A Christmas luncheon at Camp Alfredo in Guimaras

The zip line and the adventure facilities are not the only attractions at Camp Alfredo in Guimaras. As one communes with nature - the lush greens, the fresh air, the sound of the stream, the natural flora and fauna, during a visit, gastronomy also becomes an attraction itself.

And I have proven it once more, a few days before 2011 came to an end during Camp Alfredo's first ever Christmas Lunch Party. With guests coming mostly from Manila and the US, it was also a reunion of sorts for the families who were there. As always food becomes an integral part of any family gathering and this was among them.

With the luncheon catered by Barrio Inasal, which also serves the fares at the Camp during regular days, it was a galore of grilled specialties heralded by the specialty of the house - chicken inasal. Among the best chicken inasals, Barrio Inasal prides itself of having the authentic kind and taste plus it is grilled upon order so it may take a while. Though these ones were prepared ahead but they still tasted as if they were right of the grill.

Just by looking at this photo (with one hand holding the stick and the other the camera), the taste memories of this chicken inasal comes back vividly to the senses. The crips and golden brown chicken meat, the aroma of the spices and ofcourse that first bite into the juicy meat oozing with flavour that I didn't care whether the sides of my mouth became orange too - I just savoured every bite then.

Now there's isol or iwi - the chicken's butt. A delicacy on its own and it almost always comes as barbecued. For an occasional isol eater like me, I couldn't help but get a stick and devoured it even with no sawsawan - not my usual thing. And it's as juicy and tender as my memory recalls.

And then there's the grilled managat and it's whole! usually it's the lower portion that comes in grilled in most restaurants I've been to, for the head becomes the soup part. This is among the best grilled managat I've tasted - perfect grilled, juicy, well seasoned - believe no need for sawsawan, for it seems the sawsawan is already part of the seasoning basted into the fish while being grilled.

The grilled squid was also good though nothing over spectacular, just the right toughness to go with the flavour. I even went back for another whole squid a few minutes after finishing my first. There was also a plate of shrimps, cooked like in anybody's home - just with salt and placed in frying pan.

Odd man out was the side dish - kimchi. Not part of the Barrio Inasal menu though, just an on the spot addition as there were Koreans in the group then. But I also enjoyed this myself going back for more to go with the grilled specialties on my plate. Java rice was our staple that time and there also was a lechon which was very good. It a local lechonero in Guimaras who made it - the skin was thin and crisp and the insides were very flavourful especially the ribs part. I still don't remember why I forgot to take photos ...

Maybe, I was just saving battery to use when I start my photowalk around the lush greens and the new man made structures that I wasn't able to see the last time I visited there (which was just 15 days before that). And yes, this "bridge over troubled waters" instantly became my favorite subject as I started my journey around the camp ...

And it will have a separate blog post very soon ...

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...

Lauya nga Pata sang Baboy

It was a typical fiesta scene in a barrio that I got to taste this cholesteroliffic and delicious pork dish. I can still vividly remember that decades old gastronomic memory - very tender and almost fall of the bone pata, vivid orange sour and sticky broth, large chunks of unripe langka; all in one big large kaldero ! And it's been really a while since I've tried to recreate that taste memory and a few days ago, it was worth another try. Here's my simple recipe for Pata Lauya

Calda Pizza: Home of the biggest pizza in town

Calda Pizza means “hot pizza” in Italian and had its beginnings in Lahug, Cebu City in January 2008. Conceived by a Cebu-based couple, Bernard and Frances Therese Palang, the pizza chain started with a capital of PhP 400,000. But prior this venture, Bernard worked in the family-owned furniture business while Frances heads a chemical repackaging business. With success already in the bag after only the first year, they eventually ventured out of Cebu and opened their first branch in Quezon City. They sacrificed their respective jobs to concentrate in their new business. Frances’ attention is devoted with the administration and commissary works while Bernard is in charge of marketing, expansion and franchise expansion as well as the daily operations of company owned branches. Now more than three years later, it has taken the country by storm as around 35 branches have opened nationwide. NOW IN ILOILO But Ilonggos need not to travel out as Calda Pizza recently opened its first bra...

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Search This Blog