I have been telling you guys over and over how much I love the Filipino Food served at Golden Cowrie. I have even told you that it is one of the best Filipino Restaurants in Cebu.
I still believe that they are the best despite my unpleasant experience in Hukad sa Golden Cowrie at the Terraces Ayala Cebu. We dined in Hukad December last year and ordered some of my favorite food and some of their best sellers.
I did not post any review of it yet until now for one good reason: I was disappointed with their food and service.
Filipino Food: Baked Scallops – Php 119.00
Golden Cowrie’s Baked Scallop is a good aphrodisiac for your eating desires. This is a must-order dish to set the mood of your dining experience.
Filipino Food: Bicol Express – Php 65.00
Golden Cowrie’s Bicol Express looks very weird to me. It’s just too dirty green for my eyes and definitely not appetizing. I was hoping for something more of a milky white color highlighting the presence of coconut milk.
The Bicol Express tasted just all right but I couldn’t get past the color issue so I did not eat much of it.
Filipino Food: Chicharon Bulaklak – Php 88.00
Golden Cowrie’s Chicharon Bulaklak is always a hit for me. I like it because everything is crispy and spiced just right.
Filipino Food: Sinigang Soup (Baby Prawns) – Php 149.00
I like Golden Cowrie’s Sinigang because it has the right “asim” factor that I look for in a sinigang. The Baby Prawns served were really babies because they were not as big as I would have wanted them to be. I like the bigger prawns because sometimes I lose patience taking out the shells.
Filipino Food: Blue Marlin – Php 155.00
I am not really a fish expert but I can say that Golden Cowrie’s Blue Marlin was just okay. The serving size is just enough for what you pay for. It was grilled just okay. Okay now how many times do I have to say okay? Okay? Nothing special, okay?
Filipino Food: Kare-kare – Php 188.00
This is the first time I ordered Golden Cowrie’s Kare-Kare. I have tried the Kare-Kare at Pino Filipino Restaurant and find it just all right because my problem with it was that the soup was not too thick.
But Golden Cowrie’s version of the Kare-Kare was worse! Sorry but I do not understand why there wasn’t any beef meat there and it was all (I believe to be) tripe. It was just too much for me. Sorry I could not eat that.
Filipino Food: Grilled Baby Back Ribs – Regular Php 199.00 / Jumbo Php 289.00
The Baby Back Ribs is my favorite food from Golden Cowrie’s menu. I always order this every time I eat at Golden Cowrie SM Cebu with my family.
Unfortunately the Baby Back Ribs served in Ayala Cebu was a disappointment because they had too many bones and were undercooked.
Golden Cowrie’s (Partial) Menu and Food Prices
See more here: Menu1 and Menu2
Pakalista Verdict
Overall I believe Golden Cowrie is still the best Filipino Restaurant here in Cebu Philippines considering the food quality and its affordable price.
I must admit though that my Golden Cowrie experience in Hukad at the Terraces Ayala Cebu came as a shock to me because I did not expect such low food quality and service. Yes, it was already months ago but I can still remember it perfectly. It started with them serving me a very watery almost juice-like viscosity Mango Shake that I just had to have it replaced.
I would have expected much better from them because I always had a very pleasant experience in Golden Cowrie SM Cebu. I know that my review of their Ayala Cebu branch is not a good one but I am writing this so that they would (hopefully) know how I felt that day. Oh gawd I’m becoming emotional on this! LOL
Seriously, I do hope that by now Golden Cowrie at the Terraces Ayala Cebu has already improved their service and can maintain the same quality as that served in Golden Cowrie SM Cebu.
Golden Cowrie Branches
Lahug
Address: Salinas Drive, Lahug, Cebu City
Telephone: +63-32-2334243
SM City Cebu
Address: Lower Ground Floor, SM Cebu, North Reclamation Road, Cebu City
Ayala Center Cebu
Address: Level 2, The Terraces Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu Business Park
Photo credits: Jeffroger Kho
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22 Comments
Same experience I had… Right on the money! I’d rather go to the main resto @ Lahug. Sulit didto.
The manager handling the Ayala branch used (?) to handle the Lahug main branch. Or basin temporary arrangement ra toh.
@jan: I still prefer Golden Cowrie in SM Cebu Jan. I was not very happy with Golden Cowrie in Lahug. But that will be on a separate review… Abangan… 🙂
same here…
I, too, had the same experience with the Ayala branch. I’ve also heard similar feedbacks from other people.
Grabe kahinay sa ila service…murag wala jud silay pakialam sa imo…
I prefer the SM branch. Quick service…good food…
Isn’t Hukad sa Golden Cowrie and Golden Cowrie the same? I think they have the same food but different management.
@Carz: Thanks for visiting our blog 🙂 Yes that’s true, really poor service. And the sad part was that we dined there during my birthday 😦 Good thing I was just too tired to make a big deal out of it (at that time). Golden Cowrie in SM serves fairly quick even during peak hours.
@Alex: Hukad in Terraces Ayala and Golden Cowrie are the same yes and I think so too that they are under different management. This we have to find out. When I asked for Golden Cowrie Lahug’s calling card, there wasn’t any mention of Hukad at The Terraces as a branch. (Or it was just an old card)
Yes Cowrie for pinoy food. I like their scallops.. Olio in Crossroads had really good oysters as well. Although its definately a spurge if you go. I’ve never been to hukad because I always assume they serve the same thing. Are they the same?
Oh yeah, I can’t get passed by their kare-kare either.. Can’t seem to get over the nutty taste. Maybe its a manila thing..
what? no crispy pata? hehe
@leylander: Hehehe, sori medyo pricey mn ang crispy pata… next time =)
i agree on the very slow service in ayala.
i really love their adobong talong (which did not get a mention at all. hhhmmmmm…). i do not not order this when i dine there. yumm…o!
hinay jd cgro ug serbisyo, ky kahibaw p lng mo kng unsa na orasa manguli ang trbhanti dha? hpit na kaadlawn. mao cgro magluya na.hehhee
nxt tym knang cge reklamo, kamo nlay pgserve. ok? kng di mo adto nlng mo kaon sa pungko-pungko.
Terrible service.. i should have listened to you guys here.. Ako papa man gud nanghagad ug kaon didto.. DI NA JUD KO MO-USAB.. makalagot ang serice.. wa jud ko ni tip
WOW, “hot” stuff here ha. I haven’t been to the Ayala branch so I can’t really tell how slow/fast the service is. Fast service can be subjective, unless they really timed the waiters, then I really wouldn’t take somebody’s word for it. But kaning daghan na ni-ingon na hinay jud, aw…. dapat cguro magdala na gyud tag timer sunod para maklaro… kundi sa pungko-pungko nalang gyud ko ani. 🙂
i tried golden cowrie hugad in ayala. its a poor service i tried in most restaurant. i ask the waiter how much there salary. its only P120 net and P10 pesos allowance, how we can expect server to be past and quick service. the price that we pay and the service we get. i will not come back again. bad expereince. i cant recomment to any of my freind.
i prefer ang golden cowrie sa SM,
gamai kaau ang servings sa hukad sa ayala
then gamai ra kaau ma accomdate nila nga customers.
hmmmm….im planning to go to cebu on january for the sinulog festival and I plan to check this place out together with my friends from Cebu.
they say food is really great here. and looks like the price more than reasonable.
Thanks for the info about the ayala branch, wont be dropping by there, dont wanna risk bad service … hehe
just my 2 cents on the matter regarding the service and the pay that someone indicated in one of the comments. I think regardless of how much the crew are being paid by the management, they should deliver quality service, because that is what they are being paid for in the first place. If the other branches are able to deliver good service, why cant they, they should be within the same salary range. and besides, if you’re not happy with your salary and think it isnt proportional to the work you are being asked to do, then find another job right?
anyway, thanks for the pics and the review. hope to enjoy my visit to cebu, I’ve been planning to do so for quite some time already.
cheers!
@mikeym:
thank you for leaving a comment on our blog. service is really an issue on the Ayala branch. I haven’t been back there pa hinuon to check if there’s an improvement but based on what the readers pointed out so far, murag wa pay positive changes sa ilang setup 🙂
i do hope you’ll enjoy your stay here in Cebu. you will really feel how (in general) inexpensive the food here compared to Manila hehehe
hukad in Ayala has poor service. too many waiters but doesn’t know on what to. they should have a system that would let them work systematically and efficiently. i even have to cancel an order which was already billed but not served yet and it was just a plain ice cream.
wish i would be satisfied with the service on my next visit…
guyz, yaw mo ka insecure. im a employee of golden cowrie and i know what’s behind at all.the dervice is based on standard and the food, perfectly world class.the point reactions happen maybe because of not enough managerial experience but the to think of super mga lami an ang mga food nga magpanikad ka in your next visit.og dili mo mka compare ana sa uban…thankssss….
hi guy…to be honest nu…dili cguro lalim sad ila work nu but to think they shud do ol d best sa ila service …wen i was there wd my family ok man ang service i can give them 9/10….hhmmm btaw it was a great experience in many restaurants ako gi kan.an bt hukad for me is the best…try mu now mybe b4 coz 8s a new branch mannn…heeehhheee
bitaww nu wil try hukad ds time. coz my balikbayan friend told me lami n friendly daw mga crews, i dont think so…n wil try there soon…c yah guysss…
try sad mo sa MACTAN MARINA MALL hihihi