C's by L'Fisher Hotel opens at SM City Iloilo

C'S by L'Fisher Hotel brings to Iloilo the sweets and goodies from the City of Smiles as it opens its first branch in the City of Love at the expansion mall of SM City Iloilo.

The many times I've been to Bacolod and dropping by C's at L'Fisher and SM City Bacolod, I always wondered why it came to be called as such. I never really delved into its name origin for I was always busy enjoying their sweets and goodies with much gusto.

But I didn't let it pass this time around when they are now within reach here. Now, I know C's stands for mostly everything delicious they have to offer - Coffee, Cakes and Chocolate.

But there's really more to the C's I discovered during a special meet-up with the Iloilo Bloggers. There's their specialty Croissant and it's cousin, the Cronuts (I am still savoring it's taste memories). They also have the Corknuts, the latter's little brother.

Cookies come in all variants and sizes too. The Oatmeal and "I forgot the name of the leftmost cookie above" which is my favorite so far. Will really comeback for more...

Ofcourse, Cakes and Cheesecakes abound. Just let your visuals choose the one you love and everything will just taste good - it did during our session.

And there's the Cronuts with lots and lot of eClairs. Don;t fret when you don't see Cronuts on display, it's cooked right after you order to maintain its taste and texture quality. (The one on display was readied for our tasting session and still tasted good too. I could have finished them all).

And the Churros - I want more! Rich Belgian chocolate dip for this Spanish dessert and surprisingly, it't not oily!

Will the real Chef Denis, please stand up?

And then there's the cheerful chef - Denis Laumone who graciously shared his C's story and his creations.

But my post about this jovial French Chef will be on my next blogpost - coming soon.

C's has cozy ambiance perfect for letting time pass by and enjoying their specialties. Have I mentioned that its offer pasta, sandwiches, rice/bread combo meals with meat dishes? There's really much to discover about C's - that's why going back there is not option. It's a must for me! 'Til we eat again...

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 cooking weed called Lupo

Lupo is a weed that is commonly found in ricefields and roadside in provinces. It is most prevalent in Ilonggo cooking compared to others as it is mostly the Ilonggos who can recognize lupo , though maybe called differently in other places. Most commonly used in laswa or monggo dishes to add greens like kamote tops, it also makes a good partner in sinabawan na isda recipes. It has hints of bitterness but don't expect it to be ampalaya-bitter like. It is mostly sold in wet local wet markets by the tumpok .

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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