Discovering the Love and Kisses hamburger

Love and Kisses is a byword when it comes to pizza as for generations have gone by, the pizza of their memories were nothing but made of/with/by Love and Kisses. But I have to set aside pizza for I’m going to rave about their hamburger this time. It was barely an hour after a very wonderful lunch at The Red Corner (a few months ago) when our talked centered on the burger served by this snack shop made famous by it’s home grown and Ilonggo take on pizza.

It was talked about in such a way that you can’t hold on to your seat and instantly rush to the nearest branch of Love and Kisses or better yet disparate and apparate (now where’s my wand). So I rushed to the nearest shop where I can dine in and immortalize that that gastronomic experience. It was one of the regular items on their menu often overlooked upon because of the extensive list of pizza and pasta. At PhP50 per order which could swing from cheap to expensive for some, it was a 15 minute wait for the verdict for it was cooked upon order.

When it came, I was sort of dismayed on how plain and unappetizing it looked. Just on top of sliced buttered bread with onions and something unfamiliar. But the aroma was very, very good; in fact I could even taste it through my nose. I was about to ask what the siding was when the waiter instinctively said with pride it was “puso ng saging salad” and he said it was one of the most requested/ordered in the restaurant. Now that’s a good attitude, taking pride of what you’re doing and serving plus giving customers something to ponder upon.

Despite the charred burger on the outside, patty was very, very juicy inside. In fact it’s the juiciest patty I can ever remember. So I took my first bite of, only, the patty then another and it has really a very one of a kind taste and very good too. The charred taste (I hear they use some volcanic rock on the grill-maybe I can peep in the kitchen next time) gives it a different feature and in delicious contrast is the very juicy inside.

Though it had hints of sweetness, I can’t be sure if it was the patty itself or the burger bun but it was one great burger discovery. I didn’t even bother using the condiments for I wanted to savour the taste of the patty plus its combination with the puso ng saging and onion to the last morsel.

I could have ordered two more hamburgers but I was running against time day so there will surely be another visit to Love and Kisses soon. Maybe even today and I’ll instantly order two burgers!

Love and Kisses has three branches in Iloilo with dine in stores at the Nelly Garden Arcade along E. Lopez Street in Jaro and along Jalandoni Street across University of San Agustin. It has a take out counter at The Atrium Mall at the Valeria side entrance.

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 pork broth cube (

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

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.

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 usu

An Ilonggo favorite - Suman Latik

Suman Latik is one of my favorite native delicacies - plain suman/ibos topped with sweetened coconut strips or bukayo . Most of the time those sold in the markets have this two (suman and bukayo) already in one wrap and all you have to to is devour it. But most of the time, the bukayo portion is bitin that I wish there's more. So why not make our own suman latik so you can have all the suman we want with all the bukayo toppings we desire! Here's a simple recipe for Suman Latik

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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