic.  Hukad's Puso Salad tasted good but for me it lacked vinegar.  But I have a penchant for sour food so I think the Puso Salad would fare well with people who don't like a lot of vinegar in their food.

The Sago at Gulaman was supposed to be Geus' drink but when they served it, the sago (tapioca) balls were clustered together forming one big lump.  Even when you stir the drink, the sago still clung together.  In the end, Geus just decided to make it his dessert and therefore ordered Coke in Can as his drink.  The Sago at Gulaman tasted good except for the clumps of sago.

AMBIENCE/SERVICE:
We decided to time the number of minutes from the time we ordered to the time the food will be served and we were surprised that it only took 5 minutes.  This was really surprising since there were a lot of customers around.

The waiters were also very attentive and polite.

The place does not really have a Filipino feel to it unless you look at the small details which some of us may miss.  Their light is designed as a hanging "puso".  Their plate is covered with banana leaves. 

PRICE:
Baked Scallops – PHP 119.00

Kare-Kare – PHP 188.00

Puso Salad – PHP 49.00

Ahhh Rice – PHP 30.00

Sago at Gulaman – PHP 40.00

Nestea Iced Tea – PHP 35.00

Coke in Can – PHP 42.00

VERDICT:
Nyss – It's a place to go to when you would like to eat Filipino dishes.  Just don't expect them to be extraordinary in taste.  I will go back because the price is not too expensive and the location is accessible.

Geus - An ideal place for a barkada lunch-out. I love the scallops!