Life must go on

It is a most difficult task to write this article because areas in Northern Cebu that were directly hit by Typhoon Yolanda last November 8 have hardly begun to recover. November 9, I was already on the road to Daanbantayan and I saw that my house in barangay Agujo was destroyed by the fury of the storm. Only small vehicles had access to the town and if you count 10 houses, nine are partially or totally damaged, including my own. It takes so much time and effort to acquire and build these homes…but life must go on.

The management of Lighthouse Restaurant (Gen. Maxilom Ave., phone 233-2383, Gaisano Countrymall Banilad 231-2478) invited the staff of The Freeman including your favorite food columnist, to taste the new dishes offered by this establishment which specialize in Filipino cuisine. When the offer came, I knew it was going to be an easy task because this restaurant is one of those places I have patronized and I am there once every two months. Years ago, I wrote about Lighthouse and I remember that I recommended this place as a destination, especially for tourists who want to sample native cuisine in a hygienic environment.

I do have my favorite dishes in this restaurant. Crispy Crablets is one of those very nice appetizers for a good meal and I ordered one for my companions to sample. The new appetizers that came in quick succession were the following: Dynamite Rolls, Chicken Lollipop, Fried Bells and Ukoy na Shrimp.

Dynamite Rolls are a variety of fried lumpia with different kinds of filling like pork, shrimp, vegetable or cheese with a strand of chili pepper which gives its kick, hence the name "dynamite".

Some were served in small glasses with fresh coconut milk, the equivalent of "mini Bicol Express". Served with sweet and sour sauce, it was interesting beginning and the chili pepper used was just hot enough to appeal to a Cebuano.

We had Pork and Kalabasa Soup followed by the Lighthouse Express. The latter was served in a half-shell young coconut with a variety of  seafood like shrimp and squid; along with vegetables like white onions, sweet pepper and chili peppers cooked together in freshly squeezed coconut milk. It was cooked to perfection with the meat of the squid soft enough to chew and the overall taste can be described as extremely delicious with a mere hint of chili hotness. I marked it as my new favorite in Lighthouse.

This was followed by the Tangigue Korean BBQ and Inutok na Alimango. The fish is very similar to the sizzling fish fillet served on an iron plate with lots of sesame seeds (lightly roasted to awaken it before use) and given the name "Korean BBQ" to appeal to Koreans who now dominate the tourist trade. Very nice! The Inutok is crab meat & strands of young coconut meat with coconut milk and chili pepper wrapped with banana leaves (imparts flavor) and the whole thing enclosed in aluminum foil to seal it during the cooking. The taste is similar to the Kinunot na Alimasag, coconut meat instead of malungaay leaves and this is one very delicious newcomer from the kitchen of the Lighthouse restaurant.

Lastly, I wish that this column can provide a brief respite from a somewhat gloomy atmosphere and indeed, excuse me, "Life must go on. It must go on." [email protected]