Seafood City's SUTUKIL packages

There was no stonefish in sight when I recently visited Isla Sugbu Seafood City, a destination restaurant in Cebu. The last time I was there, I saw a few of it swimming in one of the restaurant's state-of-the-art glass tanks.

But I am thrilled to find out however that they have live diwal instead. I smiled at the thought that I do not have to travel to Roxas City to try these succulent angel wings clams.

At the back of my head, I already imagined topping these babies with butter and minced garlic, lightly grilling or baking them afterwards and garnishing with chives. These would then be paired with a bottle of ice cold beer or better yet, accompany it with Seafood City's new and very affordable SUTUKIL packages.

But what is SUTUKIL?I think I had my first 'sutukil' in one of the overrated eateries near the Lapu-Lapu Shrine in Mactan island. My cousin chose a big molmol (parrot fish) and requested the tindera to divide the fish in three portions.

This guy's shirt answers the question. :)

The tail part was grilled or the sugba, the head was stewed in a clear broth or the tuwa, while the midsection was cut in cubes for the kilaw or kinilaw, a raw fish dish that's quite similar to Latin America's ceviche.

Kinilaw.

If you get the first two letters of these three dishes, you'll have the SUTUKIL. It is a trifecta, if you will, of three recipes - grill, stew and raw. When you come to think of it, it's not that hard to execute too. But I'd like to think that a good sutukil relies primarily on the freshness of the fish. If the fish is not textbook grade fresh, the meal will definitely fall apart.Seafood City's Sutukil PackagesThat's why I am glad that Seafood City finally offered these SUTUKIL packages. They have fresh and live seafood on display that would guarantee a delicious experience for those who'd like to try this quintessential Visayan seafood spread.Each package has different protein combinations (i.e., fish, shrimp and squid) for the sugba, tuwa and kilaw, and also includes an appetizer and a rice platter. The packages cost Php1600 and should be able to feed 4 very hungry persons.These seafood packages are perfect for the upcoming Lenten season, although I saw grilled chicken and barbeques during the media invite launched not too long ago. Maybe these are 'the dishes of the day' that accompanies each option.During dinner, one of the Manila-based food bloggers asked us if Seafood City is the only restaurant in Cebu that serves the sutukil. We told him that there are others too, including the stalls at Punta Engaño that I mentioned earlier. There are also dirt-cheap options for those with adventurous immune systems. But we all agreed that aside from its clean kitchen, convenient location and ample parking space, the restaurant's strongest selling point is its spectacular selection of fresh seafood - the diwal, lobsters, and pompanos, among many, many others. That alone will give you a better value for your money. You just can't go wrong then with Seafood City's SUTUKIL packages.------------Isla Sugbu Seafood CityGrandcon Archbishop Reyes Avenue, Cebu City Philippines +6332 260-8000 Disclosure: While the blogger was invited during Seafood City's media launch, he maintains full editorial control of this blog entry.