Tatoy's Manokan and Seafoods along Villa Beach

Mention Tatoy's and a picture of their native litsong manok will certainly flash in everybody's mind. Ofcourse it's their claim to fame specialty when it started in a small hut along Villa beach decades ago.

Now, it's a complex of buildings, cabanas and structures make the Tatoy's Manokan and Seafood Restaurant.

But they have their delectable native litsong manok to entice your sense even when you are just entering the restaurant.

Full of flavour in every bite, the petite chicken is a must have when dining at Tatoy's or you'll be having an incomplete Tatoy's experience.

But a recent food trip made me discover that there's more to Tatoy's than their signature native litsong manok. Starting with the appetizer, we had green mangoes served with sauteed guinamos (the local bago-ong).

The guinamos was very good that ordered another just to have another go with the guinamos. That instant I made my own bago-ong rice and even with that alone the visit had its highlight on the first bite.

We also have this refreshing shrimp kinilaw with all the spices and seasonings all for flavour yet it makes a good presentation flair.

The combo order of managat fish head soup and the grilled tail is always a must.

Though it's their competition (Breakthrough) that is credited for this discovery of a pest (managat fishes eat the bangus fry) turned into delicacy.

Then there's another specialty, not only of Tatoy's but for the whole district of Villa Arevalo - lechon baboy. Even though the skin looked gummy, it packed in the crispness of how lechon skin should be.

It came with a "house blend" lechon sauce that had bits of liver in it. But even with the sauce the lechon itself is tasty on its own - not over seasoned and salty (for my perosnal taste ofcourse) like the Cebu lechon.

And then there were prawns - so big that it almost cramped out the plate they were served in.

Yet it nothing compared to the oysters we had - whether steamed or baked. I lost count how orders we had then but out table looked as if an oyster festival had taken place.

Finally, we ended this gastronomic appreciation of Iloilo in the same manner how we started it - mangoes. But this time they were ripe mangoes - could be from Guimaras or Leon, both boasting of the sweetest mangoes around.

And I liked that they served it with ice for usually I put mangoes in the fridge before I have them. There's something really into cold mangoes or fruits in general that makes me want them more...

And there must be something at Tatoy's where locals and tourists, even more, go back more often to. No question about it - it's the delectable melange of Ilonggo dishes and specialties they offer unpretentiously.

Mama's Kitchen and Sinamay House in Arevalo

A stones throw away from the plaza of La Villa de Arevalo is an ancestral house where one can find not only good pasalubong items but also a look into the past of the district. Known as the Sinamay House , this well preserved ancestral house is an attraction not only in the outside but also what it houses inside. A collection of what the past like is housed in the two storey edifice which also acts like a museum of sorts. Sinamay is simply known as abaca by most and, here, a variety of products made from this fiber can be found. I remember watching a feature on tv wherein the owner proudly showed a framed letter signed by the late Princess of Wales, Diana, showing her appreciation of the handkerchief she was given as a gift coming from this very shop. But the attraction I am most familiar with are the chewies and crunchies made by Mama's Kitchen. Attractively packed in boxes showing their current flavours and variety, this is among the better...

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...

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...

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. ...

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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