FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Halloween is still a month away but at Days Hotel Iloilo , it is starting to feel like All Hallow's Eve . Starting October 1, The Promenade brings out popular cocktails, mixed drinks and brews with a twist for a month-long Halloween celebration. With 14 various drinks to choose from, half non-alcocholic and the other half concocted to make you tipsy a bit, there's one that will surely capture your taste. We had a special preview of these 14 drinks a few hours ago and it made our afternoon quite interesting, to say the least. The Witch's Potion (top, red), Gremlin's Brew (top, yellow) and Goblin Mimosa (above) created quite a stir as they headline the alcoholic offering line up. Completing the list dizzying list are Muddy Cappuccino, Citrus Champagne Tonic, Bloody Morgue-ritas and Dracula's Booze. Muddy Cappuccino Bloody Morgue-ritas Dracula's Booze  But if you're no fan of alcohol or find it too early to booze up, check out the n...

Bago-ngon is a local snail with good with any vegetable dishes like this or laswa. Takway is the tendril jutting the sides of a gabi plant while dagmay is a rootcrop related to gabi and ube. Mix them all together and one gets this native Ilonggo vegetable dish that will not only satisfy but also brings back gastronomic memories. When was the last  time you had this dish?

Two (2) schools from Visayas and two (2) schools from Mindanao were recently cited as representatives for the much-awaited National Cooking Showdown of the Ajinomoto® Umami Culinary Challenge (UCC). Apart from cash prizes and medals, said winning school teams will each get a chance to win more prizes and showcase their masterful culinary skills as Ajinomoto® flies them to Manila for the National Cooking Showdown set in the year 2015.  Rows of umami goodness! Contenders for the Best Filipino Umami Dish Competition Category are Hercor College from Roxas City and Green Valley College from Koronadal City. Benedicto College from Cebu City and The Holy Cross of Davao will compete for the My Own Umami Creation Competition Category.  Competition Director Nancy Reyes-Lumen (middle) together with Ajinomoto® Umami Culinary Challenge – Visayas School Teams The Ajinomoto® UCC is an interschool competition organized by AJINOMOTO PHILIPPINES CORPORATION (APC) that aims to help s...

Mention  Tatoy's to almost any Ilonggo and they'll describe to you a whole chicken roasted to perfect golden brown hue, crisp skin, appetizing aroma and tastes like no other. This is Tatoy's signature product -  native litsong manok . Tatoy's uses native chicken called  darag. Darag is a Philippine native chicken strain found in Iloilo and the rest of Western Visayas. Best known for its unique flavor, taste and meat texture - it has become famous as an alternative to commercial chicken, and has captivated the taste buds of both locals and tourists alike. The market for the Darag has grown big because many people are now looking at the native chicken as a source of nutritious food. Those who lead a more inactive lifestyle prefer foods that are low in cholesterol. Studies show that Darag chicken meat is high in protein, rich in potassium and contains less fat.  It's never been a secret how Tatoy's creates their iconic native litson m...

What's the Ilonggo term for star apple? It seems there's none that we are attuned in calling it as such. Unlike in other places where it is referred to as kaymito . We're lucky that in our own backyard we have around 5 star apple trees that we grew up having them as dessert or snack. It is often mixed with condensada to make it more appealing.  It seems it is star apple season now as I see lots and lots of these in fruit stands in the city and our trees bearing some of these. And luckier as I may correct, as we have both the violet and green variants growing in our midst. But sometimes we ran out of luck as these fruits just drop to the ground... or worse on our heads!

The sweltering heat had our gastronomic radar focus on the ultimate summer cooler - halo-halo. And  5Gs Halo-Halo  at Tinda Lapaz is always on the list for this kind of food trip. Very affordable and with lots of ingredients - not just differently colored sago; but with lots of fresh fruits, it's almost a steal at PhP35 for their extra super bowl of halo-halo. Then out out of the blue, it came with a straw! Admittedly, I haven't been to 5G's for quite a while and I have no idea how long they've been doing this - halo-halo with a straw. With such surprised looks, we took out out gadgets and said our "prayers" - clicks and flashes (here, there and everywhere) plus updates on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Instagram, among others... And then we knew why it came with a straw, the summer heat already had it's toll on our halo-halo. A quick mix and then we slurped our halo-halo with the straw - still... very refreshing, delicious and  worth another ...

Allan's Food Kiosk may not ring a bell but if I'd say it's the resurrection of Tarzan Magic La Mien noodle place, then let's do the food talk. It was a shock more than one year ago that this restaurant that specializes in hand-pulled noodles closed down its branch along Calle Real. I can't help but miss their very good freshly made noodles that you can see being hand pulled from their kitchen. But by a stroke of luck, fellow foodie Mr Eugene Jamerlan, discovered this newly opened restaurant along Valeria Extension (street) to be the "reincarnation" of our favorite noodle house. Allan's Food Kiosk is just opened a few days ago and it is located in the former site of Emperor's Wok. Just a block away from Marymart Mall and SM Delgado. But as they are experiencing (re)birthpains as of now, their hand pulled noodles are not yet on the menu. But good thing our other favorite was ready when we dropped by there today. Their yummy Oyster Cake was a...

Chocolate has never been renowned as much as it is today. With its immense popularity, chocolate is the always the sweet talk of the town. Bring new wave to your taste buds as you satisfy your sinful cravings with the delightful array of chocolate concoctions.  Tinapayan bakeshop's annual Chocolate Festival is back! Starting Sept. 22 and in the next 5 weeks, Iloilo's premiere bakeshop features weekly specials that includes chocolate cakes, choclate bars, choco squares and new for this year, special doughnuts. Enjoy a 5-week showcase of chocolate creations as Tinapayan will satisfy your “Sinful Desires”. For Sept. 22-28, enjoy Nutty Caramel Mousse Cake, White Choco Crunch Bar, Choco Strawberry Mousse Bar and Toblerone Donut. 

Are you too late for breakfast yet too early for lunch - then it's time for a brunch. But at Dova Brunch Cafe in Lapaz you'll get more than breakfast staples and lunch specialties. (And it is even open until late night!) At the helm is one of Iloilo's most celebrated chefs, Miguel Cordova. And yes, the cafe's name takes the last two syllables of the family's last name that is synonymous with Afriques and Esca's, among others. Simple interiors dotted with wooden furniture add to the cafe's "homeyness". But it can get crowded during lunch and dinner hours. Good thing we were there around 2pm and the lunch crowd was thinning and minutes after, we had the place almost to ourselves. Compared with Afrique's and Esca's, Dova's menu is somewhat more sophisticated. With "brunch" in my mind, there are pancakes, waffles and french toasts that come with fruits and meat. Salads and appetizers as well as burgers and other sandw...

It may look like ube hopia at first glance but the "carameled" crust laden with sesame seeds gives its away as a kamote-cue . I've eaten a lot kamote cues but it was the first time for me to have tried having a purple one. Commonly referred as tapol by the Visayans, the term describes the rich purple hue of produce mainly rice and sweet potato. On its own, the tapol nga kamote  when boiled is a quick satisfaction to hunger but commonly used in ginat-an or linugaw . These cubes of kamote aside from giving the linugaw something to bite, it gives it a purple hue. But at times, tapol can be used in something unscrupulous like using it to make ube halaya in lieu of the more expensive ube or purple yam. But all's well that ends' well as I take another bite (with just the taste memories of it) of this tapol nga kamote made into a popular Pinoy meryenda-  kamote cue !