FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Finally, after four trips to Hongkong, I found myself at the restaurant I’ve been meaning to visit since my first visit back in 2016. Despite with its “not-so-HK” sounding name, Australia Dairy Company is a culinary institution and has often been described as an iconic Hong Kong restaurant. The company was named by the founder as such because he had worked in an Australian farm in the 1940s and now, his resto is one of the most popular “ chaan tengs ” or HK stye cafe or diners most common as breakfast places. Its sole branch is located in Jordan in Kowloon along Parkes Street. And it has always been plagued with a long queue especially during breakfast as locals and tourists vie for seats to start their day with their specialties. The restaurant is notable for its efficiency as even during the rush breakfast hour when I visited, my orders came out in less than a minute. While it is also infamous for its rude service, I didn’t experience it that time. Maybe they just improved over the y

My sudden craving for this Ilonggo native delicacy had me contact my "suki" baye-baye maker - D'Original Jaspe Baye-Baye based in Brgy. Cabugao Sur in Santa Barbara, Iloilo. Baye-Baye is an Ilonggo favorite native snack usually made with ground toasted rice aka pinipig, coconut meat and white sugar.  But some makers also use corn and brown sugar giving it a distinctive taste from the original The mixture is then pounded altogether then rolled into finger size bites and finally wrapped in plastic. It is usually packed in 5s and sold for around PhP 20 to PhP25 per pack. Expect the price to be 2x when you buy it in stores in thecity. But  bigger cravings are not usually satisfied with a pack of 5s, so bigger orders are welcome too. You can have them by the kilo or per plate in some makers. For baye-baye lovers like me, having them in almost unli serving like this loaf-style serving  is a gastronomic dream come true. Just sli

A visit to Breakthrough Restaurant along Villa beach is always filled with gastronomic memories - from their extensive line up of the freshest seafood to mouth watering meat dishes like lechon baboy. And of course there's this fish called managat . Usually it is sold by the kilo, as guests can choose from the display of fishes they have at the counter. Tucked in a corner are these managat which you can choose according to size and price per kilo. They are usually served in two ways; the head and upper body part usually is sinabawan (cooked in broth with vegetables) and the tail and lower body part sinugba (grilled). Though it is not only Breakthrough that serves managat , but I have to highlight this popular restaurant since most online articles mentioned this seaside restaurant. And most of the photos I have for this fish came from Breakthrough, a testament of it's popularity, both the resto and the fish. Anyway here are excerpts

Named after its resemblance to trains, teren-teren is a popular bakery staple in most Iloilo bakeshops. And this one from the iconic Buho Baker y is no exception when it comes to popularity.   It is how the  individual breads (with sweet stuffing) are connected to look like train "cabooses" that gave its name. The "stuff" is just  like sweetened dough, almost like the ones in hopia but just colored but when its fresh hot off the oven, it is heaven in every bite! Just be careful since the filling is hot! And what can be more iconic than having your teren-teren order, handed down to you via the most popular hole-in-the-wall in Iloilo! 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, there would be thousands of the word namit (delicious) written all over this native delicacy called bot-ong. Bot-ong is made with glutinous rice mixed with gata wrapped in banana leaves in a pointed shape then boiled until cooked. It is like ibos but with different shape and wrapper. Ibos is mostly tubular and wrapped on coconut leaves while bot-ong is pointed at one end and wrapped in banana leaves. Ibos and Bot-ong being wrapped and still uncooked. Photo from Google While the dips could be interchangeable, ibos is usually paired with sugar, bukayo or ripe mango while bot-ong with latik which is  made with gata and sugar boiled until it is syrupy and caramelized. One of my fave bot-ongs now comes from Brgy. Lanag in Santa Barbara, Iloilo from the same makers of  Puto sa Lanag .  I could eat 5 or even more in just one sitting when the bot-ong is warm and drizzled with the latik.  Will give details on how to order these delicious

How about some labanos or radish?  Most likely you've encountered labanos in a Sinigang recipe or as an appetizer with vinegar dressing. But on its own, I love its peppery-bitter (or how might you call it) taste. If it's in season or if its really  cheap in the market , we'd have like a "Labanos Festival" at home. And here's one of the simplest recipes using radish. Here's the recipe for Labanos Guisado with Ground Pork .

Suman Latik is one of my ultimate favorite native delicacies ( check out more ) and most of the time these are sold in the public markets in pairs. It consists of a flattened ibos (or suman as referred up north) topped with bukayo - coconut strips sweetened by muscovado sugar. But most of the time, my appetite hungers for more than a pair of these or the bukayo portion is bitin that I wish there's more. And at times we just make our own at home so that we can enjoy this suman-bukayo combo to our heart's content. But the wrapping of the sticky rice in banana leaves when cooking and unwrapping it for eating, is labor extensive - sort of. So out of the blue, we just thought of making it "Trifle-style". Inspired by the British dessert which Tinapayan at Iloilo Supermart recreates in Ube and Strawberry , our Suman Latik "Trifle" is a native delicacies version made with layers of suman/ibos and bukayo. It's a delectable presentation, easy

It's meryenda time! And make it even more delicious with Gardenia. Among the most popular and widely available brands in the country, Gardenia is famous for its Classic White Bread, its signature product. GARDENIA Classic White bread is not only known for its freshness, softness and oven-baked aroma but also for its nutritive value. It is made with high-protein flour, is folate-enriched and has vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3 and C) and minerals  (calcium, iron and iodine) It is also cholesterol-free, has zero transfat, zero saturated fat and bromate-free!  And definitely, one loaf is not enough! So always stock up whenever you do your grocery shopping. With a lot Gardenia breads in my midst ( madamo gid nga salamat , Gardenia ), I decided to challenge myself in making some toast toppings with ingredients I could find in the fridge and in the cupboard. And here are some of my favorites which are also very easy to make. HAWAIIAN 🍍 What could be more tropical and distinctly Hawaiian than