A gastronomic pitstop in Iloilo City, whatever the reasons of one may have, is the famed Tatoy’s Manukan and Seafoods along the stretch of Villa Beach. Balikbayans, tourists and even Philippine presidents make a quick trip to Tatoy’s to savour the cuisine that catapulted it to the iconic status it enjoys today.
It was then a favored lunch venue during the Iloilo Heritage tour on the second day of the Visayas Blogging Summit last Nov. 28. 2010. Around fifty bloggers who enjoyed the sights of Southern Iloilo (San Joaquin, Miag-ao, Guimbal, Tigbauan, and Oton) find respite with the beachside ambiance of Tatoy’s after hours of travel. Of course Tatoy’s is food and food it shall be as we all enjoyed the famed cuisine, the freshest catch and everything Tatoy’s got to offer.
Foremost is the popular lechon manok which revealed some of its secrets – sampaloc leaves used to add more flavour. Unlike most roasted chicken, it uses native or free roaming chicken commonly referred to as “Bisaya” and cooked until golden brown. No need to dip it for the chicken it self is flavourful all throughout. Good thing despite being a Sunday lunch rush hour, our chicken came in quick and also disappeared fast before our eyes.
A serving of grilled squid is just ordinary but still it tasted very good. Succulent despite being exposed for a long time on our table, it wasn’t a bit rubbery as one might expect. A dip in a vinegar concoction does the trick.
I’ve been curious about Tatoy’s dinuguan ever since I read some reviews online. For a bowl that size for only Php100 it was already worth it but when I tasted it, it was quite disappointing. I don’t even remember how it tasted or if it was a pork or chicken dinuguan. But it tasted much better than Breakthrough’s- which seemed to have sugar in it.
The valenciana also was a disappointment – good thing our group was the only one who ordered it. Maybe because we’re the only ones who knew about it. True it made non Ilonggos curious about this yellow sticky rice thing even by the looks it wasn’t that appetizing.
A last minute order was sinabawan nga isda – just to have some soup on our table. For Php50 per serving one can opt for a big bowl with a number of slices for easy sharing. It was a usual sinabawan nga isda with a flavourful soup and a thick sliced fish. If it were at home, I’d instantly added sinigang mix to the broth and add some greens like kangkong or kamote tops –lol.
Finally the lechon baboy, the skin look unappetizing for it was unevenly cooked but overall it tasted great that even without the sauce would have stood out. A “pampabata” mix of meat and fat, the aroma alone could satisfy your hunger for a while but nothing’s better than actually feeling the crunch or the skin, tasting the oily fatty portion and biting the sinful goodness of the meat.
