Eat, drink and be merry at Buto't Balat

If there are restaurants which I consider overrated, Buto't Balat is certainly the opposite - it's underrated. A popular nightspot in Iloilo City, Buto't Balat literally means "Bones and Skin" probably referring to their specialties either it's pork,beef, chicken or seafood (A plate of crispy pata flashed in my mind momentarily-lol). Contrary to the notion that people go there merely for a drink (plus some pulutan) , it is actually a "full" restaurant that serves native cuisine and other specialites.

Like this native litsong manok and chicken barbecue combo meal. Both were good orders that time though the chicken barbecue was an order in lieu of chicken inasal. Surprisingly they have none but nevertheless the chicken barbecue didn't fail. A cold bottle of beer and a glass frozen iced tea were perfect for this chicken overload at Buto't Balat.

Their litsong manok was reminiscent to that of Tatoy's Manukan and Seafoods for they also use native chicken. Though a little more expensive and a little smaller than a regular chicken but it was worth it. Perfectly spiced inside out that you'll probably be surprised it's gone after a few minutes.

The (boneless) chicken barbecue was a discovery that time. I never thought of looking a good tasting one in a bar like this. It tasted like regular American barbecue rather than it's local version - inasal.

Now why underrated? Well it's not among the more featured restaurant's in the media despite what they have to offer gastronomically and their great ambiance. I often describe them being an oasis is a desert of concrete in the city. Despite this it's often good to see that their branches (Solis Street near SM Delgado, Diversion Road near SM City Iloilo and in Jaro Plaza) often are full pack with customers during lunch and all throughout the evening. Certainly they don't need artificial hype nor paid features to connect with the Ilonggos and their discriminating taste.

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 pork broth cube (

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

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 usu

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.

An Ilonggo favorite - Suman Latik

Suman Latik is one of my favorite native delicacies - plain suman/ibos topped with sweetened coconut strips or bukayo . Most of the time those sold in the markets have this two (suman and bukayo) already in one wrap and all you have to to is devour it. But most of the time, the bukayo portion is bitin that I wish there's more. So why not make our own suman latik so you can have all the suman we want with all the bukayo toppings we desire! Here's a simple recipe for Suman Latik

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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