EATING. It's more fun in DINAGYANG 2012

Iloilo City again celebrates Dinagyang 2012 over the weekend with city-wide, all-out party and merry making. With theme for this year “Beyond Awards, A Culture of Excellence”, it promises new concepts and innovations that will add more color and vibrancy to this year’s festivity and its numerous activities.

Dinagyang is also all about food, food and food. “Hala Bira-Bira” is my favorite term for an all out eating, drinking and merry making during Dinagyang. And this is what it’s all about - a (rough) guide of where and what to eat during this merry making season.

FOOD FESTIVALS

For almost 20 years now, the Iloilo Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants Association (IHHRA) Food Festival along a portion of Delgado Street, has been the gastronomic event during Dinagyang. The food fest has long established itself as an attraction wherein families, tourist and revelers gather together to enjoy and take pleasure in the culinary delights.

With more than 30 members participating, the IHHRA Food Festival is a one stop gastronomical “shop” as it showcases classic Ilonggo cuisine as well as well loved food items of famous restaurants. A stage with live bands brings in entertainment to the area to set the street in an all day and night party mood. This will run from January 19 until the 22nd from 1pm until 12midnight.

Other major streets also host food stalls and kiosks with live bands situated in major points. Check out portions of Valeria, Ledesma, JM Basa and Iznart streets – wherever you find most convenient or which foods are the most appetizing. Big malls like SM City, Plazuela de Iloilo and Robinsons Place also have their own food festivals with live music and celebrities. Bonus attraction for the first two malls, they have the best seats for the annual fireworks competition dubbed as Luces in the Sky (on Jan. 19 and 20.)

AWAY FROM THE CROWD?

Villa Beach in Arevalo is home to a galore of restaurants mainly serving fresh seafoods and lechon treats. Leading the pack is the iconic Tatoy’s restaurant with its famous native litsong manok among others. Another well known food place is Breakthrough and is among the most popular restaurant in Iloilo City.

The district of La Paz now hosts two performance areas so expect the place to be more crowded but also gives more eating out options. As it is synonymous with La Paz batchoy, do check out this concoction of pork, liver, intestines and noodles at Tienda La Paz. Take you pick from Ted’s Oldtimer, Deco’s Original and Netong’s Batchoyan among others.

A little further out is Jaro district and it prepares for its annual fiesta 10 after Dinagyang. The fair in Jaro Plaza adds more food places – a mini food festival, to explore to its already vibrant dining scene. Kiosks selling bingka line up the plaza’s perimeter across the cathedral. A lot of restaurants also dot the vicinity of the plaza while some of them are hidden in the side streets. Do check out Afrique’s, Bavaria, Perri Todd’s Buto’t Balat and Patpat’s Kansi among others.

Mandurriao is the nightlife centrale of Iloilo but contrary to “nightlife”, the district also abounds with native and modern restaurants open throughout the day but this area comes very much alive during nighttime and it will be overflowing this Dinagyang season. Old favorites, banking on their track record, battle it out with new hip and modern restaurants targeting the party people. Dine in style beside Iloilo River at the Boardwalk, Ayala Techno Hub or party the night away in numerous clubs in Smallville and The Avenue. Whatever your mood or your taste prefer, there will be something for you (and the thousands) that will surely make their way here.

ILONGGO FOOD GALORE

Expect a lot of quick eats in the streets ranging pork barbecue, lechon baboy and chicken inasal to grilled pantat, bangus and squid! Oysters, grilled scallops and fishes, sizzling crabmeat, kinilaw na isda and pasayan plus other Ilonggo favorites like chicken binakol, KBL and valenciana would be good orders to experience authentic Ilonggo cooking. Staples like saucy and soupy dishes complementing these grilled specialties are available especially in the more organized food festivals and in restaurants.

While at it, do check out some native delicacies like baye-baye, bandi, puto lanson, bingka, fresh lumpia and a lot more - they’re practically all over town. But if you want some one stop shop – just try Sabor Ilonggo with branches in most malls for a spread of native Ilonggo delicacies.

And lastly don’t forget to bring home Iloilo goodies for you to share and enjoy more. Jaro and Molo are home to famous bakeshops like Biscocho Haus, Deocampo Barquillos, RGies Delicacies, PJ Delicacies and Panaderia de Molo but they have branches all over the city and products are found in most malls. Tibiao Bakery and Tinapayan also make really good pasalubong items on top of their quality breads and pastries.

Butterscotch should be on top of your pasalubong list along with barquillos, yema and biscocho.

AMAZING APPETITE

One of the biggest buffet events of 2011 is coming back in time for Iloilo City’s Dinagyang celebration. Amazing Appetite 2: Dinagyang Festival Edition promises two-days of food trip as it bring in more than 50 specialty dishes from five of Chef Pauline Gorriceta Banusing’s restaurants namely – Al Dente, 101 Luna, Maki, Freska and Steps of Rome. A foodie passport entitles bearers to enjoy these treats on Jan. 20 and 21 from 11am to 2pm and from 5pm to 9pm.

Enjoy Dinagyang 2012. See the colorful costumes and performances of each tribe, hear and dance the beat of the drums, feel the warmth of the people, and don’t forget - taste and indulge in Ilonggo gastronomic delights!

Mama's Kitchen and Sinamay House in Arevalo

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