A few weeks ago, I met a friend from Manila and toured her and her kids around Iloilo City hours before their flight back home. It started with a breakfast that tuned out to be a brunch after all. We went to JD Cafe and Bakeshop at The Roadhouse and as usual our peso went long way.The pancit molo came in a medium sized bowl and for the prices I paid (PhP21++) it was already worth it. Not that it was spectacular or tasted very good, but you can't get a more decent bowl of pancit molo than this at the same price. It has around seven large pancit molo balls and enough chicken strips and flavour too to make it worthwhile.Their chicken ala king is among the most popular. For Php27++, it's just a few slices of toast topped with a creamy chicken and vegetable concoction. Just a light snack and perfect side to some pasta or soups they have. And lastly their fresh lumpia was a rediscovery. I got some not so good memories of their fresh lumpia before - I never really liked how it taste. But it was a revelation when I tried it again. Not my usual favorite Ilonggo style fresh lumpia but when I tried it, I really craved for it ever since. For only Php11++, it's really a good buy and I think finishing 5 in just one sitting is not impossible after all.
With a large glass of pineapple orange juice and two dessert squares, my bill was only Php93++. So 'twas another good eats day JD Cafe and as usual it's less than a hundred.
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 (