FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

How about some iced native coffee in can? I should have said this line to my tour group yesterday when we were at Madge Cafe in Tinda Lapaz . If they'd only known about this, I am sure they'd all order the same - Iced Coffee "Latta". It was a whole day tour with media guests from Manila brought in by property developer ProFriends (Property Company of Friends Inc.) and this native coffee shop in Lapaz was among our first stop.  It was the novelty of having coffee in a used milk can that caught their attention that almost all of them had a selfie with my cup. I explained to them that this is how coffee was ordered "take-out" back then when there were no paper cups. The "lid" part of the can is where they hold hot coffee so as not to "burn" themselves. And when my cup of coffee finally came back to me, it was very cold! Just the way I like my Iced cafe Latta at Madge Cafe!

I’m no coffee drinker but Madge Café inside the Lapaz Public Market is a temptation that always renders me helpless. It’s the blog lure of their native coffee prepared as it was more than 50 years ago, that makes me always to stop by whenever I find myself in the market. A cup of coffee costs PhP25 and still uses the same prewar recipe concocted by Vicente de la Cruz. Ownership then has been passed on to many generations and now; Peter is the one who manages the café. Named after Vicente’s wife, Magdalena nicknamed Madge, the café is a melting pot this side of town.  There you’ll find government officials brushing with the ordinary folks, celebrities enjoying coffee as students and fans look on. Proudly displayed on the walls are memorabilia from photos of their VIPs guests to features in newspapers and magazines – a testament of how this little coffee shop has developed a “Pride of Place”.  The coffee shop exudes a calming ambience even during rush hour. It ...

This Sunday enjoy another gastronomic trip around Iloilo as The Pinoy Foodie enters it finale episode. Though I aint sure if it's really the finale but it is still about Ilonggo food and food ways that has marked the gastronomy of Iloilo. And it is still Lapaz Batchoy that leads all the "Tatak Ilonggo" cuisine and delicacies. Watch how we navigate the interiors of the Lapaz market to look for the real and authentic Lapaz Batchoy prepared how it was decades ago.  Get a dose of native Ilonggo coffee as Madge Cafe presents the coffee drinking habit of the Ilonggos. How about some binurong-pinamalhan nga bilong-bilong (moonfish or chabita) which is considered to be the Ilonggo "signature" fish. Comes with it is the kalkag (shrimp fry) -kusahos (local beef jerky) rice. Enjoy the native cooking Buto't Balat Restaurant has to offer on top of it's oasis-like ambiance. All these - shot in the heritage backdrop of the Iloilo river and its colonial architectur...

Where do you go for authentic Ilonggo brewed coffee? To the Ilonggo kapihan. And where do you find such a place? In the public markets of Iloilo. One of the most popular is Madge Coffee House located inside La Paz Public Market(in front of Grand Dame Hotel). Madge Coffee house is 55 years old. It’s one of the oldest family-run coffee shops in Iloilo.This was established by Mr. Gerardo de la Cruz in 1951. Article courtesy of Inday Hami of ILOVEILOILO Photos courtesy of death327 of Skyscrapercity forum and Inday Hami The name Madge stuck on for Gerardo’s wife assisting him at the kapihan was named Magdalena. He passed on the business to his son, Vicente. With the untimely demise of Vicente in 2002, his son Peter took the reins. With his good marketing background (Peter was actually working as a branch manager for SM Delgado), he introduced innovations to the business. Peter noticed Madge’s many loyal customers, generations in fact. As a perk and thank you, he made them personalized ...