Perri Todd's newest offering

Perri Todd's newest offering - Premium Burger

It was an invitation I can’t resist when Marc of ExploreIloilo said that Perri Todd’s had a new item in their menu; Premium Burger and it deserves a taste test. I asked myself how much more they can improve their gigantic and already good burgers.

So around lunchtime yesterday, we trooped to Perri Todd’s new and improved restaurant in Jaro. As expected they barely had seats inside (air conditioned area) so we opted to get a seat outside... The lure of natural lighting plus the fact that only few eyes will turn to our table if we start the usual clicks and flashes were among the reasons we decided to eat “al fresco”.

We ordered what we came for - Premium Burgers. It was a longer wait than their usual order for burgers - I noticed, aside from the fact that the al fresco area was now getting crowded. When it finally arrived, I still was awestruck with its size even though I’ve been there and had them many times.

The first thing I’ve noticed was how the patty looked like – bigger than the usual patty and much darker. Upon closer inspection we debated if this was really grilled or fried. I sided with the latter based on the evidence my senses were able to gather – lol. After a few minutes what we really came for – taking visuals of Perri Todd’s Premium Burger, it was time to finally taste how “premium” tastes like.

Eating gigantic burgers often presents a dilemma – that is how to actually eat them. Perri Todd’s burgers are so big that it takes both hands to hold them yet your mouth can only open to accommodate a third of it. Plus the fact that many eyes will scrutinize what you are doing – lol. Even with the provided knives and fork, it still is a challenge to cut them and still make them look appetizing – plus not making a mess.

So how it tasted? Well, very good and much better than their usual burgers. With lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber slices, onion rings, their signature sauce and or course a much bigger patty, Perri Todd’s Premium Burger definitely scored big time for me. The burger patty was pan grilled – as we were informed, so it’s almost the same as fried since the oil from the patty does not drip down thus frying the patty itself without adding oil. That’s why it had more beefy taste plus the fried and toasted edges of the patty were an added bonus.

So how much does this Premium burger cost? Well let’s say as much a Perri Todd’s grilled burger AND cheeseburger. Or a grilled cheeseburger with extra patty, onion rings plus another add on. But these burgers simply cannot “replace” the Perri Todd’s Premium Burger “experience”.

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

Search This Blog