Monday "blues" and more

Despite the good eats and good company, I was not in a good mood today. And it shows in the photos I've taken.

It was a late lunch at Green Mango and as usual I had an order good for two. You can't blame me since a single order would only last you for an hour. Bistek Tagalog is always an automatic order and for a change I ordered Pork Adobo but it wasn't available so back to my other usual order, Beef Caldereta. I went for an upgrade from 8oz to bottomless drink ( Hi-CApple ) but it wasn't covered with this order. :(

After an hour or so, it was an obligatory dessert at Dulgies. It was my first time since they've reopened their expanded store. the new store included a mini private function room good for small group meetings. The homey ambiance was still there as if nothing has changed when in fact it has almost doubled its area.

So what made it into our dessert lot? Pudding with ice cream, blueberry cheesecake and choco -nutty carrot cake. A mix of old favorites and something that got my curiousity.

Choco-Nutty-Carrot cake. Just some variation with their Nutty Carrot cake which I love, this one had just chocolate icing in between two slices and on top. Their chocolate icing had this grainy texture that made it lighter thus still making it still "light" as a whole. PhP 75 /slice.

Blueberry Cheesecake. Well what can I say but its worth every centavo since you will be overindulging in the creamcheeseand toppings. Then I went to rant about Bauhinia's, Coffeebreaks, Nothing but Desserts (and other Que restos) cheesecake wannabes. PhP 80 per slice

Pudding with vanilla ice cream. This one is my other favorite having ordered it in my last three visits. It doesn't look that enticing but when you've tasted it, it's really heavenly. Not overly sweet but just enough to awaken you taste buds. Im craving for one now though a second helping would probably make you speechless (lol). PhP65 per order

So despite all the setbacks (Bluejay Cafe and Deli opened today/yesterday? at Amigo Plaza Mall, I was there (today) but got NO pictures), it was still a bloggerific day nonetheless. And I close this entry saying ...

"If there's a WILL there's a WAY"

or as adapted in Tagalog

"Kung GUSTO mo walang dahilan ang pipigil sa 'yo
Kung AYAW mo maraming kang idadahilan "

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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