Inggo's Lapaz batchoy

I can now cross out Inggo's Lapaz batchoy on my to visit/eat list as I finally visited it's branch at the back of Robinson's Place Iloilo a week ago. Despite the searing noon time heat I braved the unfamiliar part of the city to satisfy my curiosity for this Lapaz batchoy.

The ambiance of the batchoyan was reminiscent to that of La salette building before it go renovated with Ted's nat's or even Oak Barrel, it was atypical modern batchoyan caught between the past and trying to be "in" at present. It was like a deja vu of sorts.

I read a lot, heard and seen this batchoy before and since then my curiosity heightened especially on its claim to be the "original" beating the other "original" (Deco's) by 17 years. On tarpaulins, Inggo claims to have been serving batchoy since 1921 compared to 1938 of Deco's. But enough of who's original claim! It's time for the real thing ...

So I got the biggest bowl of Inggo's Lapaz batchoy and had a puto plus a bottle of soda for less than a hundred. The rice cake was good, enough to be almost like the "manapla" kind and I enjoyed dipping into the broth. The contrast of the hot broth to the puto's cold and semi bland taste was a perfect combination.

Now, the batchoy! Hmmm, it was good but not enough to make me forget my name. The aroma is that of the typical batchoy but it was more on the ingredients and taste that I find some things. First the broth as not as tasty as Ted's Oldtimer that I lost count how many times I used the soy sauce and pepper bottles. The amount of ingredients are not as generous (though it costs around 10 pesos lesser than Ted's, I think).

But it's definitely better than Deco's in my opinion though I have to taste Deco's batchoy in their original batchoyan at the Lapaz market (very) soon.

Over-all, its a good batchoy experience for the Ilonggo tastebud or for those looking for their first taste of lapaz batchoy. The unhurried ambiance is reflective of Iloilo City's way of life plus the taste mirrors the Ilonggos love for good food and the good life.

Inggo's Original Lapaz Batchoy has branches at the Iloilo City Terminal market (back of Robinson's), inside Iloilo Central market and at the canteen of WVSU (Don Benito) Hospital.

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

Search This Blog