FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

It was its novelty that made me buy this at their stall in SM City. Piaya Crisps , so thin that they literally didn't have filling and sort of became biscuits. At first I thought it was so-so until I find myself addicted to it. Even the simple honey-molasses flavor can make you crave for this piaya innovation by Susannah's cottage industries. c/o QUEENSK9 of PEX Now, another item added to my MUST TRY list. Each pack cost a litte more than PhP25 .

With close to hundred pasalubong stands dotting the highway to the new Iloilo airport, tourists often wonder what is "baye-baye"? Its an all time favorite native dessert made with a mixture of scraped young coconut meat, sugar and pinipig. Appearance-wise its like espasol without the dust. Now you know ... Aside from the pasalubong strip along the hi-way, Biscocho Haus and Tibiao have their own version of this native delicacy. But still the hi-way stalls offer the lowest price at around 20pesos for a 5 piece pack plus you might even get some freebies if you play your cards right. There's more than just a free taste ..... Among the more famous brands are Liit's, Dolping's and Jaspe.

Tinapayan's special ube and cheese ensaymadas are always a good buy for me. A little expensive (at P22) compared with other local commercial ensaymadas but it worth more than the price. A single bite would often trigger my appetite for finish at least two of these yummy treats.

A visit to this cafe will always be credited with a blogpost. Yesterday's lunch for two consisted of a sandwich, a pasta and of course, cakes. Creamy sausage pasta... Linguine in white sauce with two kinds of sausages. D Club sandwich. Usual club sandwich fillings on a not so usual bread, one made of black rice. Midnight caramel cake. Cream filled chocolate cake with caramel sauce. Blueberry cheesecake. Still a good order even if its usual

Craving for sweets brought me to Dulgies Cafe at La Salette building. Though they also serve pasta and sandwiches, it’s their cakes that keep patrons coming back for more. For this visit, I had my sights on a cup with cake-like brownies topped with icing and their specialty, caramel filled moist chocolate cake. Thanks to Exploreiloilo

Probably among the most famous Ilonggo dishes in the national scene, La Paz batchoy is a noodle dish with pork, liver, intestines served with hot broth and topped with crunchy chicharon, garlic. onion leaves with soy sauce and powdered pepper used to adjust the flavour according to one's taste. They say one can identify an Ilonggo by the way he eats his batchoy, that is, sipping the broth first until the bowl almost dries up. That could be the reason why "batchoyan" offers free broth refill, or maybe the other way around. Whatever it maybe, batchoy is more than a comfort food for most Ilonggos, its a reflection of their way of life.

Size doesn't matter. This little guy can give those "saucy" fresh lumpia in restaurants a run for its money. Sold mostly in stalls and local bakeries like Tibiao and Biscocho Haus. Usually made with ubod plus some greens this type of fresh lumpia doesn't need sauce to bring out its flavour. Just eat it plain, on the go and you'll be asking for more. This was a hit with my colleagues back then when they spent their vacation with me.