BUCKET Shrimps is one of those places, which without much advertising or fanfare, adventurous food lovers would somehow find their way there to try it out. The local grapevine has deemed it worthy of so and true enough, it’s a full house there almost everyday.
It helps that Bucket Shrimps’ proprietor Chad Regner, a Cebuano who recently came home from a 27-year stint in the US, has quite the charisma.
He personally makes sure that all of his customers feel right at home—and rightly so, since the restaurant is actually located in front of his aunt’s house.
But more than that, what has really drawn people to it is simply what the name blatantly indicates: shrimps in a bucket.
The dining concept of the restaurant—that is, eating with bare hands while wearing a bib—originated from the US, particularly in southern states where shrimp is a popular ingredient in French migrant communities.
However, the sauces are all of Chad’s own mixes. At present, he offers two kinds: the original Cajun and a more familiar savor, gata.
Take note: there’s little room for Instagram food photography in Bucket Shrimps.
Eating shrimps by hand makes it a bother to get hold of the cell phone at whim, but there’s really no need to worry because once getting a taste of its scrumptious, juicy sauce—taking a photo of it will be the last thing in mind.
A bucket order is at P250 and it contains half a kilo (more or less 27 pieces) plus corn cobblers, all doused in generous servings of sauce. Then if one finds peeling the shell a hassle, there’s an option of going for the “soft-shell” ones that are in Thai sauce, and are also at the same price.
Aside from the shrimps, Bucket Shrimps has fried chicken wings and liempo, and an original dish by Chad called Crazy Pusit, which is breaded dried squid. While on the beverage side, Chad offers original concoctions namely the kaleche and calma, alongside a selection of local beers.
A self-taught kitchen connoisseur who learned from his days of “fending for himself in the States” and from watching tutorials on YouTube, Chad said that he wants to enter the local food industry one customer at a time. And if the full seats in Bucket Shrimps are any indication, then he certainly has this goal nailed down.
Bucket Shrimps is in Orchid St., Capitol Site, Cebu City. It is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Tuesdays to Sundays.