Dimsum Afternoon Tea at The Promenade, Days Hotel Iloilo

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 on coming to our table. Here's Steamed Spareribs with Tausi to which I almost ordered rice to go with it - but I restrained myself.

A fusion of China and Japan comes in the form of Pork Nori Sio Mai. Traditional Chinese dumpling embraced in a seaweed wrap most commonly associated with Japan. Hello, sushi!

Here's Ma Chang - unwrapped. Usually it comes wrapped in leaves, it made with sticky rice, mushroom, pork and chicken - a complete meal itself.

And how can I forget these sio pao - which I finished all by myself! I've tried the sio pao at Days Hotel many times during their lunch buffets but it seemed that yesterday's sio pao tased the best for me. With a pork asado filling, it gave me "a-more-than-satisfied-and-wanting-to-go-back-for-more" feeling.

Desserts were cold - literally, as we had Mango Sago, Black Gulaman and Coconut Rice Balls.

A fruity dessert that would bring sweetness to any afternoon - rain or shine.

A combination of black gulaman, sago and almond jelly - what more can I ask for! (Maybe another serving - in a bigger bowl)

The Coconut Rice Balls remind of of masi - peanut filled rice dough balls. This time they had it in syrup with desiccated coconut topping.

A perfect and sweet ending to an afternoon of dimsum and tea!

And me? I'm already planning to another gastronomic dimsum afternoon getaway. Hmmm, what's next...

Dimsum Afternoon Tea

Monday to Friday from 2-5pm

The Promenade at Days Hotel Iloilo

Tel. 337-3297, 336-8801 to 10,

0999-887-3297 or 0917-700-3297.

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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