On becoming a Bordz member
If you're looking for a great place to hang out in, eat good food, drink cheap beer and listen to good music, there's this place called Bordz, along Ma. Cristina Ext. in Capitol Site. The place seems to be really popular with the college crowd, but in the few times I've hung out there, I've noticed some thirtysomethings come in and grab a few brews and munch on the various pica-pica the place offers.
San Miguel Pale Pilsen is quite cheap at PhP35 a bottle, while San Mig Light is, I think, 45 or 50 bucks. They also serve Red Horse in sets of five, but I don't really drink Red Horse that much anyway. For the cash-strapped college kids, however, the Red Horse set is a pretty good deal, and you can even make
tagay if you're up to it. Drinks though, especially San Miguel Beers, taste the same wherever you go; it's only the matter of price that dictates where you drink. The food at Bordz, however is a totally different thing.
Take for example, Bordz's sizzling sisig. Yeah, you may say, there's sisig everywhere, but the sisig at Bordz is pretty much one of the best examples I've eaten in Cebu. The flavor is very consistent, and come back for it several times, the flavor doesn't change that much. One important thing with the sisig at Bordz, the heat of the sliced peppers doesn't overpower your taste buds that you don't taste the pork anymore. Before it's served, though, the cook cracks a raw egg and drops it on top of the sizzling meat, and by the time it arrives at your table, the egg is already cooked. Even if it's not cooked yet, it doesn't really matter, as you're supposed to mix the egg with the meat, so I guess the half-cooked egg would be easier to mix.
My favorite at Bordz, though is what they call “Bagag Nawong.” It's pork cheeks tossed in a little flour, then deepfried. I find it a perfect match for Pale Pilsen, for reasons which I have yet to fathom. If I could have only one pulutan at Bordz, this would be it. If there are two of us, go get your own serving.
Still, there are several other items on the menu that are pretty much tasty. They may not be the best you'll ever have, but they are pretty decent. Again, price dictates the quality of the food you eat, but at Bordz, for PhP150 for a plate of sizzling pochero, you can't go wrong. The beef shank is really tender; you'd think you were eating a really good steak in a high-end restaurant. The gravy is pretty tasty too, and goes well poured over plain white rice.
There's another item on the menu that's worth mentioning, except I forgot what they call it. Maybe I've had too many beers at Bordz, that I can't remember the name anymore. Anyway, it's a sili espada stuffed with cheese and wrapped in a lumpia wrapper. Don't be afraid to bite into it; it's not that hot. Even those faint of heart would probably have no trouble appreciating this particular dish.
Aside from the pretty good food, I saw on the menu that they also serve cocktails, and some hard liquor, although I don't really go for those kinds of drinks.
Entertainment at Bordz comes in the form of live music. Saturdays, there's a three-piece band that plays popular music, and I think on weekdays, there are also acoustic performers. Customers are allowed to jam with the singers, but there's an unwritten rule at Bordz that no one is allowed to sing “My Way.”
The popular song notwithstanding, Bordz does it the way they know best: good food, cheap drinks, all in a fun place.