Take Me to Tokyo Tokyo at Robinsons Place Iloilo

Konnichiwa!

Its finally here! After months or even years of anticipation, the Japanese specialties of we have been salivating for is now within reach!

Welcome to ILOILO,

TOKYO TOKYO!

Located at the ground floor of the De Leon wing of Robinson Place Iloilo, Tokyo Tokyo's 82nd branch (nationwide) and 6th in the VisMin area, was welcomed by the Ilonggos with much gastronomic anticipation.

Diners wont miss the store as its big signage blazing with its the iconic logo is near the elevator across the fountain an activity center.

A blessing and ribbon cutting ceremony started the event attended by the staff and crew plus VIPs from Tokyo Tokyo Manila and Robinsons Place Iloilo.

Tokyo Tokyo Iloilo can seat around 100 diners in various sections of the restaurant. The store sports a trendy and modern interiors reminiscent of chic fastfood design across big cities in Asia - particularly HongKong, Singapore, Seoul and of course, Tokyo.

The counter is located at the far end with the queue of people almost jutting out at the mall's hallway.

From there, four different sitting and dining areas can be found - each catering to specific diners.

A quiet date for two or a group date would be perfect at the niche with a sakura-painted wall giving diners an ultimate feel of feel of Japan.

There's the chef's table area with the busy ambiance of the kitchen as it is where the orders directly come and go.

Be at your most comfortable in the couch area - for another date or maybe some intimate group meals.

For loners, introverts or those on-the-go, stools with access to ledge tables are perfect spots. You may win a friend too!

And finally, there's the main mess hall ara where everyone can just be seated and enjoy the food - at their own pace and convenience.

It was where I had my first bite of the specialties of Tokyo Tokyo, right here in Iloilo.

For starters, we had the Maki and Shrimp Tempura. Both came with the wasabi, citrus and soy dip plus the signature dipping sauce, respectively.

A bento box of their specialty beef misono with veggies on the side and rice was just the perfect way to experience Tokyo Tokyo.

A serving of yakisoba completed our welcome meal and all to be gulped down with their famous signature red iced tea.

With tummies filled with this quick gastronomic tour of Japanese specialties, it's time to bid sayonara.

But definitely will be back to discover more specialties of Japan, right here in the City of Love.

Take me Tokyo Tokyo at Robinsons Place Ilolo!

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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