Skip to main content

Bourbon Street now rockin' at The Avenue

It was a night full of music, magic, dancing and delectable eats as Bourbon Street - home of the best ribs this part of the country, moves to a better and more upbeat location in Iloilo’s nightlife centrale.

While the original branch is still open until the end of the month, the branch at The Avenue Complex still exhibits the Bourbon flair. Trendy yet formal setting that easily turns into a bar as the night deepens. The cool lighting fixtures on the ceiling and the bar were plus points too. The barrels act as both ornament and lighting diffusers giving the restaurant a modern rustic feel.
As invited guests started to pour in and settled inside out, Professor James – a street magician, went from table to table showing a variety of mind-boggling tricks mostly involving cards. Outside a cool stage was set-up in front of The Avenue to usher in guests to the complex at the same time serve as the performance area for the band.
In one corner, inside the bistro, was the “bites” buffet and first to catch attention were the little hamburgers popularly known as Sliders. Petite sirloin of beef gratinated with mozzarella cheese served with the house special dressing and special bun. Small as they seem yet packed a big taste that one can have three in just one sitting.
Next to it was Southwest Salad. A mix of citrus marinated beef, greens, tomato confit, roasted bell pepper and French vinaigrette – all in a crisp edible cups. These “micro portions” were made especially for this type occasion since the regular serving is much bigger.
There was a platter of Korean Fish Cake but what’s on top was actually the one I was craving for – kimchi! It’s Bourbon’s house recipe for a “freshly-made” kimchi that is usually served with the dish, Korean Sizzling Fish.
But everybody’s favorite turned out to be the Angus Beef Hotshots. Aside from the eye catching display, the label which says “Angus Beef” was a magnet. Savoury beef slices sitting on a bed of cucumbers, chilies, onions and spices were too irresistible that every body took more than one shot.
Completing the bites buffet selections were corn on the cob and chicken fingers. Drinks also came in eye catching cocktail mixes and more interestingly names like Blue Sapphire, Virgin Killer, Sex in the Bahamas and Mabuhay Manila.
A series of fire dance performances from Iloilo Fire Fantasy ignited the scene for a few minutes to the delight of the crowd. And that in turn started the real concert provided by the The Scopes Band that ended past midnight. Now that’s a party only Bourbon Street can give!
---------------
Thank you to Ms. Arvi Sumayo of The Avenue for some of the photos

Popular posts from this blog

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

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.

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially  KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

A native (foods) welcome in Guimaras

Even after having breakfast less than an hour that time, we couldn't say no to this lot of native delciacies that welcomed us in Guimaras. First and foremost, Guimaras best known produce is their sweet mango famous almost worldwide. And it comes with it's best partner, ibos. This brown baye-baye variety is made from toasted rice thus giving it a more disctinct flavour compared to it's more "caucasian" cousin. I like the one wrapped in banana leaves compared with the one in plastic for it gives it a more native feel. So when you're in Guimaras, be sure to check out the markets for these native delicacies that can make your trip more gastronomically satisfying.