Carlitos Restaurant and T'GrillHaus: Jaro district's newest gastronomic hotspots

It was during the Feast of Our Lady of the Candles (popularly referred to as Jaro fiesta) that I got to visit this newly opened twin restaurant in the heritage district of Jaro. Carlito's and T'GrillHaus share the same structure beside an Iloilo icon, Biscocho Haus.

These restos made use of the remains of an old mansion in the area by utilizing some of the former mansion's structures like the columns, floors and ceiling (backbones). It's no wonder why one feels a sense of nostalgia despite getting inside a modern structure.

Carlito's occupies the air conditioned area while T'Grillhaus the al fresco, landscaped area (I think). It's like an oasis has sprouted in the hustle and bustle of Jaro distric, just hiodden fro plain sight by the main building.

It was surprisingly good choice of location for our meet during that day. After the "chaos" at the Jaro Cathedral and the plaza for the afternoon procession of the Lady of the Candles, it was a welcome break for us to be in a solitary place.

As both my friends just came fro the fiesta, we didn't order that much - just a bowl of pancit molo and Carlito's Overload pizza.

They quite have a good variety in their menu from the usual ala carte items with pork, beef and chicken to sizzling, grilled and combo meals. Price range is almost the same as those restaurants in Smallville.

The pancit Molo is an import from the nearby Biscocho Haus and as expected I didn't quite liked it. Though it wasn't as buttery as the one I had before, yet it still lacked the taste I wanted.

But their pizza was a different story - it was very good! With all the toppings the resto has to offer - yup it's an overload! The crust is also different from most pizzeria for they are thin and hard. Looks like it was twiced cooked - first as a crust itself then with toppings as a pizza. It reminds me of how "biscocho" came to be - twiced baked bread.

We also had these fiesta fares - food taken from the fiesta that were as good to be served i nthe restaurant itself. We did get permission have them at the resto by the way. First is this delicious and authentic chicken binakol cooked inside bamboo tubes. One can really taste the essence of the bamboo in the broth.

And this mixed estofado - chicken and ox tongue, I think. Just like the estofado taste I love - sweet and flavourful.

As we called it a day, it was only then that I noticed this stained glass chandelier serving as the centerpiece of the restaurant inside. The blurry photo I got is a sign that I really have to go back to this restaurant not only to get a better photo of it but to enjoy more of the these restaurants have to offer.

Carlitos Restaurant and TGrillhaus
Lopez Jaena Street, Jaro, Iloilo City
(033) 3290862 | 3290864 | 5085909

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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