Hey everyone hope you're having an amazing day! It's Mark Wiens I'm in Cebu The Philippines today is a very special. Well it's actually a morning because we are going to a place called in Toys Bakassihan where they specialize. It's a legendary restaurant where they specialize in local eels. So I'm hanging out with my friends Ben and Yuri they make great food videos they're local from Cebu and we are actually going to go out to harvest the eels with Kuya Rolando who is a fisherman in this area and then we're gonna go back to the restaurant where they cook the eels.

They specialize in the eels. They have an amazing story and then of course we are gonna eat the eels. It's gonna be an amazing day of eels in Cebu Well actually on an island right across the the channel from Cebu in Cordova and I'm gonna share all of the food with you coming up. All of the eels are coming up with you right now.

Foreign. Oh it's such a good day so good to hang out. Yeah, we have arrived this morning to end toys. Yes! and what does Bakasi mean? Bakassi is? uh ill okay it's famous here in the in this Village So right now we're going, we're headed to harvest some eels to have experience with Mark and some local villager here.

We're glad that you're here and experience this kind of exotic food. Thank you so much! Oh I'm so excited to be here and we're here bright and early in the morning. It's just about 6 00 a.m and before we eat I mean we're right next to the water so we're gonna harvest the eels before they cook them and before we eat. The setting here this morning is so beautiful and it's nice to be here at the crack of dawn when it's cool when the sun is just poking out over the horizon we're gonna get into a boat but then we're probably gonna have to walk around because the the water is quite shallow right now.

This is so cool! What a what a beautiful place! Oh yeah, we're ready. Mark Nice ready ready. So Ben we're actually we're I mean Cebu is right across that channel of water but we're on a different Island we're already Cordova this is called Cordova Yes, a lot of eels here. This is a different village.

a different town from Cebu Yes, correct, it's a municipality here. Ah yeah, it's different. Island It's a Small Town small island here but they're rich in Hills Salt Hills Yeah so we're headed there to have that experience. and so I was also reading and then also watching some some shows about end toys.

and yeah, they said that this this community is I mean they're known for their eels and a lot of them. Um, rely on harvesting eels for their livelihood in this community. Correct? and so in toy I mean he's truly a legend. but he he wanted to look for a way to support the community with what he was doing.

and so in order order to support the fishermen the local Fishers of this Village and Community he started buying the eels from them and then cooking them at the restaurant right there on the on the ocean. So what a what an amazing guy! Yeah this is going to be so cool to see the eel harvesting process. Beautiful out here this morning clear weather, the wind is not too strong. Ben and Yuri were telling me that sometimes the wind can be really strong but to do we have perfect conditions.

The water is clear and you can see the water is quite shallow which is like Prime conditions. This area is known for their eels. We've landed on this seashell Island It's a beautiful environment and from here we're gonna walk because it's getting too shallow. This is very cool though.

We're just wading through the water to get to the eels. This is an adventure for food. It's going to be eel to table so we've come out. Finally got to the traps.

These bamboo traps with each they lay out here in like the seaweed and he uses a few cockles as bait. So we're trying to look for some of the eels now. Oh yes, How often does he come Every day? Every day? Yeah every day. every day around 5 a.m Okay yeah we have found quite a few that are empty today, but then quite a few that are many.

Oh another one with many. That's they. just kind of screw them out. It's lime out.

You can see how how squirmy squirmy they are and how slimy they are. Some of them are pretty big, but these are these are baby eels, right? They are babies. Many? okay, whoa. So we we got quite a good harvest, actually probably 20 or 30 eels.

but then he said he also went earlier this morning. Yes, he got even more. a lot more. Yeah, so they have a full basket, which we're gonna see.

but this is the way fishing is. You know they, uh, fishing is a lot of work, a hard work and sometimes you get a lot Big Catch Sometimes you don't But thank you so much to Kuya Rolando for bringing us and showing us this process. This was absolutely incredible to see. Thank you So we are back to the restaurant to the shores that was such a I Mean it makes the entire experience so much more valuable to hang out with Kuya Rolando fishing for eels.

but he already has a couple traps that he had filled over the last couple of days. so those are just loaded with eels. Some of them are pretty good size, like almost a foot long, but then others are just like a few centimeters long. but they're getting ready to transfer these eels to the bucket.

Then we're gonna go to and toys where they're gonna cook them up. Oh okay. I Gotta try these eels for the first time. I'm going in with my head.

Oh oh yeah, they're so slimy. Wow. You can barely hold them in your hand. Oh one of them is Huge! Look at this guy.

Whoa. Look at this guy. Oh they are Wiggly and slimy. Yeah, you almost feel the slime on your.

You do feel the slime on your fingers. Oh I Can't wait to try these! Okay, okay, so we're in the kitchen. We're getting started first with the nilarang, which is like a sour kind of stew or soup. Yeah, and he tossed in.

there's onions. There's Tomatoes There's uh, ginger in there, green chilies to make it sour. and we're getting started on the nilarang with the eels first. Uh, he adds in another handful of tomatoes and then just some of the Tamarind to make it sour and then just kind of simmers that down.

It's almost ready. You smell the sourness, the aroma that's gonna be so good. So that's the nilarang. Now we're going to see another specialty.

Here is the fry deals. Thank you. That was a very cool process. Those are the two main eel dishes, but from here we can.

They actually serve a lot of dishes here, right? Yeah, all sorts of local local dishes so which they have prepared at the front. Even though Mr entoi he's no longer with us I think he would be extremely proud for the way his family is still completely family run by his kids who have preserved the recipes who have respected the dishes and this restaurant that Mr Antoi started and he would be proud. This is a continuation of his legacy and just the amazing man he was and I know I guarantee for sure that he cared so much for his family. He cared so much for the community and he was truly he's truly a legend that we should celebrate.

This isn't well, it's so good. Everything is cooked fresh, everything is directly from the ocean to table. Yeah, what a meal. What a meal.

And then we're not eating rice either. One of the one of the common things to eat here is not rice. But yes it's a corn. Rice Corn rice.

It's best beard with this kind of food here. this kind of beef. so would it be common instead of rice to eat the mice? Yeah like many people would choose to eat the mice. yes um rice because we have the possible here.

the honey rice. Then we have the normal rice. Okay so let's first scoop into the yeah, the mice. Okay so we'll put some of this onto the plate first.

it's very crumbly and kind of like oh and then and then because it's kind of dry, you can add some of the soup to it right? and then keep on eating as You eat all these side dishes which all look spectacular. But you would not come here without eating. That's that's that's a must. That's must.

This is their absolute specialty. and again, this is what the community harvests are. These eels. So you get some of these these eels.

They are still slime. Whoa. that's a huge one. But one of them is huge.

Look at that guy. Oh Ben that's for you. Oh thank you so much. And then some of the soup.

I Can smell. Oh it smells so good, right? It smells so good. Thank you so much. They're like, oh, look at that guy.

it's almost like a yo-yo yo-yo eels I Love those aromatics in there. Okay, so there's a little bit of a strategy to eating these eels. Ben Yeah, it's gonna show us how. Yeah, this is the strategy.

You have to hold the head. Then you have to find the intestine. You have to take that one out. I'm not sure.

where's that one in there? Yeah, they kind of split open when they're cooked right. Yeah, they explode a little bit. Yeah, Okay, so you don't need the intestine. Yeah.

so once you take this one out from Top you have to pull it down like this one here. Yeah, we have to hold this one because it's very slimy. Yeah, because of the bone. The bone in the center? Yeah, yes, this is how you do it.

Yeah, this is the one you will eat. That's what you eat. Yes, you put the meat and then you have the bone left. Yeah, this one here.

Okay. I Gotta try it. So I'm gonna grab it by the head. let's see if we can locate that intestine.

Is that the intestine there? Yeah, that's the one. That's the one. Okay, yeah. so you've got the intestine here.

You? you don't want to eat the intestine Advent or the whole this whole thing. Yeah, oh, this whole thing. Okay. see Chuck Chuck the intestine and that kind of sack.

The intestine sack. All right. Is that good? I Think that's good? Yeah. and then you grab it by the head.

Oh man. Ben is an expert at this. and then you kind of oh so this. That's the meat that you want to eat there.

Yeah and you. oh yeah. they do have some slime to them and then that bone structure is very like quite strong. Here we go.

You slide your fingers on that bone line that Center bone all the way down. Okay so now you've got the skin and the meat deboned Here we go. Can't wait to try it. Oh wow Oh it's so good.

Oh it's so like oily. and Rich not too slimy actually. Maybe the sliminess is on the skin a little bit. You do feel it on your fingers but then the meatiness of it is so good.

Yeah, it's sweet and flavor also. And the flavor of that stew with the ginger and the tomatoes is what stands out as well. Oh, that's so good. That's so good.

And the method of eating it is incredible too. Then should we try the the Friday deals next? Like a big giant ship. Cheers! So nice. You got the crunch.

So these ones you when it's fried. you can eat the bone because they don't have been deep fried. So you got the crunch of the bone. They're crispy pretty much all the way through.

It's not that big. Yeah, Oh, you can swallow it. Yeah, holding the Hedge it would be good with a dip. Oh, and they have a little bit of a bitterness to them too.

Oh yeah, maybe that's the intestines because you're eating the intestines this time, right? Cheers! Totally different form and also delicious. And then just being able to harvest them and then eat them. Yeah, um. sprays also? Yeah, that was totally worth all the effort to harvest the eels.

So what does this one? Ben See cucumber? Awesome. It's different. It's so good. I Was expecting it to be more rubbery.

Oh like it's No, it's not. It's a little bit slimy. It's not rubbery though. Yeah, like it just adds the flavor.

The onion, the crunch in your mouth, and then the tomato. So clean and refreshing. Yeah and fresh. The taste of the vinegar is Just absorbed into the Cucumber Wow that's that is so good we should move into should we try one of these shelves.

It does look like a spider. It has a foot that's a little hard so you have gold so you just pull it out. Okay wow, you eat all of this. Yeah I think you have to pick up this one.

Yeah, it's kind of like that. Yeah okay. and then the salsa one deep in that sauce. Scoop up a chili in this in this spider shell.

Oh it's so sweet. the texture of this spider shelf like. you immediately taste the sweetness of it. so that begins sweet and then it has this complexity of bitterness to follow.

Yes wow it's delicious. Let's try that food. Oh this one is this one has just been grilled. I've grilled.

yes um it's very compressed, the meat very lean, like it's not oily or fatty at all. Very like solid meat. And I think the final dish we have here is the grilled squid I didn't even realize I maybe I touched it. have black ink all over my hand.

yeah but full of black ink when she cut it open right the sweetness of it again a little bit chewy, really sweet but the freshness and so meaty. Yeah and all the food is fantastic. Oh what! just an incredible meal and like I was mentioning it just has everything that I love. This is everything that I love about food.

From the freshness knowing your Source where the ingredients come from to the amazing Hospitality of Mr Entei his family that is preserving the the their family recipes for Generations Delicious Outstanding food, incredible atmosphere and just great people to hang out to eat. Thank you Ben and Yuri from here. Well today is not done. We are still going to eat more.

Seafood we're on our way to a different part I think north of Cebu where we are going to eat oysters. so that was about about an hour drive from in toys and then Ben I'm bringing my umbrellas because his son is intense. Yes! but where are we at next? Then we're in Temion here in school. consolation and what did we come here to eat? The oyster Famous.

Especially foreign. Yes we're here. This place is really cool. Also, we're gonna be like there's some water around us surrounding us right? and they harvest the oysters fresh and then they serve you the oysters.

So we're gonna definitely have some oysters. Some grilled oysters, especially right Grilled oysters. Awesome! So that's the next meal coming up. so we've made it just a short walk away.

I Think there's a number of different places for Talaba but we're going to one of the best ones which is called man. this place is so cool. It's a bamboo structure we're on, kind of like a a dock of coral like stones but kind of surrounded by water and everything is fresh and local here. So right now we're going to the plant then harvest the oyster then.

but we have to take the small boat surfing. It's like a surfboard. Oh yeah, this is kind of cool. Like a floating wobbly platform.

Kind of like yeah, paddle boarding. Okay, so that was cool. That was really nice of them. Actually, we just came out here just so they could demonstrate how they harvest them and how they grow the oysters on these oyster beds.

Uh, but we're just getting a little bit and then we're gonna go back to the shore because they've already harvested for the day and they're already on the shore ready to be eaten. All right. Foreign from here. They're gonna grab the oysters and we're gonna weigh them out.

These oysters are typically not eaten raw. Yes, it should be grilled so that it will be safe. Okay, yes. okay.

and so we're gonna. We're gonna have them grilled. and then we might also get maybe a grilled fish. Oh oh yes girl.

the milk fish. Oh we have to get a grilled bunghos as well. I Love Bangus! Oh, they're ready. We're ready for the next meal.

How should we eat these better? Yeah, this one is already open. Yeah again. I Love how rocky they are and like unpolished they are. That's great.

Natural. Open. Pop This Open? Yeah. open.

the lid. Oh yeah, then you can see the oyster here. The oyster sticks to the sticks to the top there. Okay, all right, all right.

Oh the salinity. The Salty Sea Water flavor. um so fresh. Yeah the texture in your mouth, it melts your melts and I think they don't fully cook it.

Actually yeah they just kind of heat it up on the fire until the juices kind of come out. so it's kind of in between stage of cooked and raw and now the bungus has arrived again. this is the grilled milk fish and they've what have they stuffed it with? um tomato, um onions inside? Okay yeah so it's like a simple just kind of stuffing. Yes inside, maybe salted and then just grilled on the fire as well.

And bungous is maybe the national fish in the Philippines Uh, you cannot miss it when you're in the Philippines I Love it. It's Unique It's has an incredible texture and I think it's one of the most beloved fish. Yeah across the Philippines as well. Oh hot.

Really nice. yeah so good. Oh man it's so hot and fresh. Yeah um it's so juicy.

Also, it's not dry. yeah like Bangus has this unique texture that I mean it's called milkfish for a reason because it is kind of Milky like you bite down, it's like it doesn't feel that fatty. but it it's juicy and like oily at the same time and then I think that stuffing that they added in. it's nicely salted so that the salt with the skin on the fire.

Yeah that combination all together. thank you! Oh that was a mountain of oyster shells that was so good and that wraps up another spectacular meal. This place is so cool. The oysters are fresh and that grilled bungous was one of the stars of the show.

Man that's one of the best bongoose I've ever had. It was so incredibly juicy, that belly that seasoning and today has just been I Mean it turned into a day where we focused on ingredients straight from the ocean to table and the amazing people behind them and toys was just truly one of the highlights of Cebu the Cebu area. It's incredible place with an amazing story and the preservation of Mr Entei his legacy and harvesting eels to support the community and what a day! And I want to say a massive thank you to Ben and Yuri They are locals here from Cebu and they're just. they're passionate about food.

They're so hospitable. They're so friendly, they make amazing food videos and also recipes. and I'll have their links in the description box below but they are Ben and Yuri and so go check out their videos, go subscribe to them them, go check out their content across the platforms and we're going to be hanging out with them again. Also a couple of days we'll be eating some more food.

Street food in Cebu as well. so make sure you check out more videos in Cebu we're going around, it's going to be a lot of action, a lot of delicious Filipino food. so make sure you stay tuned for lots more videos in this entire series. and finally I Just want to say a big thank you to you for watching this video.

Please remember to give it a thumbs up if you enjoyed it. Leave a comment below I'd love to hear from you and if you're not already subscribed, make sure you subscribe now for lots more food and travel videos. Goodbye from Cebu in the Philippines and I will see you on the next video Foreign.