Lenten Specials at Bourbon Street

I was back at Bourbon Street a few days and had a taste of what they had to offer for the Lenten Season. Back on the menu are my favorite fish dishes concocted by the bistro and highlighted as the Holy Week nears.

But unlike my food trips before, I made a sidetrip to the kitchen and was privy on the preparations of one of our orders - Snapper Florentine. I first tasted this dish years ago during my first ever food tasting session at the bistro.

It was a last minute order but surprisingly, it turned out to be very good. And since then it's been part of my menu whenever fish is called for on the table. It usually consists of fried fried with a light-creamy yet savoury sauce with spinach. The sidings also very good like the marble potatoes and assorted vegetables.

I was surpised that there were changes on the order. Actually it was just the fish - gone were the head and tail plus it wasn't fried that time. The fish and the seasonings were placed inside the plastic and sealed then it was sort of blanched.

So it wasn't fried like my previous orders just almost like steamed fillet fish. But still the sauce was as good as before and the marble potatoes were yummy as usual. But presentation wise this fried variation looks better but I got more fish meat and much healthier too using the current process. The fish was soft and moist as if it was steamed and there is no shrinkage so i got to enjoy more of its goodness!

In between eats, we had Four Cheese Pizza consisting of Mozzarella, Romano, Parmesan and Monterey Jack cheeses on top of a thin crust and crisp dough.

Also new on the menu is this Crunchy Southern Squid Head which are battered and deep fried squid head (and tentacles). At first you might expect to be crunchy all through but they are just like those fried calamari - crunchy at first then you get to chew some parts. It was so good that even without the dip, I can a "bottomless" if they got one.

And finally, my all time favorite fish item at Bourbon Street - Korean Sizzling Fish. Obviously it's the kimchi that makes it "Korean", it's just butterflied deep fried fish with a ginger-laden Korean Sauce. The kimchi as revealed is not one that is bottled or made the traditional way (preserved for months) but freshly made for the day. Even Koreans love them, I was told and that they always make a big batch for separate orders for this specialty.

Afterward, I got to tour it's new branch at The Avenue set to open with a big party on April 27, 2011. But the current branch will still be serving patrons until May 31st with the basic menu (ribs, etc). Though it's a bit small compared to its previous area, I think Bourbon Street made a bold move to transfer to a better location - away from the troublesome area (lol) and line itself among the best and poshest dining places in Iloilo City.

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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