FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

The heritage district of Jaro is a showcase of the illustrious past of Iloilo City. Mansions and ancestral houses dot the area especially around the vicinity of the plaza. Among these heritage mansions is the Ledesma ancestral house just right across the plaza. Now just a shadow of its glorious past, this mansion looks almost dilapidated from the outside. But as the above photo obviously shows it's grandeur has turned from "heritagey" to gastronomi as one of Iloilo's famous bingka now occupies the gate of the said mansion. I always had been against this so-called "bastardization" of the city's heritage structures. Though not actually on the structure itself but it still "part of the view", Despite this I still love RCJ bingka just like most Ilonggos. More about RCJ Balasan bingka . Photo courtesy of wwwinz of Skyscrapercity

It was supposed to be a luncheon for four but at the last minute two cancelled so we were forced to have them all - thus the title. Esca's Garden Restaurant inside Aurora subdivision is one of those oasis type of dining places wherein guests do not only enjoy the food served but also the ambiance of the place. At Esca's, you can choose their air conditioned dining rooms or dine al fresco in their hall or out in the garden. It's your pick and you'll enjoy the experience more when you get your orders right. So for this visit we had their crispy kangkong and kinilaw na pasayan as appetizers. The crispy kangkong was good even made better when dipped in garlic mayo. But as expected it's too oily and greasy but nevertheless good and appetizing. With green mango slices as garnish, their kinilaw na pasayan did it's purpose as an appetizer. With coconut milk, onion and chilis plus big shrimps it almost became a main course itself. For the main course, we had morisquita

One of the most awaited events during the Dinagyang 2010 Festival was the fireworks competion dubbed as Luces in the Sky. The Iloilo night sky is set ablazed by amazing pyrotechnique displays from around 20 teams from different parts the country. For more than an hour for two days during the Dinagyang festival weekend, thousands gather around SM City Iloilo to witness this 3 year old fireworks competion. Each year brings bigger and better fireworks display and more competitors to the delight of the Ilonggos and tourists. From ExploreIloilo 2010 Luces in the Sky Winners 2nd place (P50,000) : Shooter #20 Supreme Fireworks from Iloilo City 1st place (P60,000) : Shooter #18 DSS Fireworks from Dumaguete City Champion (P80,000) : Shooter #10 Shin Tang Fireworks from Bulacan

After the frenzy of the Dinagyang Ati-ati contest last Sunday, I met with blogger and forum friends for a much needed energy boosting event - lunch! It almost 1pm and most food places in downtown Iloilo City were full packed with revellers that we decided to go far away from this maddening and hungry crowd. Enter Uncle Tom's. Not only famous for it's fried chicken but also for it's ambiance comparable to an oasis amidst this urbanity of the city. I've been here countless times and I always see fried chicken in front of me so it was fitting to have another round of fried chicken this time. A family pack platter is the best option for big groups and since we were about a dozen we decided to have 3 platters - better in excess than short of it. Besides our hunger might surprised our appetite that time so we came in prepared. Side orders composed of seafood chopsuey, chicken potato salads and pancit completed our lunch. Piazza Suprseme pizza is another staple when at Uncle T

Valle Verde mountain resort in Guimaras opened only last year and it focuses on the other attraction of the island - lush greens and great views. We could have visited this resort during my trip to Guimaras last October but the weather wasn't that cooperative that time so we just overlooked it. Good decision it was since the road going there is unpaved and seems slippery when wet. But this time, it was really an experience even just for a few minutes to have chekced this resort out on our way to Raymen's Beach resort. With a commanding view of the inlet where the pawikan station is located, this resort offers more than the usual. It has convention facilities, cottages for those wanting to stay overnight, a pool after going down 311 steps or so and a mountain spring-fed poll much farther down. Lush greeneries abound in this mountainside resort and planety of photo ops whether up with a view or down below. A perfect hideaway and contrast to the beaches for which the island of Gui

Kopi Roti is a Singapore based coffeeshop that opened last year in the heart of Iloilo's entertainment and gastronomic district - Smallville. Famous for it's buns and toasts, this coffeeshop opened to mixed reviews of the Ilonggo crowd. With just a limited menu of breads and drinks - from tea to coffee, I was more inclined to eat rather than drink. The raves of friends about Milo Dinosaur prompted me to have one only to discover it tasted like an ice cold chocolate powedered (that is Milo - lol) with Milo powder on top. This iced tea tarik proved to be one of the hot that time as many raved about it taste and it'll be my order next time to go with the flow. The ever famous bun - this one's the Kopi bun. Goes well with most of their drinks, this simple bun is crisp i nthe outside with some semi swett filling. One of the better order at Kopi Roti is their Kaya toast. Perfect toasted bread with butter filling. Choco and milk toast for those having a sweet tooth and a big h

ILOILO City Mayor Jerry Treñas recommended to the City Council to place Barangay Nabitasan in La Paz district under a state of calamity following Saturday’s devastating fire. The City Council will have to pass a resolution to allow the City Government to use part of the calamity fund to help the victims of the January 24 fire. The City Social Welfare and Development Office estimated the damage to property at P24 million. The fire gutted 142 houses. The fire that started around 12:30 in the morning, affected 185 families, 862 persons, with one casualty and 13 injured. The lone casualty was identified as Trinidad Formacion, 48, a physically handicapped person. Her charred body was recovered by firemen following a clearing operation. Most of the affected families are temporarily housed at the Nabitasan Elementary School mini gym. Others stay in the house their relatives who were not affected by Saturday’s fire. The mayor is appealing for more donations such as used clothing and ki