Affordable eats with a "taste of home" at My Mom's Grill

I still can't get over this piece of backribs we had a few nights ago when we dropped by My Mom's Grill in Jaro. Located at the intersection of Sta. Isabel and Libertad Streets, its just a short walking distance from SM Jaro. Just look for the display of assorted barbecue up front and you'll find the relaxed ambiance that of its al fresco area.

While waiting for the gang to arrive, us, early birds contented ourselves with Hawaiian Pizza. Yes they don't only offer grilled specialties but snack items like an assortment of pizzas and sandwiches. I particularly loved the crust of the pizza that time, just the right crunch and taste. Ofcourse, it was overload of meat, sauce and cheese plus pineapples that made it Hawaiian.

Another batch of "appetizers" then had us enjoying delectable barbecue - pork, liver and chicken intestines. Only ate the first two though.

And when the gang was complete, we ordered all the "My Mom's Specialties" on the menu.

How about some Grilled Squid in delectable home-concocted barbecue sauce? As we all agreed, "sauce pa lang ulam na, how much more kung may grilled squid pa?"

Then comes a pair of Grilled Chicken Wings that also have their signature sauce. Even without sauce, the wings were delicious, as I particularly took interest at this angle seeing a part with no sauce.

A staple in almost every grilled restaurant is the Boneless Bangus. Though quite thin but it was made up by it size, which us unusually big and priced cheap for a grilled seafood. And was quite tasty too - no need for dip.

The Beef Teriyaki was among my fave as it had the real and familiar taste of home. I was the one who almost finished the order, getting a spoonful after another.

And saving the best for last, the Back Ribs was the unanimous favorite. The tender piece of pork was deliciously grilled and then smothered with delectable sauce. Quite a steal for something that costs just PhP119 and comes with unlimited rice (like all the grilled specialties). With a glass of iced tea that's less than Php20, you get your moneys worth - delicious food, no frills ambiance, prompt service and very affordable tags.

My Mom's Grill

12 Libertad Street, Jaro, Iloilo City (near SM Jaro)

0917-703-9888

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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