Lumpiang shanghai combo meal at Orange Panda Fastfood

There's a new player in the Iloilo fastfood industry and it goes by the name Orange Panda. You'll never miss it along E. Lopez street and despite the concentration of restaurants in the area, it literally stands out - that glaring orange motif inside out. I dropped by Orange Panda a few days ago to try what they had to offer on their soft opening and I had lot disappointments zeroing on my order - lumpiang shanghai combo and panda red tea.

I had lots of expectations upon learning that this is the fastfood version of the Iloilo Summer House - among the most popular Chinese restaurants in Iloilo. But the moment I tasted their signature Panda Red Tea, uh-oh, it seems the worst is yet to come. I am adventurous when it comes to iced tea flavours but this one - I almost never finished it. 'Twas too sweet at the same time bland as if it was just water, sugar, flavouring and coloring.

Orange Panda is almost like a Chowking rip off based on their initial offerings - Chinese inspired combo meal. Ofcourse its understandable as it is under Iloilo Summer House. As they will compete with many other fastfood restos in the area, they seem to target students and residents in the area for there are many schools, boarding houses, hospitals and offices in the area. But price-wise they seem to fail especially in their combo meals. My lumpiang shanghai meal costs PhP 139 and that's without drinks (ranges from PhP 25-42) so one will still spend more than PhP150 for a full meal all. Not budget friendly.

And then there's the actual taste - the only items I liked on my platter were the chicharap and the butterscotch dessert. Their lumpia was bland even with the sauce, the sio mai too despite the chili dip and the bihon was very ordinary and the meatballs had no taste at all. And I can't believe it adds up to PhP139 (let me dissect the price, 49-solo lumpia meal, 30 for two sio mais, 12 for butterscotch so that leaves 48 for the bihon and chicharap.)

But I'll be back as maybe their other items will be in tune with my tastebuds and I might eventually like Orange Panda. But no red tea and meatballs please ...

I dream of bacon at Days Hotel Iloilo ...

I could smell the aroma and hear the crackling sound of bacon as it sizzled on the griller but when I was about to devour it, I just couldn't taste it. I took a mouthful again and it just remained elusive. On my third try, I finally had a bite of something but it tasted nowhere like a bacon. Then I woke up and realized I was biting into my pillow and just came from dreamland ... I found myself enjoying one of the Superior Rooms at Days Hotel Iloilo a few days ago. It's among the newly renovated rooms and among the few that actually has a window to the outside world. I had a very humongous bed and around four of myself could fit in - but maybe three for "me" to be comfortable. But I'd rather be alone enjoying the room and the pillows for I just love the pillows at Days Hotel Iloilo ever since. The Superior Room is big for its class and has simple yet classy interiors. It has a sitting corner and a sort of office nook perfect for business travelers as...

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...

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

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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