FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Laswa is among the quintessential native Ilonggo dish you'd find in most homes and turo-turo  places in the region. It is basically a stew of an assortment of vegetables like kalabasa, talong and saluyot among others. Others have sitaw, takway , patola, sigarilya s and even puso ng saging . Salt is the basic seasoning and seafood are the most popular sahog especially shrimps, crabs, kalkag and dried fish.   But another dried seafood made its way to the list of sahog s as a few days ago, I was surprised that the laswa on our table dried locus (squid) as the sahog . Maybe we ran out of the usual sahog and there was only a pack of dried squid in fridge making it the perfect candidate for the laswa . Despite being in a soupy dish, the squid still proved to be tough and I prefer it to be eaten fried or roasted - with lots of sinamak .

Looking for the perfect and most delicious pasalubong from Iloilo? Just look for anything with a Tinapayan label.  And now, Tinapayan pasalubong items are now available at Coffeebreak Pre-Departure area. While sipping your favorite Coffeebreak drink and while waiting for your flight, you can shop for delicious pasalubong.  Choose from a wide variety available on the Coffeebreak racks. Pick from delicious Tinapayan specialties like classic Biscocho, Crunchy Mango, Raspberry, Pinipig, Pili, Cinnamon twist, a variety of yummy meringue. Banana Chips, Rosquillos, and a lot more irresistible goodies.  Coffeebreak and Tinapayan has partnered to offer travelers, tourists, and food lovers a terrific line of great-tasting pasalubong for your friends and loved ones.  /press release On a personal note, I just love the "new" Tinapayan butterscotch. It's more chewy and moist as it now comes in foil packs that pack in the goodness of this Iloilo pasalubong...

Tinapayan's Mango Pavlova was a popular Noche Buena centerpiece among my Iloilo-based FB friends. I've seen lots of Christmas Eve dinner spreads having this eye-catching cake as the center piece. Pavlova is a  meringue-based dessert with cream and fruits completing it's trio of components. As this is the Holiday Season, Tinapayan added Christmas trimmings to be more festive and in with the season. The snowmen are entirely made of cream so one's gotta have this mango pavlova cooled for it may not look like the same if left in the open for a long time. The mango pavlova has a layer of soft meringue as opposed to the standard crisp outside yet chewy inside meringue. It is then layered with whipped cream then layered with fresh mangoes (very sweet mangoes) then finally topped off with Christmas themed designs. I just love the combo of the mangoes and cream with the meringue that I find it "bitin" being just a one-layered merignue dessert. It's basic...

Afrique's gives the Ilonggos a different kind of Italian gastronomic experience with its newest offering - Rustica by Afrique's . A dinner with a formal set-up at Afrique's Smallville, Chef Miguel Cordova personally dishes up Italian specialties including this mouth-watering, Porchetta.    Pronounced as porˈketta is a savoury, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition. The body of the pig is gutted, deboned, arranged carefully with layers of stuffing, meat, fat, and skin, then rolled, spitted, and roasted, traditionally over wood. ( Wikipedia )  It was a few weeks ago during the Iloilo shoot of The Pinoy Foodie , we sort of had a preview of what Rustica is all about. But it wasn't the "real" Rustica as we opted for an informal dinner with the specialties and best sellers of Afrique's. Nonetheless, Chef Miguel let us experienced a little bit of Rustica as he served us the mouth-watering Porchetta and one of his pasta crea...

For Filipinos, Christmas and New Year’s handaan do not only mean celebrations but are symbolic offerings to attract good fortune. Round fruits are served to bring abundance, while rice cakes represent close relationships among the family and ensure that luck sticks to all members.  Food lovers can rejoice this holiday season as Prosperity Pancit, the lucky Sooo Pinoy dish  by Unilever Food Solutions, is now available at their favorite restaurants,  including Chippens, Golden Brown, Zacky Fried Chicken and Barcode Paseo.  The real star of holiday banquets, however, is pancit. Merging Chinese traditional cooking with Filipino flavors, it is believed to attract wealth, health, and long life. Since it was introduced by Chinese traders during the Spanish colonial era, pancit has become a staple on every Filipino family’s dining table, especially for special occasions. Generations of Pinoys have truly made this dish their own and have cooked up as many variation...

Always in the center of a typical  Filipino Noche Buena  is the "hamon". No matter which brand or what kind ham it maybe, the  Christmas Eve  midnight gastronomic gathering would seem incomplete without it. One ham that seems to be just within the taste and price range of the Ilonggos is the house brand of  Iloilo Supermart - Right Choice .  For around PhP380 per kilo, the  Right Choice Ham  is not like those typical hams which were made months earlier in preparation for Christmas. Instead, it can be termed as a freshly made ham yet still almost have the same taste and texture of the typical ham.  I couldn't resist this ham during the time for this simple photo shoot, I ate around 5 slices even before i wrapped up. No need for me to cook or heat eat and even without the sauce it came with it was just so delicious. Right Choice Ham is available in all Iloilo Supermart branches  (The Atrium, Molo, Villa, Mandurriao, Jaro and ...

I was in Cebu a few weeks ago and when I decided to drop by Marco Polo Plaza Hotel for some Christmas Ensaimada , it turned out to be more than appreciating this glitzy pastry - I was gastronomically lured by what  is considered to be one of the best buffets in Cebu City. Cafe Marco Assorted breads Japanese Station Chinese Specialties Peking Duck Cold cuts Dessert Station Fresh fruits with vanilla Halo-halo station They also have a Filipino Station which includes the popular Lechon Cebu (actually a whole station by itself) on top of Pinoy specialties. There's also a Continental dishes station and many other stations to choose from - we just came late for lunch for me to have my usual clicks and flashes session. Indeed the buffet experience at The Marco Polo Plaza Cebu is one big gastronomic feast and no doubt why it is considered to be among the top buffets in Cebu City.

Echoing the central theme of endless food this time of the year, this pata tim reflects the gastronomia of Christmas all around the Philippines.It was a few weeks ago when I attended the Christmas party of the Iloilo Hotels, Restaurants and Resorts Association at the Mansion Garden Restaurant. It was actually my first time in the said food place and can't help but reminisce childhood memories of a restaurant of having almost the same name - Mansion House along Calle Real. It was both a party at the same time the induction of the new set of officers for the organization with Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog as the guest of honor.  The new president of the organization comes from this restaurant so it was his time to showcase the gastronomic delights his place is known for and it started with this rich and savoury soup. At first I was hesitant seeing all the halo-halo ingredients but i ended up having another bowl. A staple in most Chinese restaurant i...