Where To Eat in Bicol: Graceland

If you think that Bicol can only boast of laing and Bicol Express when it comes to gastronomic adventures, then you are definitely mistaken. Bicol goes beyond the infamous coconut milk-infused dishes that they are known for. I had a mouth-watering burger and tasty Buffalo wings at Bigg’s Diner. We even came back the following day to try their bestselling fried chicken. Who would have thought that Bicol can brag about fried chicken? Our food adventure didn’t stop there because we went to another pride of Bicol on our last day. We were lucky that it was just a couple of blocks away from our hotel.


Correct me if I’m wrong. But we were given the impression that if Manila has Goldilocks and Red Ribbon, then the Bicol region has Graceland. During the three days that we were in Bicol, we would see a lot of people carrying a box of cake from Graceland. And to strengthen our observation, we saw old kiosks of Red Ribbon and Goldilocks, far from the big and crowded Graceland.


We were just supposed to have lunch at Graceland, but we ended up buying a lot of pasalubong from this bakeshop. Aside from the usual kinds of breads that we grew up with, I was impressed with a lot of their offerings. I bought a few pieces of fried siopao which I wasn’t able to try because my parents ate everything without leaving something for me. I also bought their chocolate biscocho which we also liked. They also sell polvoron, yema and pastillas. But there was one thing which caught our attention.

Joie: Je, kamatsile daw o!
Me: Ay, oo nga!
Joie: Bibili ako. Hindi pa ako nakakatikim neto e.
Me: Ahh, nakatikim naman na ako nyan noong bata pa ‘ko.

After 5 seconds!

Me: Teka Joie! Nasa bakery tayo!!! Hindi ‘yan totoong kamatsile! Ka-shape lang yan siguro. HAHAHAHA!!!
Joie: Nyaha! Oo nga ‘no?!
After we’re done buying the pasalubong, we had lunch to fuel us up for our flight back to Manila. Boyet had their Bistek Tagalog. It is consistent with the flavors of a Bistek Tagalog – salty with a hint of acidity. The meat was really tender. The dish was good, but there was really nothing about it to make it stand out.

What’s the use of going to Bicol without trying their Bicol Express. We had one the night before at Sibid Sibid Restaurant. I am not sure if I can still write a decent post about it because I could not salvage my blurred photos. Anyway, even with the very small serving of Graceland’s Bicol Express, it was still good. But because Sibid Sibid’s Bicol Express blew me away, this one paled in comparison. But my plate had lechon kawali so who am I to complain? :p


If you have plans of going to Bicol, do yourself a favor and pay Graceland a visit. Your family and friends will surely thank you for the treats that you will be bringing back home. Pakikwento sa akin ang lasa ng fried siopao. Ang babait ng mga magulang ko e. =))


Graceland - Legazpi
Corner Peñaranda and Aguinaldo St.,
Legazpi City, Albay