Breaking news! Award-winning actor and hunky heartthrob Gerald Anderson has just confessed that he has a brand-new love, and he wants to share it with the world.
“It’s true,” laughs Gerald. “My new love hails from Cebu, is very generous and family-oriented, and loves to cook all my favorite food.”
Gerald’s new love is none other than Hukad, part of the Golden Cowrie group of restaurants famed for their classic Cebuano and Filipino comfort dishes served in a modern dining experience. Already a popular restaurant in Visayas and Mindanao, Hukad is now expanding its reach nationwide with new branches popping up all over Luzon and Metro Manila.
“We’re very pleased to have Gerald Anderson as our endorser for Hukad and Golden Cowrie,” says Kenneth C. Kokseng, General Manager of Hukad and Golden Cowrie. “His passion for his life and craft reflect our passion for our food and our service. What’s more, Gerald is part Bisaya so he really is authentic, he truly knows and appreciates our culture, tastes, and flavors.”
A homegrown Cebuano success story
Hukad’s heritage of delicious comfort food began in 1982 with the opening of the first Golden Cowrie restaurant in Lahug, Cebu City. Serving native dishes in a relaxed and homey atmosphere, the restaurant was a hit with locals and tourists and soon became an iconic Cebu dining destination.
When the company decided to franchise in 2009, the name Hukad (which in Bisaya means “to serve up food on one’s plate” if used as a verb, and “ladle” if taken as a noun) was developed for the more casual-dining, mall-based branches. Retaining Golden Cowrie’s signature menu and hospitality, but updating its look with beautiful native craft-styled interiors by renowned Cebu designer Hannah Lim, Hukad restaurants are literal feasts for the senses.
Today, Hukad and Golden Cowrie have over 40 branches all over the Philippines, with more already in the pipeline, especially in Metro Manila.
A feast of flavors
With over a hundred items on the menu, and almost all good for sharing, Hukad lives up to its tagline “Always a Feast!” Highlighting the Filipino tradition of “salu-salo” or coming together over good food, Hukad is the perfect place for families and friends to celebrate festive get-togethers or to bond over favorite meals.
To complement the abundance of dishes, Hukad also innovated by offering unlimited freshly-cooked rice to all its patrons. Whenever a customer’s plate is low on rice, a Hukad girl with a rice pail will approach and ask “Hukad some more?”. Many diners have become quite friendly with the Hukad girl and gone on to have second, third, or even more helpings of rice, leaving them truly sated and satisfied.
When asked about some of his favorite dishes at Hukad, Gerald had quite a mouthful to say.
“Hukad’s showstoppers are the Crispy Pata and Lechon Belly de Cebu. The Crispy Pata won People’s Choice in the Sun Star Best of Cebu Awards, while the Lechon Belly is a Cebuano specialty, a crowd-pleaser with tender meat and crispy skin oven-roasted daily in savory seasonings and herbs. You can order them in different sizes, ranging from good for 2-3 to good for the whole angkan.
When it comes to seafood, for which Cebu is famous for, Hukad doesn’t disappoint. It has a feast of choices, from Grilled Tuna Panga and Tuna Belly to Stuffed Squid and Garlic Chili Shrimps. A bestseller is the Baked Bantayan Scallops, which are flown in fresh from Bantayan Island near Cebu and topped with buttery cheese and garlic.
Of course, there’s the classic comfort food given a fresh new take by Hukad, like Sinigang, Bulalo, and Kare-Kare. A more adventurous palate can try regional specialties like Caldereta de Cabrito,Crispy Dinuguan, and Oxtail Humba.
For appetizers and dishes on the side, there’s savory Baked Tahong, Seafood Pancit Habhab with shrimp and squid, and Ngohiong, which is Cebu’s version of lumpiang shanghai.
Lastly, desserts and drinks include unique Filipino delicacies like Budbud Turon, Biko Tsokolate, Ube Halaya Crisp Ala Mode, and Agua Fresca pitchers in Pineapple Cucumber and Green Mango Cucumber.
But that’s not all! Hukad is one of the very few restaurants that make it a point to introduce new dishes every quarter, so with every visit there’s always something fresh and exciting to feast on.”
A love that never fades
Even in today’s competitive dining landscape, the people behind Hukad and Golden Cowrie are very confident that Filipinos’ love for native flavors will remain strong, as evidenced by Hukad’s rapid expansion into new markets, robust franchising efforts, and big marketing push.
“Like Gerald Anderson, many world-savvy Filipinos may try out different cuisines and international concepts, but there will always be a place in their hearts for the homegrown Filipino comfort food that they grew up on,” says Kenneth Kokseng. “Offer delightful flavors, great hospitality, and amazing value, and the love will always be there.”
For Gerald, that love that is even better when it’s shared. “When I eat Hukad dishes, I would always remember how mom took care of me when I was young. So it’s always nakakabusog ng tiyan at ng puso when it’s my turn to treat my mom at Hukad, because it brings us closer as a family.”
Asked if he had any shoutouts to his fans and fellow Filipino food lovers, Gerald invited them in Bisaya to dine at Hukad and discover why “It’s Always a Feast.”
“Ari na! Ug bisita na ta sa Hukad, Kaon ta bai!”
HUKAD AND GOLDEN COWRIE BRANCHES
CEBU • Salinas Lahug • AS Fortuna • Mactan Marina Mall • Parkmall • South Town • Ayala Center Cebu - Terraces & Garden Area • SM City Cebu • Robinson’s Cybergate • SM Seaside City • Sands Gateway Danao
METRO MANILA & LUZON• TriNoma • S Maison • SM Mall of Asia • SM Sucat • SM Bicutan • SM Southmall • SM BF Paranaque • SM San Lazaro • SM Bacoor • SM Dasmariñas • Ayala Malls Cloverleaf
VISAYAS • Robinson’s Place Dumaguete • SM City Iloilo • Uptown Station 2 Boracay • Robinson’s Place Tacloban • SM City Bacolod
MINDANAO • Abreeza Mall Davao • SM Ecoland Annex Davao • SM Lanang • Veranza Mall General Santos • Robinsons Place Butuan • Gaisano Mall of Digos • KCC Mall de Zamboanga • Robinsons Place Iligan • SM CDO Downtown Premier • Gaisano Mall of Tagum • Royal Garden Hotel Ozamis • Prime Arcade Tiguma Pagadian • Mall of Alnor Cotabato
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