Food and fire during Earth Hour at The Avenue

As the world celebrated Earth Hour 2011 around two weeks ago, a number of establishments around Iloilo City supported this global effort by turning off their lights for an hour. With this, it raised local awareness towards the need to take action on climate change and global warming.

Among them was Iloilo’s premier dining and entertainment destination, The Avenue. “We have participated in this event since it became a worldwide endeavor in 2008.” informs Ms. Arvi Sumayo, Marketing Specialist of Great Foods Concept Inc. “For the past three years; our restaurants showed support by switching off most of the lighting fixtures and became candle-lit for an hour”.

True enough it was a play of light and dark two Saturdays ago when The Avenue marked this year’s celebration of Earth Hour. At exactly 8:30pm, restaurants namely Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine, Mojave Grill and Steak House, Amalfi Cucina Italiana, Nothing but Desserts, Terra Mediterranean Cuisine and Coffeebreak plunged into semi-darkness signaling the start of the sixty-minute campaign to help save Mother Earth.

While patrons enjoyed their respective dinner or coffee time in the shadows, I found myself having some delectable Italian specialties at Amalfi. Named after a coastal Italian town, Amalfi offers sumptuous Italian delights coupled with the luxurious Italian feel amidst the impressively plush setting oozing with understated elegance,. With minimalist interiors and black and white themed walls decked with gorgeous wall adornments, elegance shouts in every corner of the restaurant.

Amalfi’s distinct and exciting menu also makes it a top choice for cozy dining. It has a superb array of Italian dishes ranging from pasta and pizza, fresh salads and soups to mouth watering steaks. It also prides itself with an excellent collection of wine and liquor to those with discriminating taste.

My gastronomic hour started with the Insalata di Amalfi – a mix of Romaine lettuce, grilled bell pepper, shitake mushrooms and candied walnuts with honey balsamic dressing. The praline and walnuts gave the salad a unique texture and flavour complementing the fresh lettuce greens and the smoky peppers.

As if on cue, the smell of smoke started to fill the air indicating the start of a thrilling performance specially staged for the event. A series of fire dances performed by the Iloilo Fire Fantasy created quite a spectacle for the diners. Various routines and numbers involving acrobatic fire moves wowed the crowd and got their eyes glued to the fiery performances.

Not only did I see fire, I then really tasted something fiery when the Salsiccia pizza came next. Made with a variety of sausages and Fontina cheese, it was simple yet scrumptious with all those herbs and despite the fact that I inundated it with hot sauce.

Good thing the Al Frutta di Amare curtailed the burning sensation. A lip-smacking mix of sautéed seafood (shrimp, squid and salmon) and tomato sauce over pasta of choice - linguine for me.

The blazing atmosphere carried on with more showcases of acrobatic and calculated moves with fire paraphernalia and more feisty fire dancing. “This is our second year entertaining our guests with this kind of entertainment during Earth Hour” says Ms. Sumayo. “Our guests enjoyed it last year so we decided to have another one this year.”

“Another one!” These two words got stuck in mind when I tasted the Manzo alla Griglia con Funghi. It was grilled beef tenderloin with duo of a mushrooms, roasted tomato and potato puree served with potato risotto. As I always say, “Looks good, tastes even better!”. The perfectly grilled (medium rare, please!) beef was very flavourful on its own but even made better tasting with the sidings. It was soft and tender too, almost like a hot knife through butter. Certainly, I’ll have “another one” next time.

One more Earth Hour has ticked by and opened our eyes that even the simplest of deeds can make a difference. Yet it’s something that we can do everyday; in our homes, offices, everywhere. And I don’t have to wait for another year to have a taste of authentic Italian dishes for I can go back and satisfy my Italian cravings at Amalfi Cucina Italiana - any day, any hour.

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This article was published in the Lifestyle Section of The News Today (a local Iloilo daily) last April 5, 2011.

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.

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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