My Oyster Challenge at Charcoal Boy Cebu

Traffic on a Friday night made me decide to eat 20 oysters in 30 minutes. For some, the number 20 might not be a lot but for someone who brings their own supply of antihistamine, it's a feat.

Charcoal Boy Cebu made my challenge a reality. That experience became my own version of Man vs Food. And I didn't spend more than 300 PHP for this food trip.

At the end of my twentieth shell, I felt like the Walrus (or maybe the Carpenter) in that Alice in Wonderland story. Craving satisfied!

I've heard about Charcoal Boy Grilled and Oysters restaurant from a friend and I was planning to visit next week but when I saw it while being stuck in traffic, I decided to try it out instead.

Charcoal Boy Cebu is located in Mahogany Place, Pope John Paul II Avenue (formerly Juan Luna Ave), Kasambagan, Cebu City. It's right in front of San Carlos Seminary.

While looking at the menu board, I wanted to order all of their oyster dishes. You can have it steamed, baked, grilled, fried, kinilaw or even in sisig.

I ordered the baked oysters in garlic and cheese since I just wanted to taste it. And as I was waiting for my oysters, I struck up a conversation with one of the servers. I found out that Charcoal Boy originated from Iloilo and because the province is known for its oyster beds, the restaurant's supply comes from there.

When my plateful of oysters was brought to me, I slowly picked up my fork and started savoring every mouthful of the mollusk. I tasted butter, cheese, and garlic along with the sweetness of the oyster.

Baked with Garlic and Cheese

On my eight shell, I didn't hesitate in ordering another round of oysters. This time, I decided on having it au natural --- steamed.

The steamed ones didn't take that long to be brought to my table. And there are more oysters compared from the baked ones.

Steamed Oysters

For my dipping sauce, I combined vinegar, calamansi and siling labuyo. It's so nice that when we eat oysters in Pinoy restaurants, we don't have to shuck our own. It lessens the time we need to get to the meat.

A little alcohol does help when indulging in oysters. It's a good thing that Charcoal Boy has beer on its Drinks menu.

At the end of that meal, I have proven that the 2 - 3 person portion per order is not true. I didn't have to spend a lot of money for my twenty oysters. I shelled out a total of 268 PHP for my meal (I also had a can of Pepsi) and of course, don't forget to leave a tip.

Let's not forget the Grilling side of the restaurant. They have Chicken, Pork, Pork Belly, Liempo and Stuffed Squid.

Their Operating Hours are the following:
11 AM - 2:30 PM and 5:30 PM - 11 PM, Monday to Sunday.

PRICES:
Steamed - 95 PHP
Baked with Garlic and Cheese - 135 PHP
Crispy Fried - 135 PHP
Baked Rockefeller - 155 PHP
Sizzling - 145 PHP
Kinilaw - 145 PHP
Baked with Hot Chili - 135 PHP