Ocean City: A Resto Patronized by the Ilonggos.... and Ilonggos by heart ❤

Amidst the emergence of new modern ritzy restaurants and food places in Iloilo City, there are always original Ilonggo restaurants that continue to standout because of their specialty dishes that make their patrons come back for more.

Ilonggos and the city’s visitors come to its door for the signature dishes to satisfy cravings at any time of the day. There’s the Grilled Squid, buttered chicken, Lapu-Lapu with Soy Sauce, Seafood Roll, Pork Leg Patatim, Baked Scallops, Birthday Miswa, Mixed Veggies, Sizzling Bulalo, Bacon Wrapper Shrimp, Bulalo Pochero, Ocean City Fried Chicken, or Pork Steak Chinese Style.

These and many can be found at Ocean City Seafood Restaurant, which is only one of the more popular and long-lasting home-grown restaurants established in the heart of the Philippines.

Aside from its main branch along General Luna in City Proper, Ocean City brought its wide array of delicious cuisine, mainly local and Chinese specialties, closer to mall-goers at SM City Iloilo in Mandurriao District.

Through the years, aside from other homegrown local brands like Ted’s La Paz Batchoy and pancit Molo, Ocean City has become part of Ilonggo identity.

It is a nostalgic restaurant that, for the many Ilonggos, has become part of their childhood.

Aside from the variety of dishes, Ocean City always strive to provide the best service to its customers.

Nestled at the Ground Floor of SM Southpoint, the location is an ideal hangout place for families and food buddies to bond after enjoying their meal at Ocean City Iloilo. They also have a stall at the SM Foodcourt in the mall’s lower ground floor.

Ocean City has established a good name in terms of quality food and meticulous taste buds of the Ilonggos, and where they also bring their visitors when in Iloilo. The restaurant offers a wide selection of mouth-watering seafood treat and a lot more.

SM City Southpoint is a 2-storey extension of SM City Iloilo with both air-conditioned and al fresco ambiance. Several good quality restaurants and cafes are also located.

For a more enjoyable and picnic-mood atmosphere, the mini park area is placed with a fountain with dancing lights and shimmering water features.

You can also enjoy a chit-chat with a friend or partner over a take-out coffee or drinks at the tables set up in the turf area, which is also a perfect venue for significant events and concerts.

Just recently, when SM City Iloilo once again played host for the most anticipated launching of Dinagyang 2023, the event dubbed as 100-Day Countdown to Dinagyang 2023 was held at SM City Southpoint.

The event gathered excited Ilonggos who already missed the live drum beats while Dinagyang warriors dance to it.

Good food in a good place is the perfect mix to enjoy moments with love ones, and Ocean City has become Iloilo’s household name in good-tasting dishes and is perfectly nestled in the soothing ambience of SM Southpoint.

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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