FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

It was a few months ago that I got wind that ANG PINAKA , one of the longest running shows on GMA News TV (even when it was still QTV), will finally be listing the Ang Pinaka Yummy Restos in Iloilo for its monthly food feature. Based on the info I got of their "eatinerary", I had the suspicion that my 2010 blogpost about the 13 Gastronomical Pitstops in Iloilo would play a big role in their list. And a few hours ago, I was right for I had 7 out of 10, though I can say 9, since during the time I made my own list, I have yet to discover the other two. So here's how the list went on... No. 10 Green Mango Filipino Fastfood Grilled Bangus Combo Meal No. 9 The Mango Tree Chopsuey No. 8 Roberto's House Queen Sio Pao No. 7 Netong's Original Lapaz Batchoy Extra Super Lapaz Batchoy No. 6 Afrique's Parmesan Crusted Fried Chicken No. 5 Al Dente Ristorante Italiano Biscuit crust Chicken Barbecue Pizza No. 4 Bourbon Street Bac...

One of Iloilo City's most popular home grown restaurants turns 11 this year and they are celebrating it with a big gastronomic bang! Afrique's Pizza and Pasta has been satisfying the palate of the Ilonggos for more than a decade and as it turns a year older, it's a milestone is worth celebrating. With a Pizza and Pasta Buffet on July 4, 2013, Ilonggos will surely delight themselves with these specialties that built Afrique's over the years - great tasting pizza and delectable pasta! Priced at PhP 295/pax, enjoy these treats with a free 1.5 of Coke for groups of three on the buffet day available at Afrique's Jaro, Smallville, Valeria and Robinson's Place Iloilo. 

An on the spot lunch get together a few days ago made me discover more delectable goodness at Afrique's. Famous for it's pizza, pasta and steaks, Afrique's is one of Iloilo City's most popular restaurants serving delicious and affordable specialties. But it is almost always pasta and pizza on the table for me but this I got to discover new flavours that will surely become a staple for my next visits. I really loved how this BGC Pizza tasted. Topped with bacon, garlic and cheese, among others, it could be just one simple blend but it turned out to be very appetizing from the first until the very last bite. Now I found something new and I loved it!    One of the best sellers in the pasta caterogry - Carbonara. With its signature saucy presentation, one would be enticed to ask for more. Of course who can say to no to this delectable order of backribs which comes with garlic rice and coleslaw. I could definitely finish this order myself! And finally, it ma...

Afrique's gives the Ilonggos a different kind of Italian gastronomic experience with its newest offering - Rustica by Afrique's . A dinner with a formal set-up at Afrique's Smallville, Chef Miguel Cordova personally dishes up Italian specialties including this mouth-watering, Porchetta.    Pronounced as porˈketta is a savoury, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition. The body of the pig is gutted, deboned, arranged carefully with layers of stuffing, meat, fat, and skin, then rolled, spitted, and roasted, traditionally over wood. ( Wikipedia )  It was a few weeks ago during the Iloilo shoot of The Pinoy Foodie , we sort of had a preview of what Rustica is all about. But it wasn't the "real" Rustica as we opted for an informal dinner with the specialties and best sellers of Afrique's. Nonetheless, Chef Miguel let us experienced a little bit of Rustica as he served us the mouth-watering Porchetta and one of his pasta crea...

Now here's a really terrific way to spend your Tuesdays on a high gastronomic note. Afrique's Gourmet Pizza, Pasta and Steaks makes your never ending pasta dreams come true with it's once-a-week, all-day Pasta Buffet. Dubbed as Terrific Tuesdays, Afrique's brings around 25 ingredients for it's patrons to make their own pasta.  Like my mix and match creation yesterday during a post Iloilo Zombie Run meet-up with members of the Iloilo Bloggers Inc. at Afrique's - Robinson's Place. I just threw in everything I saw on the display table - pasta, sauces and a whole lot of ingredients into my plate. It had four different types of pasta to choose from, (I guess it changes everytime), and we had linguine, fusili, spaghetti and penne that time. Of course I took the most visually appealing and smothered it with sauce. Our choices were Carbonara, Bolognese(?) and Marinara(?), so it was up to us to pair with the ingredients available. We had a variety of ...

  Afrique's Big Meatballs Pasta    Matador Pizza Buffalo wings Chicken Cordon Bleu Big Meat Balls

Two Sundays ago, I got samples of Afriques' latest offering - Labahita in Oliva , which is among the special goodies collection Chef Miguel Cordova has released in time for the upcoming season of gift giving. Indeed, Christmas is just around the corner and if you're a gourmand then this is something you'd likely to be interested in. I chanced upon Chef Miguel at Esca's Garden Restaurant finalizing his concoction which is made with dried and salted labahita fish (can't be sure if it's what locals call as lison - that big type of pinakas one sees at the markets), garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves and chili flakes among others, all drowned in quality olive oil. (Sorry for the candid shot, Chef). From the looks of it with this angle, it looks like pork adobo swimming in oil since it has big chunks of labahita and flakes at the same time. the aroma of the olive oil is very evident plus with the spices and herbs mixed into it, the smell alone is enough reason to raise...

Ask Ilonggos (or just anybody who have been to), what to do in Iloilo City, the most likely answer would just be one word – punctuated with an exclamation point. Eat! And it’s nonstop eating one will get with this list of 13 food places, which in my opinion, puts in a nutshell the gastronomic delights of Iloilo City . A useful guide for tourists who want to enjoy the heart of the Philippines through their stomach. Breakthrough Restaurant Among the easiest choice is this restaurant along Villa beach that combines good food and ambiance for a truly relaxing gastronomic experience. It is often one of the first stops for balikbayans and tourists; Breakthrough is synonymous with the freshest seafoods. A row of their cooked specialties is displayed for one to choose but check out their fresh seafood section. You won’t go wrong with grilled scallops , shrimp kinilaw, sizzling crabmeat and diwal on top of the usual grilled fish and squids plus crabs, prawns and oysters. Afriques ...