A taste of home at Le Papillon Bleu in Santa Barbara, Iloilo

"Homey" would be an understatement to describe a restaurant set inside an actual house. You only not get to eat as a customer but also feel as a real guest invited in the house.

This what makes Le Papillon Bleu stand out as you can not only satisfy and fulfill your gastronomic cravings, you will as well feel at home not to mention make Instagram worthy posts when you chase "The Blue Butterfly".

Le Papillon Bleu is a "pleasantly comfortable and cozy" restaurant along Hingco Street in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo.

And it defines "homey" quite literally as you enter the house and find yourself in the living room.

You take a seat, place your orders and play some games while waiting since most are freshly cooked upon order.

So what's "in the house" at Le Papillon Bleu?

For snacks, they serve batchoy but a healthier version of this Ilonggo specialty - with vegetables like carrots, cabbage and sayote.

You can also have a Club Sandwich, a refreshing calamansi juice (whoa! PhP38 only ) or hot tea.

A certified sweet tooth? The crepes are must orders - coming in many variants like strawberries, choco-banana, coffee, cinnamon, caramel and more!

French toasts comes with hot tea - perfect combo!

But if your prefer cold drinks, go for the shakes! Not only delish but Instagrammable too - like this BananaBerry shake.

Need a heavier meal? For lunch and dinner, you can choose from the different Rice combo meals!

They have longganisa and fried chicken wings with sides such as mix veggies and eggs. And that's catsup served atop oregano leaves - talk about presentation!

And they have mini sausages too!

How about some crispy fried fish fillet? You can order it as combo with chips and fries for a perfect pica-pica!

The Pancit Bam-e had all the works on top and is among the best sellers in the noodles menu along with canton, sotanghon and bihon

One of my faves - Spicy Sizzling Sausage. No second thoughts needed, just order it!

Another sizzling specialty is the Sisig. Perfect for another delicious rice meal or for most Pinoys - pulutan!

Among the more interesting orders is the Veggies in a Nest Salad. Greens topped with apples, oranges and hardboiled egg with crispy fried noodles. Don't forget the yummy black sesame dressing!

Here's a closer look at the Coffee Twist Crepe - perfect for coffee lovers!

Luscious Strawberry crepe!

A pot of hot calamansi makes a perfect ending to all this indulgence.

Now it really feels and tastes like home, doesn't it?

So the next time, you find youself in Santa Barbara, Iloilo, go chase "the Blue Butterfly" and discover its delicious gastronomic offerings. Or better yet, schedule a food-date with your friends! It's a food trip you'll never forget...

Le Papillon Bleu

Hingco Street, Santa Barbara, Iloilo

Tel. No. 523-9739

Facebook Page: Le Papillon Bleu

BONUS: Le Papillon Bleu offers massage services too!

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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