Degustation la Rue Bourbon

Following that afternoon of fine California wines, a degustation dinner followed at Bourbon Street. What else but only the best back ribs in town highlighted the evening’s 4-course menu. Together with the wine connoisseurs of Happy Living Philippines Corporation headed by Kathy Yao-Santos, learning about wine and their respective food pairing continues until the night.

Dinner started with one of my fave soups at the American bistro – Cream of Mushroom and Celery. A rich blend of celery and mushroom flavored with basil and accented with chili. It has shitake mushroom that provides a crunch as well as bite contrasting the creaminess of the soup.

Salad was next on the menu and I again met another favorite – Southwest Salad. A mélange of citrus marinated (and grilled) beef, Romaine lettuce, tomato confit, roasted bell pepper and French Vinaigrette on a crisp and edible shell. I always like the complementary flavors of the tangy beef, the smokiness of the bell pepper, crisp and fresh greens and the sharp with hints of sweetness of the French vinaigrette.

Next proved to be an instant favorite and just by the looks of it, it can yours too! Called Shrimps in a Blanket on the menu, it consists of roasted shrimps wrapped with bacon in (maybe) a balsamic vinegar and olive oil accent. (Maybe since the menu says it was a roasted garlic tarragon crème sauce but since our dinner was “out of the menu”, changes were applied to suit the occasion). Nonetheless, the shrimps wrap in bacon was a delight that one will surely find it hard to stop once he pops on into his mouth – like I did.

And finally, it won’t be a complete Bourbon Street experience without having a taste of its luscious and delectable Backribs - grilled tender pork ribs served with a bold barbecue sauce. While ribs advertise to be “so tender that it falls of the bone” Bourbon Street’s BBQ Backribs still remain intact glistening and beckoning – perfect for persons who can’t help but take photos of what they are about to eat (I wonder who could those be?).

But once the you fork it, off it comes easily from the bones revealing it’s tender side. Still with “a bite in every bite”, you’d find the smoky goodness perfectly complementing the Bourbon barbecue sauce that certainly half a rack might disappear without you realizing it.

Just like the last time, everything seems to be a blur that all the foods right before us seem to have disappeared. But of course, we felt a little heavier as we all left the night of degustation at Bourbon Street. So how's my French?

Bourbon Street is located at The Avenue Complex in Smallville, Brgy. San Rafael Mandurriao, Iloilo City.

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.

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

A native (foods) welcome in Guimaras

Even after having breakfast less than an hour that time, we couldn't say no to this lot of native delciacies that welcomed us in Guimaras. First and foremost, Guimaras best known produce is their sweet mango famous almost worldwide. And it comes with it's best partner, ibos. This brown baye-baye variety is made from toasted rice thus giving it a more disctinct flavour compared to it's more "caucasian" cousin. I like the one wrapped in banana leaves compared with the one in plastic for it gives it a more native feel. So when you're in Guimaras, be sure to check out the markets for these native delicacies that can make your trip more gastronomically satisfying.

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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