FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

This bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen is the most affordable Japanese noodle soup we've ever seen so far! Given that most ramens cost from PhP 180 to PhP 250 here in Iloilo to around PhP 450 in Manila. Not to mention the almost PhP 950 bowl I had in Hong Kong (missing Ichiran). Now back at home, Mushin Japanese Cafe along Arroyo Street in Santa Barbara near the town's public market, offers this Japanese noodle soup for only PhP 130 a bowl with add-ons ranging from PhP 10 to PhP 55. This hole in the wall cafe offers two kinds of ramen - Tonkotsu and Syoyu/Shoyu. Tonkotsu ( NOT tonkatsu) has a soup broth based on pork bones and other ingredients, which are typically boiled for several hours, and the dish is traditionally topped with sliced pork belly and served with ramen noodles that are hard in the center.  Syoyu (soy sauce in Japanese)  has a clear brown broth, based on a chicken and vegetable (or sometimes fish or beef) stock with plenty of soy sauce added resu...

I recently attended an event at Punot Restaurant at the Riverside Boardwalk just beside the Iloilo River Esplanade. It was for Victorias Foods Corporation's " A Taste of Negros" campaign for its products specifically Victorias Spanish-style Sardines and Bangus. There, Chef Tope of Punot satisfied our appetites with his level up "de-lata" creations ranging from Pizza and Bruschetta to Pasta using the much-loved Victorias Foods products which were c reated from a heritage recipe born in a Negrense kitchen and cherished through generations. You may check out Chef Tope's creations in this blogpost . Pizza, pasta and bruschetta all made with Victorias Foods Spanish Style Sardines and Bangus in Soya Oil. Complementing his collaborative creations, we were also serve a number of Punot Specialties to balance our gastronomic repertoire. To whet our appetites, Punot restaurant offered a duo of their best selling salads which coincidentally two of...

Mention Tatoy's and a picture of their native litsong manok will certainly flash in everybody's mind. Ofcourse it's their claim to fame specialty when it started in a small hut along Villa beach decades ago. Now, it's a complex of buildings, cabanas and structures make the Tatoy's Manokan and Seafood Restaurant. But they have their delectable native litsong manok to entice your sense even when you are just entering the restaurant. Full of flavour in every bite, the petite chicken is a must have when dining at Tatoy's or you'll be having an incomplete Tatoy's experience. But a recent food trip made me discover that there's more to Tatoy's than their signature native litsong manok. Starting with the appetizer, we had green mangoes served with sauteed guinamos (the local bago-ong). The guinamos was very good that ordered another just to have another go with the guinamos. That instant I made my own bago-ong rice and ev...