Forced "gluttony" at Esca's Garden Restaurant

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 fried rice, pangat, chicken ham and back ribs. It really brings back memories to see morisquita fried rice as part of the menu though it just fried rice with mixed vegetables and ham.

The pangat was very good, both visually and gastronomically. Very subtle taste that makes you want more.

We thought of this as chicken-ham so we got it but when it came 'twas chicken and ham in cream sauce to our dismay. Add to that it tasted nothing spectacular, just chicken, ham and cream.

Imported from it's sister restaurant, Afrique's, due to it's popularity, we got thrse backribs to satisfy our curiosity why it's considered a best seller. But when it came, I wasn't impressed visually and when I got a piece of it, it was nothing special. True it's soft but it tasted ordinary even with the hickory barbecue sauce. We never even finished half of it.

Good thing this cucumber cooler provided us with something fresh and new. Though also served at Afrique's, but you get more than your money's worth when you get one from Esca's. Much bigger serving with much better garnish too. Cucumber, lemon and singkamas slices with mint. Truly a cooler on a hot day!

Despite the setbacks, a visit to Esca's is alway a welcome experience both gastronomical and visually. Certainly will be back for more.

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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