Madge Cafe - Truly an Ilonggo "kapihan"

Where do you go for authentic Ilonggo brewed coffee? To the Ilonggo kapihan. And where do you find such a place? In the public markets of Iloilo.

One of the most popular is Madge Coffee House located inside La Paz Public Market(in front of Grand Dame Hotel). Madge Coffee house is 55 years old. It’s one of the oldest family-run coffee shops in Iloilo.This was established by Mr. Gerardo de la Cruz in 1951.

Article courtesy of Inday Hami of ILOVEILOILO
Photos courtesy of death327 of Skyscrapercity forum and Inday Hami

The name Madge stuck on for Gerardo’s wife assisting him at the kapihan was named Magdalena. He passed on the business to his son, Vicente. With the untimely demise of Vicente in 2002, his son Peter took the reins. With his good marketing background (Peter was actually working as a branch manager for SM Delgado), he introduced innovations to the business.

Peter noticed Madge’s many loyal customers, generations in fact. As a perk and thank you, he made them personalized mugs, each with his loyal patron or suki's name. There are more than a 100 of these personalized mugs now apart from the regular coffee mugs for walk-in customers.

Peter's devotion to his customers can also be gleaned from the way he greets each one, treating each one as family. This warm homey approach at Madge's will be hard to match by any posh cafe in Iloilo.

The interiors of Madge’s Coffee Shop may be a far cry from any of the modern day cafes. No airconditioning; No classy interiors. But you will be won over by the quality of their brew and will perhaps laugh at its cost: P16.00 (less than $1!) for a perfect brew of organically grown beans from the hills of Iloilo.

Besides, part of the charm of the Ilonggo kapihan is precisely its very down to earth ambiance. What's so amusing is that every customer or group has a predictable sked. They arrive in shifts. The Ilonggo kapihan is a favorite hang-out of men who like to discuss and argue about the country’s latest news and events and gossips too. (Men never admit to that though).

Article courtesy of Inday Hami of ILOVEILOILO

Photos courtesy of death327 of Skyscrapercity forum and Inday Hami

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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