FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

What is dampalit , you may ask? That's actually what I did when we were served  atsarang dampalit  during a welcome lunch in Roxas City. Maam Sonie, our host, explained that dampalit , is sort of a weed that grows near fishponds and most commonly used as feeds.  And they sort of have a portion of their vegetable garden that is devoted to dampalit , thus they can have this "exotic" and delicious atsara anytime. The bottled atsarang dampalit served was just a day old that we still tasted the crunch in the dampalit leaves.  While common atsaras have papaya, tambo (labong ), amargoso (bitter gourd) and even pineapple as base, its the first time I tried made from leaves of a plant.  And there's no bitter nor tartness ( pakla ) for it tastes like most  atsaras  but with a different feel and look.    It still has that sweet-sour taste that erupts in the mouth plus bell peppers giving color and fl...

Mention Roxas City and images of all the seafood you can imagine will flood your thoughts. Whether they are the freshest catch of the day - shrimps still jumping, crabs crawling away and fish of all kinds struggling; or those that have been salted and dried lining up the market - it's all in the Seafood Capital of the Philippines! I was in Roxas City over the weekend to join CAPIZtahan 2013 Festivities . Now on its third year, this years celebration marks the 112th Foundation Day of the civil government of Capiz and the 65th Death Anniversary of the President Manuel Acuña Roxas. I was particularly involved in the Seafood Culinary Competition as judge together with Mr. Eugene Jamerlan, Chefs Miguel Cordova, Ramlo Villaluna and ?? Barbers. Held at the People's Park in the Baybay area, there were seven participants, representing various restaurants and resorts from all over Roxas City and nearby towns. They were out to compete for the Best Seafood Dish that reflects th...

I was in Roxas City over the weekend to join CAPIZtahan 2013 . Now on its third year, this years celebration marks the 112th Foundation Day of the civil government of Capiz and the 65th Death Anniversary of the President Manuel Acuña Roxas. I was particularly involved in the Seafood Culinary Competition where in around 10 participants battle it out for the Best Seafood Dish that reflects the gastronomic bounty the Seafood Capital of the Philippines. It was through my fellow judge, Mr Eugene Jamerlan, that I got this stint in the first place and through him, my first Capiz experience turned out one memorable weekend as it involved non-stop eating and meeting a lot of very interesting people like our host - Maam Sonie. For the whole weekend, we had a lot on interesting food trips - from seafood to steaks, from home-made specialties to restaurants best sellers and more. But for this particular blog post, as the title says, I'll concentrate on the wonderful bangus specialti...