Tinapayan Bakeshop is my favorite bakery in Iloilo City. Most, if not all, of their products are (very) good and worth the price you pay. Not to mention they are attractively presented and packaged too doubling as a pasalubong treat. One of my favorite breads at Tinapayan is ensaymada - both ube and cheese! I always buy them in tandem or none at all. What I like most about them aside from the rich sugar-butter topping plus either cheese or ube, is that quality of the bread plus the ube (and cheese) "extends" inside the bread. Most of the time it's the regular ensayamda (monggo) that is filled but not these "sosyal" type for obviously this adds to the price of the ensayamada. That explains that each of these ensaymada costs PhP22 but it's worth it. Enjoy these ube and cheese ensaimada from Tinapayan Bakeshop "up close and gastronomical".
A stones throw away from the plaza of La Villa de Arevalo is an ancestral house where one can find not only good pasalubong items but also a look into the past of the district. Known as the Sinamay House , this well preserved ancestral house is an attraction not only in the outside but also what it houses inside. A collection of what the past like is housed in the two storey edifice which also acts like a museum of sorts. Sinamay is simply known as abaca by most and, here, a variety of products made from this fiber can be found. I remember watching a feature on tv wherein the owner proudly showed a framed letter signed by the late Princess of Wales, Diana, showing her appreciation of the handkerchief she was given as a gift coming from this very shop. But the attraction I am most familiar with are the chewies and crunchies made by Mama's Kitchen. Attractively packed in boxes showing their current flavours and variety, this is among the better...