May the FORT be with you .....

Today, I accompanied a friend who was on her last day vacation in Iloilo City with her family. Though I had plans on the usual tourist spots and eats, the unplanned one proved to be one of the most enjoyable. En route to Jaro Plaza, I decided that we take Jaro CPU Derecho jeepneys that will still ply its original route all the way to the domestic seaport to give them a glimpse of Calle Real and the Port area. Maybe it was their frustration of having cancelled their Guimaras trip the day before that made them excited upon seeing the sea and the island looming beyond that we made an impromptu stop at the ravaged and unattractive Fort San Pedro area.

After highly appreciating the views of Guimaras island and the sea, despite the uninviting "view deck", the need for a restroom gave us no choice but to visit Fort San Pedro Drive Inn. I can't remember the last time I've been actually inside since usually it's the views outside that is more inviting. Inside, it offers more good views of the sea and the island of Guimaras but the mediocre dining facilities they have don't make them appealing to tourists and even locals. I didn't even bother taking pictures of those chairs and tables in their various dining areas (which I now regret.)

Which made me think why the owners don't give a damn in making their restaurant appeal more to tourists and locals with discriminating taste? I mean Breakthrough and Tatoy's are much further away yet they are magnets to tourists, balikbayans and locals alike. Fort San Pedro Drive Inn can make this a 3-way fight between restaurants having a good view of the sea and Guimaras - if that appeals nonetheless on top of the food they serve.

Andnow on the subject of the food itself. It made me curious, the time I had lunch with friends at Esca's Garden Restaurant, seeing an item prominently displayed on the menu - Fort San Pedro Chicken Inasal. Described as "still the same recipe since 1963", it made me jumped into conclusion that this could be one of the best selling items of the Fort San Pedro Drive Inn. My research then sort of found a connection between Esca's and Fort San Pedro when I read this feature about Afrique's. Since Afrique's and Esca's are sister restaurant it tied both ends so to speak. But still I can't be sure of these facts though.

The chicken inasal tasted good enough but it was overwhelmed by the other food items on the table. And here's another chicken inasal that was quite spectacular that time - maybe I was just hungry.

So to end it all, I really wish this part of Iloilo City would be greatly improved, not on Fort San Pedro Drive Inn but the whole length of the seafront facing Guimaras for it will surely be an attraction to tourists and locals alike. And here's wishing for more gastronomical attractions in the area too!

Mama's Kitchen and Sinamay House in Arevalo

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...

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

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 por...

Easy Century Tuna Recipes

If you're looking for simple, easy and delicious Century Tuna recipes online, congratulations, you've found it right here! How about spicy tuna sisig or tuna sinigang ? Maybe stir fried tuna with pickles or just yang chow fried rice . I love Century Tuna from its flakes in oil variety, the spicier the better, but when I discovered the versatility of its solid variant, it became an obsession. At first I was just into the usual tested recipes; pasta and sandwich filling, but then it got simpler – I just eat it straight from the can! Usually with a piece of bread or an apple. I just add a few drops of vinegar to spice it up a bit. Then came the experiments. Yup I got tired of that habit that one day, I decided to test my skills in the kitchen. Serendipity, you might call it yet most of them turned into good recipes that I have shared now and then. Satisfying my Palabok cravings had me experiment on this recipe on the spot. With Century Tuna in lieu of the us...

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. ...

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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