FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

No need for Trick or Treating this Halloween if you can have this themed cake apt for the season. Though it only placed third during the 1st Tinapayan Chocolate Cake Decorating contest almost a month ago, this is among the best looking cakes Iloilo City has seen so far. Very well crafted and made with finesse that made the winning cake the real "Halloween" cake - filled with HORROR . Just Google for " fugly cake " to see the controversial winner cake or click here .

There's no secret here waiting to be revealed, just two popular beans and ways of cooking them. Monggo and red beans are among the easiest to get legumes in the market today thus it follows that most karinderia's include them as staples in their menu. Without contest, monggo is the most popular and one of the most versatile since this legume can be made into numerous dishes and even dessert too. But when one says monggo , usually it's ginisang monggo that comes to mind. Softened and sauteed beans with a variety of vegetables and meat or seafood. The possibilities are endless... These red beans meanwhile may not be as popular but still a good. In fact it can be used as monggo substitute in most dished but you'll have to content with it's reddish hue when cooked -which really dont matter to me. Also, these red beans are often in lieu of kadyos , when it is not available when one cooks the popular dish, KBL . Thus it becomes RBL-lol. Incidentally these two beans ar...

MANILA, Philippines—How does one go from one restaurant in his neighborhood mall to selling 70 percent of his company for P3 billion in seven years, selling Ilonggo-style native grilled chicken? Two weeks ago, we talked about the finalists of the 2010 Entrepreneur Magazine Entrep10 Awards program. But the entrepreneur whose name was splashed all over the business headlines over the past few days is Edgar Injap Sia III , the founder of the ubiquitous Mang Inasal . The Jr MarketingRx was one of the judges in the 2009 Entrepreneur Magazine Top 10 Awards that gave four thumbs up (including the “thumbs” of my feet) to Sia III during the judging process. Mang Inasal’s success would make any entrepreneur green with envy: from one store in Robinson’s mall in Iloilo in 2003 to 303 stores as of today P3.8 billion in sales a year sold 70 percent of his Mang Inasal ’s holding company (Injap Investments Inc.) for P3 billion to Jollibee Foods Corp . He will be paid a P200 million deposit and 90 pe...

The magic of the sweetest festival comes to its final week, but as what the old adage says, last is not the least. And indeed Tinapayan paved way to the sweetest collection anyone, who come and taste, will never forget. Yes! Tinapayan will definitely lead your appetite into the new essence of satisfaction. Indulge and treat yourselves in the Chocolate Festival ’s final week offerings: Choco Espresso slice Enchant your taste buds with the rich espresso butter cake topped with choco chips and walnuts. Tutti Fruity bar A concoction of glazed fruits and nuts layered with rich chocolate cake. So nutty, so fruity, so chocolatey! Strawberry Secret Very berry! Rich cake with bits of the real fruit – fresh strawberries blended with cream and layered with nuts, chocolate and strawberry creams. So good, you wanna have it all for yourself and keep it a secret? Chocolate loaf An extraordinary chocolate loaf that will entice your enthusiasm as it comes with the great blend of ch...

The heavy rains one afternoon didn’t stop us from seeking what is considered to be an oyster Mecca in the town of Oton . Allan’s Talabahan , a few minutes from the town center, is among the most popular no frills food stop and has quite a number of patrons ranging from locals to balikbayans and even foreigners. It’s no nonsense accommodation gives diners more chance to focus more on its gastronomic delights that people come in droves. It was my first time at Allan’s though I have blog entries about it through the photos I my acquaintances who are regulars. The few times I’ve been to the area, I pass by it not knowing what I was missing – I’m no oyster fan at all. But the bloglure of being there and experiencing and sharing what it like to be actually there is way different than just sharing what others had been through. So with no protest, together with other bloggers we sought a late lunch at Allan’s one day and yes, our table had oysters – lots of it. The most popular of which is no ...

The premiere hotel buffet in Iloilo City just got better as Days Hotel Iloilo introduced “ T he Flavors of Asia ”. I was invited to savour the offerings of the newest buffet selection at The Promenade last Friday during its launch and true to form, it was a collection of the best of Asian cuisine. Dishes of Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Mongolian , Korean and Filipino origins - it was a spread that spanned not only geographic borders and culture but as well as gastronomy. For starters, there are two soups stations - go Thai with tom yum soup or create your own Chinese noodle soup. Appetizers include a mix of Chinese dim sum and Thai and Korean specialties - shredded beef on crisp shells, pork sio mai, spare ribs, and chicken cabbage rolls . Aside from the salad station where one can concoct his own salad there were already two salads - spicy shrimp salad and pineapple noodle . A cross between appetizer and main dish include steamed squid and chicken satay . The Japanese sta...

I was invited to be part of the grand opening of the new Tibiao Fish Spa branch at the Lower Ground Floor of SM City Iloilo last October 20, 2010. The simple program began with a ribbon cutting ceremony then blessing of the area followed by short speeches by the founders, a prayer of dedication, and cocktails. Guests then were given the chance to experience the all-new fish spa services such as the VIP fish spa and full-body fish spa which are the firsts in the Philippines. Tibiao Fish Spa is one of the pioneers of fish therapy in the Philippines where small fish nibbling on the dead layers of a client’s skin are used to massage and exfoliate the feet. Unlike other fish spas which use imported Dr. Fish, Tibiao Fish Spa stands out because it uses local fish proudly sourced from Tibiao, Antique enabling it also to offer much more affordable rates. This is also the first of its kinds located inside SM Supermalls throughout the country, in fact in the only one that is mall based. That...

I was invited to the grand opening of Iloilo Supermart Villa last Friday Oct. 15, 2010 but I wasn’t able to attend. Good thing my friend Waffy was able to be there and seeing these pictures, I am now somewhat am regretting not giving effort to attend such momentous event. Iloilo Supermart Villa is the 6th branch of this proudly Ilonggo grocery chain that is fast becoming a foodie stop and mini mall as more locators establish their food businesses alongside this grocery chain. To name a few, Iloilo Supermart – Villa has Coffeebreak, Waffle Time, Rice n’ More and Tinapayan . Foodies can now enjoy a delicious gastronomic experie nce with the opening of Iloilo Supermart – Villa last Oct. 15, 2010. Aside from the grocery, IS-Villa hosts Coffeebreak, Waffle Time, Rice n’ More, and T inapayan . When you’re looking for the perfect break snack, be delighted with the specially-prepared yummy waffles by Waffle Time . Delicious and unforgettable, the waffles are available in such exciting f...

Seafood and vegetables often make a good medley when cooked together. A few of the celebrated Ilonggo vegetable dishes are made with this combination like laswa and ginata-ang tambo . Others like nilatik or the Ilonggo adaptation of pinakbet can also be revised to include seafood. Laswa is probably the simplest among the Ilonggo vegetable dishes. Its a stew of differnet kinds of vegetables usually kalabasa (squash) , tagabang (saluyot) , hantak (string beans) , okra , talong (eggplant), takway (taro plant tendrils) and a lot more. Dried seafood like pinakas na guma-a (daing) or balingon (dilis) often accompanies this recipe for the saltiness of the fishes add flavour to the mix of vegetables. Another favorite is ginat-an na tambo (bamboo shoots with coconut milk). Shrimps and/or crabs create a perfect dish in combination with the bamboo shoots, saluyot and at times, corn all cooked together in coconut milk. Another coconut milk based vegetable dish is the quintessential ni...

What is the best way to celebrate this Chocolatey month? Of course, spend it with all your sinful desires! As this choco festival month fills in the atmosphere, Tinapayan would definitely make you ask for more! Love this week with all the new sweet treats of Tinapayan . Choco Espresso Torte Coffee as its best! Love the layers of chocolate and coffee with oh-so-yummy caramel and nuts toppings. Coco Heaven Heavenly fusion of coco plus choco will definitely lead you into another blissful experience. Banoffee Bar Banana comes with great luscious taste as it comes with the premium delight of chocolate mousse, walnuts and caramel. Chocolates Swirl Loaf Softness of bread collides with the swirl of chocolate filling. Oh so delectable! Dream no more! Wake up and fill up your satisfaction with these scrumptious innovations of chocolate taste! All these are available at Tinapayan Bakeshop alongside Iloilo Supermart at The Atrium, Marymart Mall, Jaro, Mandurriao and now in Villa . What are you...