FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

… Ironic it may seem, after having lunch at a carinderia, after an hour or so I found myself in one of the finest hotels in Iloilo City to attend the launching of it’s newest spa offerings. Days Hotel Iloilo in partnership with the world’s most prestigious and most respected spa line, Pevonia Botanica , launched their new spa packages utilizing this product line admired by the rich and famous world wide. Complementing the launch was a healthy line up of food and drinks. My favorite among the eight snack bites served was the chicken ala king? in filo pastry shell that every bite comes with a crunch and oozes with the delectable filling. There’s was a coleslaw bite, a liver pate served in cucumber cups, assorted salmon bites and a lot more. It was finished off a cup of mixed fruits and drinks of choice. I chose the cucumber calamansi combo having the green color attract my attention first over the carrot-orange? juice counterpart. Invited guests were also given the chance to sample som...

I was in Silay City last weekend to be part of the Philippine Blog Awards (PBA) Visayas 2011. The mere mention of this heritage city, often referred to as the "Paris of Negros", brings a vision of grandeur due to its large collection of perfectly preserved heritage houses with more than thirty of these have been declared as historical landmarks. But Silay City has more than these abodes to offer as we all found out during the ‘Lagaw Silay’ guided tour for the delegates and facilitated by their Tourism Office headed by Severino Pacete. From Bacolod City where most of the delegates meet, a quick bus ride across the vast sugar plantations with interesting stories along the way perked up the start of turned out to be a heritage and gastronomic journey in Silay City. A quick stop over at the almost century old El Ideal Bakery announced our arrival in the city and for a food blogger like me, the journey could have started and ended there. Even with a full breakfast an hour then, I...

Lechon is always the center of any gastronomic attraction be it a fiesta, a get together or any special occasion that calls for a celebration. Two weeks ago, I attended the inauguration of the Skinetics Wellness Center and indeed this lechon baboy was the star of the buffet. Located at the YGQ building along Boardwalk Avenue, the event had the guests gather in at Ohana Japanese Restaurant for an afternoon not only of relaxation but also of gastronomic well being as they catered a big buffet both at the restaurant and at the penthouse. A mixed galore of Japanese specialties, breads, pizza, sweets and a lot more made up the eats for that special occasion and among them is yakitori, a Japanese specialty which is grilled chicken in skewers Among the my favorites then were these pastries filled with a creamy concoction, which I can only guess wass again chicken based because it had the feel and taste of "ala king". Then there's giant box of pizza which can com...

I was in Silay City, Negros Occidental over the weekend to be part of the Philippine Blog Awards Visayas hosted the city known as " The Paris of Negros ". The next day the Tourism Office toured the delegates around it's cultural and heritage sites dubbed as " Lagaw Silay ". Among the most memorable legs of the tour for me was the visit to Fresh Start Organics farm where I saw this pig devouring lots of leaves. I forgot from which tree it came from but it doesn't matter since pigs usually eat " damog " ( kaning baboy ), those what is left over from the human consumption. While others are feeds fed, seeing one that is almost vegetarian is really a human interest story. From the looks of it, the pig is slim and lean like most of it's human counterpart doing the same diet thus the notion of a healthier pig thus a "healthier" supply of pork it can give. And it excited us more when it was casually announced that part of our lunch will be ...

Floyd's Famous BBQ now gives Ilonggos more pleasure in enjoying it's mouthwatering pork and chicken barbecue as it opens it's newest branch at the Ayala Techno Hub. The first restaurant to open in the complex, it now positions itself as the place to be in this part of the night life centrale of Iloilo City. It's just a few strides from the Boardwalk Complex and a mere 5 minute walk from Smallville, in no time, Floyd's will surely be a melting pot of good food and good chill out spot. With sleek and modern fixtures for the the exterior, which is good for the smoking and happy drinkers crowd, I find cool to "rise above the crowd" with those specially designed tables and stools that gives a "bar" like feel. It's also a good way to street your legs after a tiresome day doubled with the good food and drinks. Going inside, one still finds the same set of furnishing but has a more subdued ambiance just right for those who will enjoy a cozy lunch or...