Batchoy is a noodle dish consisting of pork organs, chicken stock, beef loin, crushed chicharon or pork cracklings, and round noodles. One variant of the dish has an egg added to it. The dish originated from the La Paz district of Iloilo City in the Philippines.
 |
| Batchoyhouse328 |
While my dad was an Ilonggo, I never really got to live in Iloilo since we lived at the hometown of my mom. I was able to visit Iloilo, particularly the hometown of my dad, a long time ago but was not able to get the chance to get a taste of this delectable noodle dish.
 |
| Batchoy |
The first taste I had with batchoy was at Carlo's Batchoy at the old Food Street. Their batchoy tasted great, and was one of the places me and my friends used to go to after painting the town red. But, it appears Carlo's Batchoy will have to deal with a newcomer in town, Batchoyhouse328.
 |
| Batchoyhouse328 |
Batchoyhouse328
Batchoyhouse328 is a small batchoy place situated in the Guadalupe area. The place is actually the garage of the owner of the place where table and chairs were set up for their customers. You can actually see how they prepare the batchoy since their cooking area is right beside the garage.
 |
| Batchoy is prepared right before your eyes |
The place is owned by Vance Borja, who was the chef behind Chop Chop Food Centre and Uncle Noodles. While I was not able to talk to the owner, I learned that his mom was also an Ilongga. After the two restaurants closed, he decided to recreate this mouthwatering noodle dish from the hometown of his mom.
 |
| Special Batchoy |
The Batchoy
Batchoyhouse328 serves two variants of this humble noodle dish from La Paz, Iloilo, regular and special. The regular batchoy consists of pancit miki, meat, chicharon, and soup stock. The special batchoy consists all of the ingredients of the regular batchoy and an egg.
 |
| Batchoy of Batchoyhouse328 |
Price
The price of the regular batchoy is at PHP50 while the special batchoy is priced at PHP65. If you decide to order take out, you have to add an additional PHP15, which is understandable since you would have to pay for the packaging and other stuff to make sure your batchoy does not spill while you take it home.
 |
| Can't get enough of their batchoy |
You also have the option of adding an extra egg, soup, noodles, meat, and bone marrow. They also sell Pan de Sal at PHP5 per piece. For this summer, they have a special offering for their customers, their Summer Espayshal Halo Halo for PHP50.
 |
| Prices at Batchoyhouse328 |
The Place
If you plan on going to the place, you should not expect an air-conditioned dining area. Despite its humble appearance, they serve really great-tasting batchoy. In fact, when I was there I noted that their customers were well-to-do people. While only one other table was taken, there were two other people who ordered takeout.
 |
| Humble yet cozy dining area |
Location
Batchoyhouse328 is situated along M. Veloso St., Guadalupe, Cebu City. To get to the place, you can hop on a jeepney headed for Guadalupe Church or those marked 06B, 06C, 06F, or 06H. You can get off in front of Villa Fatima Compound and walk along the street on the opposite side of the compound. Once you reach the first corner, turn right. Batchoyhouse328 is situated several meters away from the corner on the right side of the road.
 |
| Summer offering at Batchoyhouse328 |
I will not be surprise if Batchoyhouse328 will grow bigger and offer more food choices in the future. It may even expand and open other branches in and around the city since they offer one of the best batchoy dishes in the Queen City of the South.
