FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

A bibingka so filled with coconut strips that I call the bingka from Mohon -  bingkang bukayo. It is always a treat to savor every bite of this famous bingka from Mohon. Each mouthful is teeming with strips of coconut that would put other bingkas to “shame” in terms of coconut meat filling.  They sell bingka by the box (PhP50) and by the paper bag (PhP20/8pcs) and both have the same delectable goodness of the famed bingka from Arevalo. The only downside is that they only make their bingka on Fridays until Mondays. And if you’re not fortunate enough, you’ll find yourself with none for most are already out by noon time – they don’t usually make a very big batch. But you can make reservations for pick-up; just contact them through 0919-572-2581. Yet be really sure of your reservations because sometimes, even those can be “sold out”. Read more about Bingka from Mohon .

Got a 20-piece pack of chicken drumsticks from S&R Iloilo and already marinated half of it in barbecue marinade... then I changed my mind. Thus the recipe is " Adobo ala Confucius" .  Aside from the BBQ marinade which was the spicy variant, I only added some black pepper so it was nothing fancy. It was during the cooking portion, that I began to "fuse and confuse" the basic adobo recipe.  I boiled the chicken drumsticks in its marinade and vinegar adding some bay leaves and peppercorn. I added some left over chicken boullion cubes (and some water) to enhance the chicken flavor. The resulting sauce didn't have the sourness I wanted but instead of adding more vinegar, I added some tamarind powder mix and this one had the additional gabi (yam) for a thicker soup base. I then removed the sauce and fried the chicken to brown it more. I also sauteed in in garlic to give it more flavor. Finally, I added the...

When I had my first bite of the  tam-is  many years ago, I find it weird and ask why isn't it sweet. After all, tam-is  literally means sweet in the melodic Hiligaynon language. Tam-is  is starchy but its "smoother" compared to  kamote  and cassava. One can find them during market days especially in inland towns where farming is abundant and crops come in different kinds.  In Iloilo City, the best place to find this rootcrop is at the Jaro Big Market aka Huwebesan - for its market day is Thursday. It is also what Ilonggos call a variant of a tuber-crop related to the ube, potato, taro and yam, among others, with a collective? scientific name of  Dioscorea esculenta, syn.: D. fasciculata.  These are tubers are the enlarged storage tips of a rhizome. The “eyes” are actually buds in nodes, arranged in spiral pattern from the base to the apex of the tuber. Aerial tubers, which are common in yams, are called ...

My first memories of aripahol , were just exactly like this - steamed grated coconut meat and pounded pilit ( malagkit ) rice wrapped in banana leaves. Almost every afternoon then, I hear the manuglibod , yell her stuff and we'd almost always buy aripahol . But then as time went by, it became "scarce" as the  manuglibod , suddenly made her disappearing act that eventually led to the non existence of  aripahol  in our place or even in town. Then came to my senses another kind of aripahol - puto lanson.  This one's made with grated balinghoy  ( kamoteng-kahoy or cassava) mixed with butter and sugar then steamed. But still, my tastebuds crave for the aripahol I grew up with. I got quite  surprise a few days ago upon seeing this very familiar sight - a delightful combination of pilit, white coconut meat and green banana leaves. And that familiar smell! Aripahol nga pilit kag niyog finally made a comeback at home. I've been s...

This is Chicken Bacon with Potato Salad Pesto. It is among the many Danish specialties served at Munks Coffeeshop and Resto in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo. Located inside Liz Complex in Bangga Dama, the cafe is partly hidden by a bank (PNB) from the highway but it's just a minute walk from the road. There, you'll find the husband and wife tandem of Peter Munk Andersen and Lynette Gorriceta Andersen. Peter is from Denmark but has worked in the Danish Embassies in Poland and Japan together with his wife who hails from Bacolod.  In 2016, they both decided to retire and put up Munks Cafe in the heritage town of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo. The resto has a homey feel once you enter and feels different from the outside surroundings. And just like the mom and pop restos (family managed) across Europe, both of them prepare the orders - from the actual cooking to the plating until it is served. You could even ask them about your order or have a...

Buho Bakery is one of the more iconic neighborhood bakeshops in Iloilo City. Just the mere mention of it brings back memories of yesteryears and of course it's claim to fame bread - panso . While its a take off from pancho , which is a desiccated coconut filled bread, panso from Buho is more of the commercialized version of it. But nevertheless, it's so delicious especially when its hot off the oven. "Buho" means hole in Hiligay-non and it's this hole on its wall that gave it it's monicker. At certain times of the day they are closed, but everytime you'd crave for their breads, you just knock at thins window and it'll be opened to take your orders.   The filling of these bread is like coloured and chewey dough with some slight flavor.  And the bread, which is very good on its own, is their basic bread recipe used for their other products like teren-teren, pan del eche and more. These panso costs PhP2 each and you...

Mention baye-baye and those familiar with this native Ilonggo delicacy would imagine rolls of pounded pinipig (roasted newly harvested rice) mixed with freshly grated coconut with hints of subtle sweetness. One of the most popular native snacks, baye-baye is a staple in local markets as well as pasalubong shops and native delicacies stalls in the malls. While most baye-baye are just plain, there's an innovation to this local delicacy that Ilonggos are starting to embrace. It's baye-baye roll filled with a mix yema and peanuts. It was in 2011 that I made a gastronomic contact with this baye-baye innovation when I judged in a competition featuring baye-baye innovation in the town of Pavia, Iloilo during a sidelight event of their annual Tigkaralag Festival . Entries came with sesame seeds, cheese, pandan and yema-peanuts which became the eventual winner. It  came with an innovation that captured our taste aside from the originality and the cre...

Brown is IN - as in kakanin ! Who can resist these mouth-watering native delicacies? I would first pick a piece of kutsinta then dip it in grated niyog (mature coconut) savoring its sticky texture while having bits of the coconut. Then I would bite into the bingka  with its taste memories flooding my mind. A forkful of alupi would be a delicious balance in the sweetness and texture. Finally, it ends on a very sweet note - a very big piece of ibos dipped into muscovado sugar! Again, again, again... Now which is your most favorite or the one you really missed? Here are the basic recipes for the native delicacies Bingka Recipe Kutsinta Recipe Ibos (Suman) Recipe Alupi (Cassava Suman) Recipe

Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo, a premier hotel located in the heart of Iloilo Business Park, successfully held an exciting culinary collaboration under the Marriott Bonvoy on Wheels on August 1, 2025, from 6PM to 10PM at its signature restaurant, Runway Kitchen. The collaboration featured guest chefs Fadi and Farid of Saj Hut, who brought their distinctive Mediterranean cuisine to Iloilo's hotel dining scene. Known for its bold, fresh, and traditional flavors, their culinary contribution added a global flair to the award-winning dinner buffet at Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo. As one of the top choices for hotel dining in Iloilo, Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo continued its mission of delivering unique and world-class culinary experiences. This partnership brought vibrant food concepts to both locals and visiting guests. Pepsi Philippines enhanced the collaboration with curated beverage pairings and creative drink activations that complemented the Mediterranean offerings. Omoda I Jaecoo...