Of Batchoy and mangoes

I’ve been to Iloilo a few times before and every time I hear its name, the phrase “Namit Gid” immediately pops up in my mind. Well, not too long ago, some friends and I had a most enjoyable “Namit Gid” weekend visit to Iloilo, which included a day-long excursion to nearby Guimaras. With the amiable Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and the friendly Guimaras Gov. Felipe Nava as our hosts, could I have expected otherwise?

Deco's Original La Paz batchoy

After a short, 50-minute Cebu Pacific flight from Manila, we were met at the airport by representatives of the mayor, with an attractive welcome garland, accentuated with a colorful miniature Dinagyang mask. Leading the welcome committee was the ever-smiling Lea Lara, executive director of the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation Inc. who whisked us off to the welcome dinner hosted by the mayor in Al Dente, at the Sarabia Manor, the city’s biggest hotel. The mayor requested his niece, popular chef Pauline Banusing, to whip up a six-course meal composed of delectable, typically Ilonggo recipes. You can see why, on our first hour in the city, we were already bursting at the seams!

Dinner ended with the mayor giving each of us a bonanza of gifts—boxes of Iloilo delicacies, a book on Iloilo, a cute Dinagyang doll, and other souvenirs from the city—much to our delight. But the “welcome” didn’t end there! One of the city’s leading businessmen hosted us for “dessert and drinks” at his “kingdom”. Johnny Que is an architect-turned-restaurateur, and owns a patch of Smallville, in the city’s downtown area, where the more popular yuppie watering holes and restaurants are, pretty much like our Eastwood in QC, only bigger. There, we were joined by other friends for another calorific repast, washed down with “only the best” Spanish wines!

Tatoy's famous native litsong manok

Lunch was gorging on Tatoy’s famed herb-cooked chicken. We met the owner himself, Honorato Espinosa, who told us that it all started for him with a three-table roadside diner many years ago. The special herbs he puts in his chicken have made it the most sought-after poultry dish in the whole province, the reason why his business has grown into a million-peso enterprise. People really travel the distance just to have their fix of his special recipe.

Dinner was a veritable feast of Iloilo’s seafood specialties at Raymund Robles’ beachfront Breakthrough, a must-stop for anyone visiting the city. The dining table was overflowing with Iloilo’s indigenous fish, a heap of lobsters, several kilos of prawns and shrimps, the prized diwal, etc. It was as if Neptune himself made sure our day would end on a perfect note! Ilonggo hospitality is certainly beyond description.

Returning to Iloilo City later that afternoon, the mayor made sure we’d have another highlight of our visit—the legendary La Paz Batchoy at Deco’s. This special recipe came from the family of Federico Guillergan Jr., but the restaurant is now owned by Edgar Sia II, same owner as Mang Inasal. We had extra servings of chicharon and garlic shavings for our soup, which we enjoyed with home-made puto.

Roberto's King and Queen sio paos

While we were savoring every single spoonful of this “to-die-for” specialty, our Tour Leader announced that the owner of Roberto’s, the city’s most popular siopao place, sent each of us a bagful of jumbo siopao to take back to Manila.

Carlos Bakery and Cafe

And, as if that wasn’t enough, Mayor Treñas also reminded us to pass by his children’s bakery, Carlo’s, on our way to the airport, as they prepared boxes of goodies for us to take home. Wow! As a Cebuano, I have to admit, with a sense of defeat, that the Ilonggos have certainly raised the standards of Filipino hospitality several notches higher!

Of Batchoy and mangoes

Article written by Bob Zozobrado

for the Manila Standard Today

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