FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

As a kid, I used to persuade my mom into buying "a whole lot" of these yemas. But then, at 1 peso each, it was considered to be a luxury when most sweets cost a quarter of that. Fast forward a few years ago, when pasalubong from Iloilo would take almost 60% of my baggage back to Manila, it was really a "shame" that I never considered bringing them back to my colleagues. It wasn't until my guests from Manila raved (and then craved) for these sweet little milk balls that I realized it's "potential" to be one of my pasalubong "greats". And the rest was history. Proof of it was numerous orders from my friends and colleagues in Manila for these yemas for their consumption and/or "business".

Part of the Iloilo Supermart "family", Tinapayan is my personal choice for the best commercial bakeshop in the city. With quality and affordable baked goods ranging from breads and cookies to cakes and pizza, they have a wide variety of baked items to bring out the child in you. From the usual pan de sal, special ube and cheese ensaymadas , local faves like galletas, principe and meringue to ice cream rolls, egg scallions, pizza bars, madrilenas , assorted dessert "squares ".... the list goes on and on. Though they “carry over” their cakes and pastries to their sister company, Coffeebreak , I really hope they will have their own cafe where patrons can relax and enjoy all what they have to offer. Pizza, dinner rolls and crema de fruta from Tinapayan as served during our Noche Buena last Christmas.

Reminiscent of Mr Choi's Kitchen (in Manila), Hong Kong Kitchen is Iloilo's answer to the mainstream modern Chinese restaurant scene. While most Chinese restaurants in the city are either old school or those found in hotels, Hong Kong Kitchen paved the way for Chinese restaurants with a modern ambiance and conveniently located in malls. By the way, their lemon chicken has always been my favorite eversince. Hong Kong Kitchen is located at the ground floor of Robinson's Place Iloilo Sunstar article about Hong Kong Kitchen

An old feature scanned from FOOD Magazine. Published on their September 2004 issue, it is understandable when some of the restaurants featured are no longer existing. Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3 * Part 4 * Part 5 * Part 6 * Part 7 * Part 8

Another recipe from Yummy magazine and was supposed to be part of our Father's Day menu. But it was only today that it was served (for dinner). This simple recipe calls for mayonnaise being the main ingredient for its marinade plus some other spices. I just added a thing or two to make it something more special. I also used Miracle Whip since it my favorite all around dressing.

Introduced at 32 pesos, 711's pork sio mai came in a 5-piece pack with a free can of soda (during a limited period) and instantly became an addiction for me, be it for snack or a “side dish” during meals. Bayani Cafe has been synonymous with the Iloilo airport, going always where the latter stands. lmost becoming a trend nowadays wherever I go, gallons of various flavoured "dirty" ice cream commonly known as "sorbetes" have found their way from parties to feasts to even buffet in restaurants. These spareribs have been boiled with broth cubes then pan fried to enhance its flavour.

, A simple feast on this special day honoring the fathers. Salmon casserole. As always, a new dish is being served on special occasions like this. Good thing we had a can of salmon and just added mushrooms, parmesan cheese and bechamel sauce. Pork and chicken hamonado. Chicken tinola Mixed vegetables. Another mix and match side dish. Iced box cake. Our usual dessert of the past is now making a comeback. Mango float gelatine. This was my own version of the same dessert I had the previous sunday at a friend's house. I never thought that gelatin would also make a good base for mango float. Though I tweaked the said recipe and made a 2 layer gelatine base. Obviously the bottom layer is strawberry flavoured (with strawberry jam) while the green layer had lemon essence. The topmost is the cream with mango balls layer. The only mistake I made was freezing this overnight.

This day turned into a lucky one since my unplanned (and on the spot) white sauce spaghetti for dinner turned out great. To think that was just a last minute inspiration of here and there ingredients. Baked tuna spaghetti was the only pasta on the menu but I overestimated the noodles. Thinking of just putting it in the fridge for soup, I suddenly remembered a cream of corn soup mix in the pantry. I just added evaporated milk, chopped garlic, some spices (I can get hold of) and parmesan cheese. It looks very plain but its very tasty (and saucy. I overestimated the white sauce this time but that's the secret). This discovery opened a lot of possibilities. Maybe chicken or crabsticks next time.

Finally, Ive tried Ted's Chicken Batchoy. Nothing spectacular except maybe much healthier since it only has chicken, onions and garlic as toppings. But its still their EXTRA SUPER SPECIAL that would make my day. Beef bathoy on the other hand is just as sinful as pork thus explains it flavourful broth and tenderloin tips. A genuine Ilonggo, they say, eats batchoy by sipping the soup (caldo) first then asks for a 2nd/3rd serving of caldo then off he "devours" everything.

My recent Birdhouse (food) trips I've been wanting to try their pancit molo for so long that I made sure I ordered it during my next visit. I complimented it with bacon cheeseburger and silvanas. In the end, it was the silvanas that saved the day. A quick for two snack at the Birdhouse recently turned out to be a feast since our table was almost overflowing with goodies. We had two silvanas, a sans rival, an apple pie, a chicken pie and buttered chiffon. We also had a mix pizza as our last minute order. (Pictures of other items in the previous entries) Together with an avocado shake and a clear soda, it was still light on the pocket, around 220 pesos. We surely "welcomed" the snackhouse's motto (hanging on the wall) of "Thank you for not dieting."

The Socorro drugstore building, dubbed as Iloilo's answer to NYC's Flatiron building, holds a little secret. Tucked on both sides along JM Basa and Iznart streets is a food shop take home counter. Selling a variety of baked goodies, this food shop is said to be the forerunner of the filled waffle in the city. For years, this hole in the wall was the waffle "haven" for everybody from all walks of life. Every passerby was surely enticed by the nice aroma of these waffles whenever they find themselves in the vicinity. Even with the emergence of waffle stalls in malls with more varieties and offerings, this little shop manages to survive with only hotdog and cheese filling its waffle.