5G's Halo-halo at Tinda Lapaz

Tinda Lapaz has a lot of food finds to offer. There's the quintessential of Ilonggo cuisine which had its birthing and carrying the name - Lapaz Batchoy (take your pick from Ted's Oldtimer, Deco's Original and Netong's). There's also the popular hang-out - Madge cafe; and rows of carinderia's and bakeries.

And of course, there's the row of halo-halo stalls lining almost half of the market's "facade". So yesterday, fulfilling one of my long "to-do, to-eat" list, I ventured to Tinda Lapaz and beat the searing November heat (and it's not even summer time yet) with an "Extra" serving of halo-halo at 5G's Refreshment. (And the 5 G's turn out to be Glenn I, Glenn II, Grace, Greg and Gene.)

Just like the batchoy, halo-halo comes in Regular, Special, Super and Extra. I counted more than 15 ingredients ranging from fresh fruits to colorful "trimmings". Of course I went for the Extra as my default order as I just have to go for it especially in blogging and surprisingly it was just PhP35.

And there was much more on the menu, even cheaper but it was all halo-halo for me that time. So it was my usual clicks and flashes when my order was being prepared by "Manang 5G". After the block of ice has been shaved came assorted toppings for my order.

As it was an "Extra" order of halo-halo, I got one topped with barquillos and leche "plan". With out the rolled wafer, it will be "demoted" to a "Super" order PhP30, just topped with the custard. But without the custard, it'll just be a "Special" one - PhP25. But still it's a steal given this amount which is mostly equivalent to an order of soda in restaurants.

And my order came picture perfect - all the colors sort of blended just right! It had that enticingly fresh aroma from the fresh fruits prompting me to finish my foodtography in no time - plus there' the melting factor of the shaved ice.

I didn't bother to add sugar as I just was satisfied by the sweetness offered by the fruits and other ingredients. I usually limit my sugar even at home like when I make fruit shakes, its just the natural sugar content of the fruits. I just love the taste of melon (and it's not even the melon season) and the buko meat. then there' the subdued taste of banana and kamote giving it some texture as well. The pineapple,avocado and papaya gave it more dimension in taste. There's the contrasting texture of the corn flakes and the sago. And finally the ube halaya, leche "plan" and the barquillos ...

With these galore of ingredients and with a extra-super bargain price, it was indeed another satisfying foodie adventure at Tinda Lapaz, making this market indeed a showcase of Ilonggo food and food ways. 'til we eat again...

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...

Lamesa Grill Iloilo's Halo-halo All-you-can for only PhP 99

Lamesa Grill Iloilo welcomes the early arrival of summer (and it's only February) with the ultimate cooler - halo halo! And what better way to enjoy this colorful melange of sweetened fruits, beans and other ingredients than creating your own mix and going back for more! Lamesa Grill's Halo-Halo Buffet brings in more than 30 ingredients you can mix and match plus enjoy to your hearts and appetite's delight. Happening daily from 2-5pm and for only PhP 99, one can enjoy the all the works for personalized halo halo. Take you pick from sweetened fruits like langka, saba, ube and kamote to fresh mangoes, melon and buko to canned peaches, pineapple, avocados and lychees. There's also nata, sago and gelatin to give color and texture to your creations. Giving a crunch to your halo-halo are rice crispies, pinipig, corn flakes and peanuts. One can also find sweetened garbansos, red and white beans. Finally garnish it chocolate filled rolled wafers and marshmallows! You can opt t...

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

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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