Food trippin' at Roberto's Iloilo

Locals adore it. Tourists love it. So what make makes Roberto's a big hit?

Most probably it was the Queen siopao that made Roberto's come back to my tastebuds.

And it was really hard back then to get hold of the queen as it was only available 3 days a month compared to almost daily today.

Also back then it was just around PhP65 for this royal siopao and its now at PhP105. But the Queen still reigns with its equally regal filling of chicken and pork adobo, Chinese sausage, hard-boiled egg and bacon.

Then there's the ever so popular meatballs!

Sure it may look dry and bland but its equally famous sauce makes it more iconic.

As for me, I like it even without the sauce since I can fully taste the memories of my childhood this way.

At PhP30/stick of 4, it's one delicious way of reconnecting to the past and for some - discover what makes them ever so popular!

And take some Lumpia shanghai on the side too. Crispy, full of flavor and yes, same dipping sauce too.

How about some burgers?

Many don't know that it was actually burgers that made this iconic resto popular before.

With the invasion of fastfood chains (one event set up beside it before), they were eclipsed in term of hype but not in taste.

As their sio pao slowly inched up to be come their signature product, the burgers had to take a backseat. But still, they remain to be one of the better tasting burgers around.

It's always a double cheeseburger for (PhP85). With it's tasty patties fried to perfection and inundated with mayonnaise and ketchup, it's the burger I want to see and taste - you know the messy type.

Pancit? You bet!

Take your pick from Bihon, Sotanghon, Canton or Lomi.

But it was (chicken) sotanghon for me that time and ther serving had so much chicken meat that nobody would feel short-changed though I had to make some flavor enhancement to it though.

The Lomi was good too and a perfect food partner to any of the siopaos.

Thick and full of meat and veggies, what more can you ask for?

And I answer myself ... more food trip at Roberto's!

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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