Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine: Where new is also delicious

Iloilo has always been known as the bailiwick of homegrown comfort dishes like La Paz batchoy and Inasal, with foodies often trooping to local markets in search of the province’s authentic tastes. Today, Ilonggo gourmands are slowly easing out of the familiar kitchens of tradition to the more competitive arena of modern cuisine. One restaurant in particular, is offering new takes to well-loved dishes and deserves a visit – Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine, located in Smallville at the heart of the city.

Bauhinia, operated by Great Foods Concepts Inc., refers to a local plant usually found in different parts of the country. The plant is also known as in other provinces in the Visayas and even Luzon like Pampanga. The restaurant took the idea of the plant’s different names by adopting local fares from other parts of the country and giving it the food hub’s very own twist.

Meals are served in a modern, yet charming fine dining ambience that helps define the dynamics of every dish – inventive, yet still familiar.

The Sinigang na Lechon Kawali for example, is served in bowl where the broth is separated from the meat. The crunchy goodness of the lechon kawali is a meal on its own, served on a bed of fresh, slightly blanched vegetables. Take a bite to savor the meat, then pour the slightly sour broth for an altogether different flavor – a favorite according to restaurant staffs.

Another dish famous in the Visayas region and making waves in Bauhinia is the Lechon de Rondalla, crispy pork strips rolled to form coin-shaped entrees and served with the restaurant’s very own liver sauce. The tender meat reminds one of lechon served in Cebu, yet the spice-garnished liver sauce adds a unique trait to the order.

The classic crispy pata on the other hand, gets a more gourmet approach with Bauhinia’s very own sauce. Instead of the usual soy sauce and vinegar dip, the dish is served with well-prepared anato sauce that enhances the flavor of the meat. Eat with the side dish of native vegetables and bagoong alamang, and one is instantly reminded of another well-loved order – kare-kare.

Another serving one shouldn’t pass-up is their best-seller: Tinuom na sugpo. The dish is derived from the binukot culture or the tradition of binding various ingredients to come-up with one, unique flavor. Its succulent prawns are tied to native vegetables and slowly simmered in a coconut milk-based broth flavored by various spices such as lemongrass, ginger, and garlic. The simple entrée’s aromatic appeal is a delight even to the most picky eater.

Pair viands with the restaurant’s signature Bauhinia fried rice: fragrant grains garnished with Iloilo longganisa, peanuts, and topped with salted egg. The flavorful rice is almost a meal on its own!

Wash down your orders with their house iced tea, well-loved by both the young and the young at heart. The drink is pineapple-based flavored with orange juice, raspberry syrup, and garnished with cherry and a slice of orange.

One important advice: Take your time when visiting Bauhinia, and enjoy their menu with dishes often delivered in sharing servings.

Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine may lack the nostalgia one looks for in restaurants found in Iloilo, nevertheless, this food hub deserves the Ilonggo phrase often used when one encounters a delicious meal: Namit gid!

Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine is located at the Avenue Complex, Glicerio Pison Avenue in Smallville Complex (Mandurriao, Iloilo City). Link to the original article

Acknowledgement:

* Text and photo from The Manila Bulletin

Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine: Where new is also delicious
By MAE LORRAINE S. RAFOLS
as published in The Manila Bulletin
August 18, 2010, 1:02pm

* Others photos from Sneezeniz

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FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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