FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

The Zombies are coming! Run for your lives! But if they come wrapped in bacon, I think I'd rather stay and enjoy meeting one of them... Like this one whose head made it to the Haunted Halloween Feast at The Promenade at Days Hotel Iloilo .  This is actually  Meatloaf covered in Bacon which had me go back three times to enjoy its cholesterol glory. Continuing our gastronomic gore, here's a severed hand which is also meatloaf and bacon.  This annual buffet showcases specially prepared dishes and desserts that come with the season's spooky theme. But if you're on a diet, just have some Witch's Fingers, it's smaller than a hand so that you can still enjoy but in moderation. How about some eyeballs? These even look at you as you put them in your mouth! And speaking of mouth, how about trying out Dracula's dentures?  They come in different sizes but have the same bloody taste and haunting aroma.   These cookie and marsh...

If noodles are your thing, look no further than PANCIT PANCIT !  It may be far what and where it used to be - literally and figuratively, but its comeback to Iloilo's gastronomic scene is a much welcome news for foodies. Years ago, it just popped up along Quezon street in Iloilo city, where it operates as a hawker-style noodle shop. It had tables and chairs set uo along the sidewalk when the metal crafy shops closed late in the afternoon.  Check out it how it used to be   here and here . PANCIT-PANCIT. Metal-craft shop (Passad) by day,  Noodle-shop by night Then it stopped operating to the dismay of its legion of fans....  Now it's back and just opened a few days ago at the Food Hub of GT Town Center in Pavia. So no more waiting late in the afternoon as it now operates full-time, big-time! This is good news for me since it's nearer my hometown and I can satisfy my noodle cravings anytime.  And speaki...

Tinda Lapaz has a lot of food finds to offer. There's the quintessential of Ilonggo cuisine which had its birthing and carrying the name - Lapaz Batchoy (take your pick from Ted's Oldtimer , Deco's Original and Netong's ). There's also the popular hang-out - Madge cafe ; and rows of carinderia's and bakeries. And of course, there's the row of halo-halo stalls lining almost half of the market's "facade". So yesterday, fulfilling one of my long "to-do, to-eat" list, I ventured to Tinda Lapaz and beat the searing November heat (and it's not even summer time yet) with an "Extra" serving of halo-halo at 5G's Refreshment. (And the 5 G's turn out to be G lenn I, G lenn II, G race, G reg and G ene.) Just like the batchoy, halo-halo comes in Regular, Special, Super and Extra. I counted more than 15 ingredients ranging from fresh fruits to colorful "trimmings". Of course I went for the Extra as my def...

This is the TITANIC ! It consists of 30 scoops of ice cream - ube, mango, chococlate, vanilla and strawberry on a bed of fruits topped with brownies, chocolate chips and cookies then smothered toffee sauce. This urban legend of a dessert can be experienced at BIGBY'S CAFE & RESTAURANT . This is BIGBY'S CAFE & RESTAURANT . Located at the 2nd Level of Festive Walk Iloilo, its creators came up with an idea of creating an atmosphere fit for an adventure into the different cuisines of the world.  The menu, the interior design and service style were created to position the concept midway between fine dining and fast-casual dining.  Based in CDO (Cagayan de Oro), the restaurant stared back in 1998 and its concept has evolved into a fun dining atmosphere through its unique “worldly” decors that hang on every wall.  These are complemented by the wide array of wittingly-named dishes of generous proportions. And let's start of gastronomic trip with a loc...