Our next door uncle from the Netherlands (well, he is not really my uncle) is planning to have lechon or roast pig for Christmas. They asked where’s the best place to order lechon from as they do not want to order from our neighbourhood roaster.
 |
The lechon during my mother in-laws 75th birthday
last October 2011 at Basilan. |
We initially thought of ordering from Basilan where the Tolero’s usually get their lechon from. Its home cooked so to say and the pigs are grown in the backyard. Lechon or roast pig has always been a part of the Tolero's celebrations: birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries or even regular Sundays when the family is craving for the sumptuous oily treat. It would have been great to fly a beautifully roasted lechon from Basilan, but there had been trouble with flights to and from Zamboanga the previous months and we worry that the lechon would not arrive for Christmas on time.
I decided to ask around particularly from friends who know their way around food and came out with interesting findings. I have always thought that when it comes to lechon, Aling Lydia’s and Mila’s lechon would be the name that would stand out. But in the year 2011, this is no longer true. From the foodie friends of mine and some research, these are the names I discovered:
http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/zubuchon-thanks-the-press
One Mango Avenue Bldg (032)239-5697
Mactan International Airport Pre-Departure: (032)340-2486 local 3304
Escario Bldg, Escario St.: (032) 583-5699
Capitol Site: (032) 254-7342 or 0917-6274761
My friend Suzanne gave me this name saying that it is by far the best Lechon ever. Checked out its website and was amazed that it was in fact the one that earned the distinction of being the best lechon in the world thanks to world renowned food critic Anthony Bourdain. We would love to order a lechon from them for Noche Buena but the PAL flights are not so reliable and we might end up eating the lechon for Christmas Day instead. We are reserving the opportunity to taste a Zubuchon lechon much later unless of course someone from Cebu can send us some as a Christmas gift…he! He!
1377 V. Rama Avenue
Guadalupe, Cebu City
Tel (6332)254-4249, (6332)254-6641
This is also a well-known name when it comes to Cebu lechon. According to my friends however, someone in Cebu has to arrange for its freight since they do not have the same service as Zubuchon’s.
General's Lechon
3 Guillermo St., Ramos Compound,
Sun Valley Drive, Parañaque
4086850, (0917)8532466
They boast of having the Negros style lechon which is stuffed with garlic, lemongrass and other herbs and spices before being roasted. I stumbled upon this Lechonero online at www.spot.ph and was impressed by the review made on them. I believe they were also featured at Yummy magazine Since this is the closest to us here at Las Piñas, we decided to call them first. It turns out that they are already fully booked for December 24 and can no longer take in orders for that day. We pleaded, we used our charms, nagpaawa effect pero no epek!!! They courteously refused to accept our order as they were really booked to the max. In fact, they even told us that one woman called the night before saying that she would be fired by her boss if she would not be able to successfully place an order from them - Biro mo yon!!! General's Lechon must really be good to be fully booked for that day. So its true that foodies out there are indeed craving for this lechon this part of Manila. We decided not to pressure them any longer than we already did and jokingly told them that if we'd have guests flying in for Christmas next year, we'd order as early as January just to be sure :)
Loring's lechon
6 J. Eustaquio St. San Juan
Tel 725-2580, 7242867
My foodie and blogger friend Wyatt Belmonte gave me this information and said that Loring’s is Erap’s supplier of lechon in San Juan. We tried calling them up but their phones do not seem to work.
Elar’s Lechon
151 Quezon Ave. corner Speaker Perez St., Sta. Mesa Heights, Quezon City
 |
| Borrowed from www.spot.ph |
Eto ang supplier ni Imelda said Wyatt. According to food critics, the sight of Elar’s lechon can make you drool with delight. It is one of the few lechoneros that can roast a pig perfectly with a nice orangey hue. The lean meat is said to be tender and moist with a slight tinge of saltiness.
Drum roll please! Tan-ta-tan!!! Since we were successful in contacting them and they were still open for booking for the 24th, our Christmas lechon will be coming from them. Yehey!!! Finally, a lechon for Christmas! The only problem is that they unfortunately do not deliver and would be closed at 6pm on the 24th, which means we need to pick up our roasted pig and brave the traffic after that. Hoping the lechon will still be hot and crispy once it reaches the buffet table. Wala ng joy ride, joy ride ha!
