FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

The birthplace of the Philippines’ Grill Expert, Mang Inasal Robinsons Place Iloilo , has officially reopened—refreshed, reimagined, and ready for the future. On Sunday, August 31, 2025, Mang Inasal celebrated the blessing and digital relaunch of its very first branch, originally opened in 2003, ahead of its grand reopening on September 1.  The milestone event was led by Mang Inasal President Mike V. Castro, brand ambassador Coco Martin, and Iloilo City Vice Mayor Love Baronda, Councilor Nene dela Llana representing Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas, underscoring both the brand’s commitment to innovation and its deep cultural roots. Mang Inasal President Mike V. Castro (right) with brand ambassador Coco Martin. Fro m a single store in Iloilo founded by Edgar “Injap” Sia II, Mang Inasal has grown into one of the country’s most successful homegrown brands. Further strengthened by the Jollibee Group, it has become beloved for its signature Chicken Inasal, Unli-Rice offering, and iconi...

People unfamiliar with these would often mistakenly refer to tambis as makopa  - for its shape and color are almost identical. That's until you you see it up close and bite into its flesh. Tambis has a smoother skin, tends to be more translucent and a lot juicier. On the other hand,  mangkopa  ( makopa ) has a more velvety skin, more opaque and is drier. Both come from the same  genus  -  syzygium  and just differs on the  specie  -  aqueum ,  samarangense  or  malaccense . I really cannot point out which is which though... It was one rainy Saturday afternoon while having a meeting at Camiña Balay nga Bato in Arevalo that I curiously gazed outside the window. It was a tambi s tree teeming with its fruits - lots of it. And before I knew, we were served this basket of tambis which appreciatively devoured... It brought a lot of memories then - of afternoons climbing our neighbours tambis tree, of having ...

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...

It was a curiosity order via an online buy and sell community chatroom. And for only PhP20 a piece, these Kalamay sa Buri were worth the sugar high and the calories.  Also called "parak" or "pinarak" in the local foodie dialect, Kalamay sa Buri is a sweet native delicacy made from the sap or juice of the buri palm tree.  The stately Buri Palm Buri is among the largest and most common palm found in the Philippines which can live up to 30 years or more.  ( Text and above photo source ) While the leaf is considered the most important part of this palm tree - which is made into hats, ropes, brooms, mats, bags and more, buri also offers a lot as a food source. Boiled Budyawi Buri buds locally known as  budyawi  are eaten boiled, raw in salads or processed into sweets like kaong. It is like boiled corn with each kernel enclosed in a pod of its own. Budyawi Pods signal the death of the buri palm The trunk of the buri tree contains a good qual...

FOOD (well, almost everything) in HongKong 🇭🇰 is EXPENSIVE. A rice topping combo meal with drinks from typical roadside restos is usually around ₱500,  pastries cost almost ₱250/piece as well as bottled soda/juice/etc around ₱90. Char Siu and Soy Chicken Rice Toppings Food at malls and at HK Disneyland (₱1,200 for my Hulk burger combo) will make a dent on your budget… plus many more. Hulk Burger Combo with Large Fries and Drinks  Good thing I found one turo-turo in Tsim Sha Shui called Eat More More that serves affordable food (for HK standards). For only HK$ 33 (roughly ₱250) you get 1 rice and 2 ulam (becomes HK$40 with 3 ulam) Though it is still expensive when converted but it is already cheap when you spend in HK$. They said that these RICE + ULAM shops started during the pandemic when most chefs were out of work and to make ends meet, they made food from their homes and sell - carinderia-style. While most of these turo-turo are TAKE OUT ONLY (like the one in TST), I fou...