FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

“The siopao, a Filipino fast food favorite, may be counted among “Filipinized” Chinese dishes, like pancit” points out food writer Margaux Salcedo. But her quick search on the Internet shows that nowhere else in the world are these buns also called siopao. “ The Chinese (apparently) calls them baozi, the Thais – salapao, Hawaiians refer to them as char siu bao; the Vietnamese identifies them as banh bao” she writes in her column on the Philippine Daily Inquirer ” But they all mean the same thing - a filled bun.” “The difference seems to be in the filling. The Hawaiians’ char siu bao offers barbecued pork inside, similar to our asado siopao, while the Vietnamese version offers ground pork, like our bola-bola siopao” reveals her further search. “The “Filipinization” is obvious with the asado filling, pork asado being a viand of Spanish influence derived from the Spanish word “asado” meaning “roasted,” although pork asado is a favorite at Filipino-Chinese restaurants” she finishes. Il...

I have been told about a "sio paowan" in Villa before but I never had the drive to go all the way there just for that. If not for a small misadventure I had, I would not have discovered this chicken sio pao which, as of now, earns my vote for the best chicken sio pao I have tasted here in Iloilo City. I never thought that this "sio paowan" sa Villa was actually part of the name of a snack shop so it's actually is a proper name rather than generic. And there's more actually to it's name, Nang Pat's , most likely the matriarch who started making these chicken meat filled buns. A sari sari store and snack shop in one, Nang Pat's Siopaowan sa Villa, would be often be passed over as more popular one, Dinagyang, is just right a across the street. It was even the landmark I told the tricycle driver when I went here. It seems there's nothign really special about the place unless ofcourse one tries eating a "generic" sio pao. Very cheap at...

It all started when I inquired through text if Bingkahan sa Mohon would be making their popular bingka last Saturday. And after it was confirmed, I literally just took off - excited over the fact that my blog frustrations on this popular bingka would finally come to an end. Though I have blogged about it before but I have to see and buy them for myself to complete the experience so to speak. But when I got there, they were still just preparing and it would take at least an hour before their first batch would come right out of the oven. So that made me think, whether I'll just stay there waiting or go somewhere else to kill time. It took me awhile to decide and chose the latter, quickly excited by the fact that I may finally seek some of the holes-in-the-wall in this district which is out of my usual way. A few days earlier I met with bloggers friends; Lee and Inday Hami at a popular snackshop in Mandurriao known for it's sio pao, sio mai and mami ( Jiecel and Thea's Ref...