An awards night at TheVenue

TheVenue Function Rooms at The Avenue Complex was the perfect venue for the Philippine Blog Awards Visayas held last Nov. 27, 2010. Being one of the organizers, I looked nowhere else for TheVenue that had it all – prime location, complete facilities, great food choices plus variety and people who are more than willing to help you for all your needs. Good thing everything went as planned and all the participants had blast even before, during and after the awards night.

It was also among the few occasions that owner consented on a menu that come from different restaurants in the complex for usually it is exclusive to a single resto. Our menu was a good mix of house specials from five of the best restaurants in Iloilo City – all located within The Avenue complex.

For starters we had a savoury Pumpkin Soup from Mojave Grill and Steak House that got all perked up for more of what’s to come – both for the awards night and gastronomy. The restaurant also provided an American Salad bar wherein guests were in for a mix and match gastronomic session from among the variety of ingredients and dressings.

The catering of TheVenue provided Vegetable Fritters served with three house special dips and also California whole milled grain rice.

Amalfi Cucina Italiana brought in Mixed Seafood Marinara with mushrooms and peas in crème sauce and parmesan shaving. Creamy with a not so overpowering flavour that served as an enhancer to flavours of what came next.

Chicken Hamonado – pan roasted chicken in pineapple glaze, from Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine was among my favorite eats that night. It was the tempered sweetness of the glaze that was perfect for the roasted chicken. Just had the right flavour and sweetness and complemented the chicken and vegetables as well.

The Texas Pork Ribs in Barbecue Sauce from Mojave looked not so appetizing at first but when I actually tasted I went back to the buffet table and asked for more.

Sweets, in the form of Belgian Chocolate Mousse in varied designs, were provided by Nothing but Desserts. Rich Belgian Chocolate with strawberry, blueberry or mango sauce toppings - a perfect ending to the dinner prior the awarding ceremonies!

A lot of specially designed cupcakes in the form of the PBA logo courtesy of Tinapayan Bakeshop became a hot photo-ops scenario after the program. Aside from looking exceptional good, they cupcakes themselves were delicious – soft and fluffy that smelled, looked and tasted very good.

All in all, TheVenue provided the perfect set-up for the event we had that night. From the food to the program itself it was very rewarding to showcase the Best of the Visayas (blogs) in one of Iloilo City's best locations!

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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