On-the-spot gastronomic tour of Villa

It all started when I inquired through text if Bingkahan sa Mohon would be making their popular bingka last Saturday. And after it was confirmed, I literally just took off - excited over the fact that my blog frustrations on this popular bingka would finally come to an end. Though I have blogged about it before but I have to see and buy them for myself to complete the experience so to speak.

But when I got there, they were still just preparing and it would take at least an hour before their first batch would come right out of the oven. So that made me think, whether I'll just stay there waiting or go somewhere else to kill time. It took me awhile to decide and chose the latter, quickly excited by the fact that I may finally seek some of the holes-in-the-wall in this district which is out of my usual way.

A few days earlier I met with bloggers friends; Lee and Inday Hami at a popular snackshop in Mandurriao known for it's sio pao, sio mai and mami (Jiecel and Thea's Refreshment). During the course of the talks, Inday Hami mentioned a certain "siopawan sa Villa" that makes really good, what else, sio pao.

So I decided while waiting for the bingka, I'll check the place out and have my second breakfast for the day. After getting some instructions, I finally arrived at my gastronomic destination and was surprised that "siopawan sa Villa"was really part of the name of the establishment - Nang Pat's Siopawan sa Villa. It was right across another popular food shop also known for their sio pao - Dinagyang Refresment. Nang Pat's sio pao instantly became my favorite chicken sio pao eclipsing my former favorite which incidentally was just right across the street. I then bought two more of these sio pao to bring home.

Going back to the plaza of Villa, I then set for my next destination but before I got there, I saw something that excited me. It was another food shop I had a hard time looking for because I have not been looking at the right place. It was Dac's, a simple snack shop famous for it's kutsinta. It was closed that time and will open in the afternoon. But luckily someone inside saw me and asked what will I buy? "Kutsinta" came out of my mouth without even thinking. And then I got a plate of these native delicacies to bring home.

Almost across was my "destination" before my side trip. The Arevalo Sinamay House aside from being a sort of museum and a place to buy sinamay embroideries is also home to a fast rising star in the Iloilo City pasalubong business - Mama's Kitchen Food Products. Their chewies and crunchies in seven different variants are among the best packaged and most recommended pasalubong items from Iloilo today. Seeing the place was enough for me since my budget wasn't intended for these items - lol.

Then finally I took a short jeepney ride back to where I started my day and even though I still waited for a few minutes, it was well within reach. I just spent the time taking photos of the place and engaging anybody for some casual talk. My orders came right off the oven - 2 plates and 5 packs of the famous bingka of Mohon. It was indeed a gastronomic and bingkarrific weekend!

More Bingka sa Mohon features

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

A native (foods) welcome in Guimaras

Even after having breakfast less than an hour that time, we couldn't say no to this lot of native delciacies that welcomed us in Guimaras. First and foremost, Guimaras best known produce is their sweet mango famous almost worldwide. And it comes with it's best partner, ibos. This brown baye-baye variety is made from toasted rice thus giving it a more disctinct flavour compared to it's more "caucasian" cousin. I like the one wrapped in banana leaves compared with the one in plastic for it gives it a more native feel. So when you're in Guimaras, be sure to check out the markets for these native delicacies that can make your trip more gastronomically satisfying.

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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