Level Up SI-LOG meals with Ate Rica's BacSiLog

Who doesn't love bacon? Be it crispy fried or my personal favorite - lightly cooked, soft and oozing in all its cholesteroliffic goodness.

And it is perfect with a cup (and all the extra servings) of rice - just a simple baconified gastronomic pleasure.

But how about taking this bacon and rice combo to the next level - as a rice topping with egg, creamy cheese sauce and savory sauce on-the-go, anytime?!

Now, that's Ate Rica's BacSiLog!

HER BAC STORY

What started out as a mobile sidewalk vending foodcart back in 2006 just opened its 50th branch fronting the 3rd Gate of Central Philippine University (CPU) in Iloilo City.

Entrepreneur Magazine writes that .... While Rica Peñalosa was waiting for her work visa to Dubai, she decided put up a makeshift food cart at the back of De La Salle University (DLSU)’s Taft Avenue campus, which happens to be near where she lived.

Armed with a capital of Php20,000 from her father, the former office worker started selling rice meals to students along Agno street, which links the backdoor of two DLSU academic buildings. She not only braved the scorching Manila heat but also the intermittent police operations against sidewalk vendors near DLSU's infamous "Hepa Lane".

So, when a landowner along Agno Street opened a food court and leased spaces for food stalls, she reserved a place and moved her food court inside.

Ate Rica with CPU branch franchisees Jennefer and Keio at the opening of the 50th branch of Ate Rica's Bacsilog

After two years of playing cat-and-mouse with the police, Peñalosa opened her first stall in Agno Food Court, complete with all the official permits. In 2008, her business finally had a name, Ate Rica’s Bacsilogan.

BACONATOMY 101

So what's in a cup of Ate Rica's signature BacSiLog?

It starts with a cooked rice referred to as SINAING. It's just plain white rice and not the SINANGAG or fried rice.

Then there's the signature smoked bacon that is fried while you wait and in front of you so you can tell them how you would like it - crispy or just slightly cooked.

Sunny side up egg goes with every order and duets with the bacon as topping. It is then smothered with Ate Rica's special cheese sauce for a savory sweet flavor enhancing the bacon and egg with the final addition of liquid seasoning for a delicious of explosion of flavors in every spoonful.

MORE THAN JUST BACON

Bacon aside, Ate Rica has different variants for the SI-LOG combos.

There's the basic TapSiLog and ToSiLog with tapa and tocino respectively paying homage to the original si-log combos

You may also opt for FootSiLog and HotSiLog for footlong and hotdog.

Completing the offerings are NuggetSiLog, CornSiLog and TunaSiLog with Chicken Nuggets, Corned Beef and Corned Tuna.

Having tasted all these in just one go - yes, we food bloggers sacrifice our diets just to bring you blogsposts, my favorites were BacSiLog, FootSiLog, TapSiLog and NuggetSiLog.

BAC TO BAC COMBO

Each cup of silog combo costs PhP69 but one may opt for a mix and match combo PhP 95 only. This comes with a single serving of rice and egg but you can choose two meat toppings like bacon and tocino, hotdog and nuggets or footlong and corned beef. Just play with your taste imagination.

You can also have extra servings of the meats, special cheese sauce, chili sauce, egg, mushroom, and rice.

But wait, there's more! You can also have these meat and egg combo cooked as an omelette for PhP85 only.

BACONNOISSEUR

In 2017 Ate Rica decide to take the notch further with the establishment of Baconnoisseur Corporation with the help of her most loyal DLSU patrons. This was the answer to the queries and at the same time a venture into franchising.

CPU branch Franchisees Keio and Jennefer
(left and center)

After two years into franchising, Ate Rica's baby number 50 (franchised by couple Jennefer and Keio Sy) is out to tickle the palates of the Centralians - students, professionals and the whole community alike!

Now, how about another serving of BacSiLog?

________________
The CPU-Iloilo branch is open from 9 am to 7 pm from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 1 pm on Saturday and 3 to 7 pm on Sunday.

The happy people at the CPU branch

For pick-up or delivery, contact 09611222342 or 09260794501. Free delivery for a minimum of five orders nearby areas.

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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