FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Summer is here! And what better way to beat the heat of the season than enjoying what we can consider as the "Pambansang Palamig" - halo-halo ! Be it along the street corners, markets, fastfood chains, restaurants and hotels, halo-halo is everywhere. But none gives you more thrill and excitement that making your concoction - right at the comfort of you own home. So one hot afternoon, out of nowhere, I decided to make halo-halo , without even knowing if all the ingredients needed were available. So after a few minutes of looking for ingredients, I present my extra super special halo-halo project - shaved iced with condensed milk, fresh mangoes, fresh grapes, berry preserves, bottled cherry and Nutella . Everything fit in perfectly - except maybe for the grapes whose "sourness" was "enhanced" by the sweetness of it's fellows. Nonethess, it was a great start for a cool summer project!

Steady but surely, home grown and local convenience store Quix! Mart is on a roll. Opening its 4th branch at the busy intersection known as "Stoplight", the 24/7 mini mart will "make life in Iloilo easy and convenient". With no less than Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog leading the opening rites, the opening of this local brand's fourth branch is a testament of the very good business climate Iloilo City is currently going through. Even with the entry of big developers and international chains, local businesses thrive and go with the business flow. Located near one of Iloilo's very own university belt, Quix! Mart offers snacks on the go like assorted rice toppings, sandwiches, cool treats like sundaes and the slush (Mountain Dew and Mirinda) and lots of desserts choices.  That's on top of the 24/7 convenience of the grocery they have. For a quick grab of your favorite ice cream, siomai, sandwich, and many others, Quix Mart is conveniently locate...

Wine tasting is always a fascinating experience for me – it’s full of new flavors and new discoveries. I learn from my fellow tasters as well as make new friends - those who share the same interest in wine. Through Werdenberg International Corp., a wine tasting and appreciation night was held at Club Aura a few days ago to sample a variety of wines from the D.G.B. Wines  from South Africa. DGB (Douglas Green Bellingham) is a leading South African wine and spirit producer, wholesaler and distributor of premium wine brands including Boschendal, Bellingham, Douglas Green, Brampton, Franschhoek Cellars and Tall Horse wines. Nick Sonderup, Regional Director of DGB Far East and Asia, conducted a wine-tasting 101, from backgrounders about DGB wines to the actual wine-tasting and food pairing - dropping by from table to table.  These wines are now available at Club Aura, Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine, Amalfi Cucina Italiana, Mojave Grill and Steak House, Bourbon Street...

Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center is celebrating the colors of summer with a meryenda buffet dubbed as "Halo-Halo at Iba Pa". Starting March 19 up to May 31, 2014, Cafe Salvatore hosts an afternoon meryenda buffet party from 3-5PM. The snack buffet has something for everyone as they have different stations to suit your taste and gastronomic lifestyle. Into fitness and health, you can opt for the salad bar which features around a dozen ingredients for yo uto create your own salad! Fan of native delicacies? You'll definitely love this station that features Ibos, Turon, Kutsinta, Muasi (Palitaw), Puto Manapal and a lot more   They also have filling snack items like sio mai and Pancit Molo.  But for a heavy snack you can opt to have Chicken Nuggets and Pasta Bolognese. For dessert, you can have fruits like fresh melon or some fruit salad.  And some cakes and pastries too! But certainly leave some space in your tummy for th...

Finally, on my hand lies a freshly picked strawberry grown organically in Brgy Bucari in the town of Leon, Iloilo. It was a few weeks ago when I blogged about these fruits now grown in Iloilo. And today together with some friends, we visited a private farm which is among the first which grows strawberries in Iloilo. Brgy. Bucari is nicknamed " Little Baguio " - pine trees, cool climate, picturesque mountainside and now strawberries. The town of Leon is around 40 minutes from Iloilo City and from the plaza, you can take jeepneys going to Brgy Bucari ( 9am is the first trip then 3pm is the last trip unless you occupy/hire the jeepney and make it your service ). After another 40-minute ride through scenic mountainside, lush vegetation, bumps and humps plus a lot more things first timers would notice, we finally walked down for around 20 minutes through a semi steep hillside (the view like the one below was fantastic!). Despite the scorching summer heat, the air was c...

In the Philippines particularly in rice producing provinces like Iloilo, many families keep a tradition in which an old man, a young lady, and a small boy are chosen from among the poor and are dressed up as St. Joseph, the Virgin Mary, and the child Jesus, respectively. They are then seated around a table set with the family's best silverware and china, and served a variety of courses, sometimes being literally spoon-fed by the senior members of the family, while the Novena to St. Joseph is recited at a nearby temporary altar. (from Wikipedia ) March 19 marks the celebration of the Feast of San Jos e. I was able to again join the celebration at the Camiña Balay nga Bato in Arevalo and it brought the memories of yesteryears. I was no more than 10 years old when I witnessed the "San Jose" ritual in my lola's house in Molo. I can still vividly remember the "role-playing" which had elements of eating, washing and "kissing".  After a morni...