Urbanites in Metro Iloilo have always been such big fans of Filipino Cuisine, traveling far and wide to savor superbly- tasting and uniquely-presented Filipino dishes to charm the eyes and satisfy palates.
This led to the conceptualization of Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine, a Filipino restaurant envisioned to be a food gem that would cater the public with great-tasting Filipino delights prepared with a twist. The restaurant recently invited the Iloilo media and bloggers to have a taste of their best sellers and fresh inclusions as they came up with a new menu.
Kinilaw na Tanigue at tuna (PhP 175)
Mackerel fish marinated in calamansi and vinegar, seared tuna, carrto slaw, balsamic reduction
The kinilaw reminds me of (my favorite) cold pork loin salad, at this Thai resto, so it was good the moment I tasted it and easily overshadowed the tuna. Also being served in shot glasses makes it more appetizing.
Squid ala Pobre crostini (PhP 130)
Sautéed squid in olive oil and chilies on French baguette
Simply it’s spicy squid pizza. Another good appetizer and a perfect way to disguise squid (or any other seafood in fact) and serve them to non eaters. You’ll just have to eat them as soon for it will become soggy after some time.
Tinu-om na sugpo (PhP 245)
Succulent prawns wrapped in native pechay and simmered in coconut-kaffir broth
Ti-nuom usually is associated with chicken wrapped in banana leaves but shrimp wrapped in pechay leaves would taste good as well.
Monggo at sili (PhP 265)
Slowly simmered Philippine lentils, pork belly cracklings and chili.
The combination of mashed monggo with chili and crispy pork is definitely a gastronomic contrast. It’s just simple monggo soup made spicy with lechon kawali and for its price it would definitely raise eyebrows.
Ginata-ang salmon (PhP 315)
Pan seared salmon in spicy coconut mushroom sauce on fried eggplant
Definitely my favorite among the rest of the selection. Perfectly seared salmon with a subtle tasting sauce and just the right spices. Fried eggplants provide a good garnish and side dish too.
Sugpo sa Aligue at Sili (PhP 245)
Tiger prawns cooked in coconut - crabfat sauce, spicy upon request
The sauce combination was (cholesterolifically - lol) good and the prawns, as pointed out by one blogger, easily melts in your mouth. Maybe it’s their recipe or just they were frozen.
Tenderloin ala pobre (PhP 245)
Pepper and garlic crusted beef tenderloin
Perfect inside out, from its pepper and garlic crusting to the way the meat was cooked medium rare.
La Pinay (PhP 185) Mesclun salad, grilled eggplant, roasted bell peppers and cashew praline in spicy balsamic dressingA good combination of fresh greens and grilled vegetables but I find it too sweet because of the praline and dressing.
Crispy Adobo salad (PhP 165) Fried adobo flakes with green mango, radish and cucumber with Camiguin honey-soy dressing. Even without the fried adobo flake toppings, this one would still be good. The vegetables provided just the right mix of texture & contrast and the dressing the right flavour.
Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine is located at The Avenue complex, G. Pison Avenue, Mandurriao, Iloi9lo City. For more inquiries call Bauhinia at 329-6159.