When it comes to gastronomic adventures, Iloilo City even with is small area comes out big. From the heritage dishes, native cuisine and fresh seafood it offers to its current, trendy and cosmopolitan dining lifestyle that sprouted in the last few years.
It's "survival of fittest" or should we say the tastiest and most delicious that is also just right within the budget is the name of the game nowadays. The influx of big players/imported in the restaurant scene as well local entrepreneurs trying their hand on the food business gives the Ilonggos more than enough food places to choose from. And more often than not, Ilonggos tend to go back to old favorites and restaurants that give them their money's worth.
On the banks of the Iloilo River, overlooking the Esplanade stands Punot Restaurant - named after the fishpens that used to dot the river and from its origins in the town of Estancia in Northern Iloilo. The restaurant is the first venture of siblings Andrea and Tope Arañador paying tribute to their parents Lea and Rogelio who built the family's two restaurants in Estancia - Friends (1987) and Punot (2000).
Andrea, who is now based in Germany, was in town a few days ago and invited the Iloilo Bloggers to check out the latest creations of Punot concocted by her brother who is Center for Culinary Arts graduate. It was also an opportunity to bring back the food memories of their best-sellers, which for years have stood the test of time despite the heated gastronomic competition in Iloilo City.
Our gastronomic adventure started with the noodle soup that everyone recognizes as the specialty of the Ilonggos - Lapaz Batchoy. Big chunks of pork, liver, and chicharon with mek noodles and fresh egg (upon request) makes up Punot's version of this Iloilo specialty. A perfect start to prepare our tummies of the delicious path we are about to take.
As if our stomach's weren't rumbling, we had appetizers and salad to continue our journey. A mix of Punot's beset-sellers and new items on their menu to showcase the Ilonggo palate that sticks to old favorites yet has room for re-imagined dishes.
The signature and best seller Punot Salad comes with shrimps and mangoes with mayo dressing over the mixed greens.
But the new salad on the block - Tres Manggas Salad won our palates that time. Can you say no to the burst of flavor of green and ripe mangoes with guinamos vingairette with mixed greens, hard boiled egg and liempo chips? I tried but in the end I was gastronomically helpless...
And speaking of Liempo Chips, the appetizer platter was next. With liempo chips, spicy sriracha adobong wings and gambas - it was a little taste of Punot's best selling appetizers. Thinly sliced pork, almost bacon-like fried to bring out its crunchiest makes the limepo chips always on the list. The gambas makes a savory appetizer. And introducing the punot's buffalo-style wings with an international and local flair - adobo and sriracha with bleu cheese dip. Another new dish with a big bang!
But wait there's more! It may sound like what you see on tv shopping when they have more to offer. How about deep fried Lechon and Cheese Balls? And how can you say no to lechon kawali mixed with cheese, formed into balls and then deep fried...
While we were just finishing off the lechon queso de bola, the main courses appeared one by one starting with the Ilonggo classic - Kadyos, Baboy, Langka. Popularly known as KBL, this dish is a favorite among Ilonggos and one mostly likely missed when outside the region since kadyos and its souring ingredient, batwan seeds, are endemic to Western Visayas and seldom appears in other places.
It is made with grilled and boiled pork hocks, unripe jackfruit and kadyos beans in a broth soured by batwan. The grilling of the pata gives the broth a rather smoky taste giving this sort of sinigang variant a whole new taste dimension.
Speaking of pata, next on the table was Crispy Kare-kare. It's the popular peanut sauce-based meat and vegetable dish served with sauteed guinamos served with a crunch! Ofcourse, there are the veggies pechay, string beans and puso ng saging and the meaty part elevated to one of the most popular Filipino restaurant staple - crispy pata. Extra rice, please!
From one crunchy dish to another, how about some Laing? No, it's not the gabi leaves stewed in coconut milk are the crispy but it's the lechon kawali and fried danggit toppings that makes the crunch!
How about adding some sizzle to your Punot food adventure? Try the Sizzling indong (fresh water eel) in a spicy, savory and sizzling concoction. You'll just love how the fatty meat of the eel melts in your mouth.
Black is beautiful and delicious too! Punot' Paella Negra packs in the works - crabs, shrimps, squid, choriso and eggs, on a savory bed of rice cooked in natural squid ink - a complete meal itself!
Tired of the usual chicken cordon bleu? You know that fried chunk of chicken wrapping around ham and cheese? Why not have it in cheese pimiento, you'll surely love the twist and the new yet familiar flavors - Cheese Pimiento Cordon Bleu it is!
Here's another chicken dish - Fried Tanglad Soy Chicken. Is it fried chicken cooked in soy sauce with tanglad? Is it chicken stewed in soy sauce and tanglad then fried? Is it fried lemon stuffed inside the chicken then stewed in soy sauce? Forget the last one though, just discover for yourself at Punot.
This plate has no official name yet when had them and since it was presented in a festive manner it was christened Grilled Seafood Fiesta. Served with grilled corn on the side and a variety of dips and sauces, it had the bounty of the sea - crabs, shrimps, shellfish, squid and fish. I like how it was accented with the palid-palid, those dried fish "sticking to each other" giving it a crispy and salty side.
Ending main course offerings, is another "crispy pata recreation" - Stuffed Crispy Pata Hamonado! And the Christmas bells started ringing, for this kind of dish always reminds me of the Yuletide gastronomy. It's roasted pata with a savory minced meat filling smothered with home-made hamonado sauce. It's like December came early and I want this for Christmas!
And for the sweet ending, how about some Buko Halo-halo and a sampler of Punot's best sellers - Fried Ibos in Tableas Choclate, Leche Flan, Butterscotch ala Mode and Turon Sticks. But you can order these desserts ala carte for bigger serving portions so you can savor and indulge.
Then there's the Bayi-Bayi Croquetas ala Mode - an Ilonggo delicacy given the Spanish twist. Bayi Bayi is rolled in breadcrumbs then deep fried to give it a crisp skin then served with ice cream.
Drinks also come with a twist! The Ube Sago reminds of ice scramble (sweet pink shaved ice with sago and condensed milk/chcolate syrup topping) but this one made with ube smoothie, sago and halaya topping.
How about some Tanglad (lemongrass Cooler and Punot Colada, its own version of the tropical cooler - piña colada.
But what got my attention is something I never thought it would become one other than its original usage in cooking. Drum rolls, pelase for Kadyos Shake! An order to satisfy my curiosity of how the beans (from my favorite KBL dish) can become trendy.
So how was it? First sip had the kadyos "beany" taste in mind like monggo (think of hopia) but it was just subtle (good thing) as it was fused wih the taste of tsokolate tablea and milk. Then it dawned to me that dried kadyos beans are used by as "extenders" for tablea choclate. So I guess that's how this drink came to be.
Only at Punot.
PUNOT Restaurant
Iloilo Riverside Boardwalk Complex
Dr. Rizalina Bernardo Pison Ave. cor Paciencia T. Pison Ave.
Brgy. San Rafael, Mandurriao, Iloilo City
5000 Iloilo City, Philippines
Tel. No 033 320-9893 / 0907 151 6296 | Email punotrestaurant@yahoo.com.ph
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