One of the most interesting finds we had during a luncheon get-together at Wawa Heritage Restaurant was Adobo nga Sisi or baby oysters. A staple in most seaside areas on Iloilo and beyond, sisi are like baby oysters, of course they come in small shells too. And usually they are bottled and sold kinilaw. Or maybe adobo as this one could have just came out from the bottled since it had no taste of being freshly cooked. But it was curiosity satisfied.
The squid rings from Estancia, Iloilo are a must order for appetizers. As PJ comes from Estancia, all the seafood goodness of this Northern Iloilo town are within his reach. Though this one just comes out straight from plastic packages (these are sold as pasalubong in most shops in the city), they are really good and addicting. No need to dip them in the vinegar (which are also good).
Ginisa nga baboy sa guinamos (bago-ong) is perfect with green mango or mixed with rice, even on it's own! For some weird reason, the Jaro Market is just 5 minutes away yet they were out of stock in the Wawa kitchen. So we just mixed this with rice for a heavenly appetizer turned meal.
The Atchara Ilonggo was surprisingly good - with a mild contrast between sweet and sour of the concoction having amargoso (ampalaya) among others.
This Tapa Ilonggo topping looked appetizing but a bit salty. It was well cooked, sort of tender and seasoned well, just a bit salty.
Must order - fried balingon. They make their own as they buy the fresh fish then salt and dry it. It makes a a melt in your mouth quality appetizer plus with the dip - heavenly! More of this please!
Ensalada na puso ng saging - strips of banana heart with vinegar and coconut milk. A good appetizer as well as side dish for fried and dry food.
Daing na Bangus - nothing spectacular and it tastes even dry like carton. Go ahead and take a bite of any carton near you, it's really like that. You might even want to dip it in the toyomansi.
Lechon kawali is made from liempo most of the time but this one looks like it came from a simple pork chop. And I had to stare (almost in disgust) with our server when we asked her what's the most Ilonggo specialty of Wawa, and she answered Lechon kawali!
Seafood Batchoy! They just put into shrimps, green shells plus more shells then add seasoned broth and blanched noodles from the fridge. As what they say, don't buy batchoy from a non batchoyan for the taste of batchoy basically comes from the caldo or broth which authentic batchoyans cook and maintain all day NOT just a bunch of seasoning and broth cubes.
I like how they used itlog ng pugo both a garnish and eventually topping for their pork sisig with kamote on the side. Actually quite good that I almost finished this order alone.
A very refreshing take on guyabanio juice, just a light mix with calamansi,again very refreshing! I could finish a pitcher of this and want more.
My first visit to Wawa might have mixed reviews but I will certainly be back because the concept is good - everybody will surely leave learning more than one or two about Ilonggo cuisine. They just need more professionalism in the service and the actual execution of this project. Can't wait to visit Wawa Heritage Restaurant again to discover some areas of Ilonggo cuisine which I am less informed with.
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Wawa Heritage Restaurant.
