FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Made with hard-boiled eggs, avocado, tomato, grilled or roasted chicken (not fried), bacon, cheese onions and lettuce, the Cobb Salad was created in the 1930's and named after Robert H.Cobb, owner of a chain of American chain of restaurants called Brown Derby. This classic American salad headlines a week-long gastronomic celebration at The Promenade at Days Hotel Iloilo as it celebrates Fourth of July with an American Lunch Buffet starting today, June 29 until July 3. And on July 4, its Indulgence Saturday Dinner Buffet goes American! So after the Cobb Salad, I set my eyes on the Potato Salad right next to it and eventually concocted my favorite Pineapple-Carrot-Cucumber-Jicama Salad with thousand island dressing. When my "Salad Days" was over, I had some New England Chowder before I trooped over to the appetizer station and had the classic Buffalo Wings... ... Beef Fillet wrapped in Bacon, which I gorged on... and mini Corn Dogs which I referred to a...

Are you ready to get your fingers and hands (even your clothes) dirty in exchange for a sumptuous serving of the famous Chilli Crabs? All the way from Singapore to the discriminating palate of the Ilonggos comes Clarke Quay Singaporean Cuisine at The Shops at Atria.  Chilli Crabs is a popular Singaporean seafood dish in which mud crabs are commonly used. They are are stir-fried in a semi-thick, sweet and savoury tomato and chilli based sauce. Despite its name, chilli crab is not really a very spicy dish. The restaurant's owner, Mr. Lee who was by our side suggested something to go with our Chilli Crabs - mantou or Chinese steamed bun. It was perfect to enjoy and finished off all the savory thick sauce but on its own the bread already tickled my palate. But for Filipinos, what's a meal without a serving of rice. We had our Yangchow and Fragrant Rice (often the partner of Hainnanese Chicken) to go with the Chilli Crabs. Yet to enjoy more of the Chilli Crabs, just...

With almost 40 dimsum and other traditional Chinese dishes to choose from, its hard to decide which among these would come to the table. Good thing, I had help from two equally hungry friends who took care of this gastronomic dilemma. And all I had left to do was to prolong their hunger agony as I had my usual clicks and flashes session before we devoured these sumptuous spread before us. The Promenade at Days Hotel Iloilo offers a selection of dimsum and other quick eats every weekdays from 2-5 in the afternoon. Dubbed as "Dimsum Afternoon Tea", it comes with a complimentary tea which was perfect for yesterday's rainy afternoon. Even more perfect were these two bowls of noodles, Pork Asado (above) and Wanton which not only warmed us up but gave a us a delicious taste memories. I particularly loved the noodle itself - firm and just right to the bite. The soup was tasty and so were the dumplings - I even looked under the noodles hoping for more! And the kept ...

Or others might refer to this as binuro, you know that " R and D " thing. I got these at the Lapaz Market during one of my visits and they seem to have all the saltiness in the world. It almost looks like tuyo or tabagak , that has been salted for days, binodo   creates it taste magic when it is finally bathe in vinegar. It is fried like the usual tuyo then when done, almost all the oil is removed (I just leave a bit) then vinegar is poured and it is brought to a boil.   Though it may not look appetizing but once tasted especially with hot steaming rice, binodo might as well be one of the typical Ilonggo breakfast fare you will never forget!

Looking at the dessert menu after finishing lunch at Horizon Cafe atop the 21st floor of Injap Tower Hotel, I chanced upon and was intrigued by Ice Kachang . Didn't have any idea what it was until the wait staff informed me it was the Singaporean version of halo-halo. So it was goand when it came, all eyes were on this red and green towering bowl of shaved ice on our table. So big that diners from other tables were turning their heads looking at this order - curious what it could be. Starting with the red (strawberry) then green (pandan), I was like having a snowcone, until I decided to dig in deeper and it revealed why it's like halo-halo.  It had red beans, black gulaman, sweet corn, nata and white beans, among others with milk waiting to be mixed and enjoyed as one. Though I'm not sure of the last two ingredients but that's all I can remember. For around PhP110 per serving, its a good way to beat the heat on certain days coupled with a great view of Iloilo ...