Pub Express : Backribs galore and more

Just the mere mention Pub Express will bring mouth-watering ribs goodness into my gastronomic imagination.

Be it a whole rack of ribs smothered in smoky barbecue sauce or a solo ribs drenched in the savory sauce, both are worth the calories and cholesterol!

The delectable goodness of these ribs tickled our taste buds a few days ago inside Pub Express' main branch in Molo, along MH Del Pilar street.

The new hip yet cozy interiors not make creates an Instagram-worthy resto but also adds an appetizing atmosphere for us to enjoy what it has to offer.

The whole rack of ribs comes with three sides - rangoons, fat fries and chicken skin. The rangoons are cream cheese-filled wonton wrappers that are deep-fried until crisp and comes with chilli sauce.

The fat fries are actually criss-cut fries made ala poutine (Canadian-style) with cream and bacon toppings. But even without these, the fries are already very good on their own. Extra fries, please!?

Chicken skin needs no explanation as they are eaten with a resounding crunch on your dip of choice - spicy vinegar for me.

Speaking of chicken, Pub Express also makes some wicked chicken wings and they serve them unlimited! With unli-rice too!

And they come in terrific flavors - Buffalo-style, Garlic Parmesan, Smokey BBQ, Cheesy Bacon, Sesame Teriyaki, Asian Zing, Kare-kare (upper photo) and Chili Bagoong (above). How's that for the flavor selection?

Classics like Spam breakfast combo are also on the menu especially for craving for meaty and salty goodness.

They also have a range pasta dishes like the Pesto pasta above.

One of my personal favorites is the Adobo Flakes combo - egg, rice and pull pork version of the adobo. Extra flakes, please!

Another drool-worthy creation is the creamy kawali which is lechon kawali smothered in delectable cream sauce giving it consistency with a crunch!

While Pub Express has much more to offer, we can only have these for the meantime. But surely this means, we will be back again to try what more they can offer- but the ribs will always be there!

In Iloilo City, check out PUB EXPRESS in Molo along MH del Pilar Street, at Robinsons Place Jaro and at the Food Hall of SM City Iloilo.

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

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?"

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.

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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