Siopao in the city: A quest for the best

Jiecel and Thea's is famous for their siopao and siomai. This snackshop in Mandurriao they say has a cook that came from Ma Mon Luk - a famous Chinese resto in Manila specializing in sio pao. This sio pao is dry - both the pao and teh chicken adobo filling. RATING 3.0 of out 5.0

Kusina Tsina's asado sio pao realy looks like it has been filled with chopped pork asado. I found it weird to see such a reddish sio pao. Their dough is somewhat like that of Tibiao's. RATING 2.0 out of 5.0

Another royalty from Roberto's is their King sio pao. It has almost the same filling as the Queen counterpart but instead of bacon it has ham. Also it is readily available anytime but is much smaller than the Queen and cheaper by 2 pesos. RATING 3.5 out of 5.0.

Believe it or not, this is Yok Pek sio pao. Thought to have disappeared forever, Yok Pek survives but regrettably striving in this hotly contested sio pao industry. But would you believe this sio pao tastes really good. Got this one from Dean's cafe at the Mary Mart Center. RATING 4.0 out of 5.0

A sio pao named Made in Heaven and got this one from a food fair at SM Delgado. I surely regretted buying this one since it didn't taste that good. Fortunately it just cost 20 pesos. RATING 1.0 out of 5.0

At Php39, Goldilocks bola bola sio pao was a letdown. The size of the filling was well worth it but it had a bland taste despite the sauce. RATING 2.0 out of 5.0

Roberto's Queen sio pao is almost famous as this Ilonggo iconic restaurant itself. Not only because its almost as big as a plate but it's available only for 3 days a month. It's filled with bacon, chinese sausage,chicken-pork adobo and egg. FYI, they also have a King sio pao. RATING 4.0 out of 5

Kong Kee, a stone's throw away from Roberto's, is one of the city's iconic chinese restaurant. Considered to be a hole in the wall place, little of this family-run has changed since then including it's famous sio pao that comes in pork, chicken and combination of both. RATING 4.0 out of 5

Dinagyang is just a stall found in most food courts serving turo-turo style. Its claim to fame can be credited to its sio pao that comes in the usual pork and chicken varieties in regular and large sizes. Hala bira! RATING 3.5 out of 5

Tibiao bakery's sio pao is famous not for its filling, but actually for its very soft bun, "pao". Unlike most sio paos, its has almost a breadlike consistency that makes people often wonder if its really sio pao. Comes in pork and chicken. RATING 3.0 out of 5

Wewins is known for its biscocho but their sio pao has always appealed to me. Maybe because it is fully loaded or its classic dough.Whatever the reason, it keeps me going back there whether its pork or chicken. RATING 4.5 out of 5

Dainty House, its being a Chinese resto made me try their sio pao which is of course of chinese origin. They come in pork and chicken plus their sauce is a good one though they might need to have more filling. RATING 2.0 out of 5

Deocampo is synonymous with barquillos but this did not stop me tasting their sio pao. Delicious dough and very generously filled but I think they've overdone their extenders (cant be sure if its potato or kamote). RATING 2.5 out of 5.0

Ocean City is an all around restaurant that serves seafood, filipino and chinese dishes. But it was only recently that I know they also have sio pao. First bite into it, you'll taste a distinct sio pao taste and its dough is almost like that of Tibiao. RATING 3.0 out of 5.0

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.

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?"

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.

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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