FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

I had a very satisfying and interesting lunch yesterday and I can still vividly remember how each of the dishes tasted. The food and ambiance at The Red Corner at Plazuela de Iloilo brings back the memories of the hip and modern take of these new breed of Chinese restaurants, I used to “dig in” in Manila years ago. Of recent memory, Hong Kong Kitchen started this trend in Iloilo few years back when it opened at Robinsons Place Iloilo . Now, its sister restaurant, The Red Corner is a testament on how the how discriminating taste of the Ilonggos was able to accept the drift of the times. But it was more on the food and ambiance that made yesterday’s lunch a truly satisfying one. A meeting of gourmands, more like it, we talked about food and its impact on the tourism of Iloilo. Over the very appetizing Spinach and Seafood Soup , our talk started with the current situation of Iloilo’s tourism sector. While the soup was very enticing - spinach provided not only the interesting but a re...

Just in case you've been living under a rock or inside a cave, let me tell about this great dessert place that everyone's talking about the past few months. It's a quaint little shop at Plazuela de Iloilo and it will make your sweet dreams do come true. Named after the master cakes and sweets artisan, Maridel Uygonco , Maridel's is finally here to satisfy every Ilonggos craving for homemade sweets, breads and desserts. I've been there many times, having tasted more than a dozen of her specialties but I'll never forget my first time - Snickers Pie and Frozen Lemon Meringue . I had these two orders and finished them all by myself; while the two gals beside me that time had problems how to finish their individual orders -lol . These eventually turned out to be my personal favorite and Maridel's best sellers. Now who can resist this Frozen Lemon Meringue ? It's layers of meringue and vanilla ice cream filled with sweet lemon sauce/icing in a graham?...

Amular Photography Studio+Café is the latest addition to the burgeoning Plazuela de Iloilo strip. Owned by photography enthusiasts Daniel Amular Jr. and Ces Sarria-Amular, the husband and wife team brings a new concept for café-goers and photography clients in Iloilo City - a coffee shop and photographic studio in one! The studio+cafe merges the fine art of photography with well-discerned coffee concoctions and desserts. The café has a modern and high-end feel yet gives customers that refreshing and relaxed environment with smooth jazz music played throughout the day. Consistent with its theme, the interior is decorated with framed photographs of its clients. The café serves specially concocted brewed coffee and coffee drinks – both hot and cold. House-blend coffees are made from all-natural, all-organic beans - free of pesticides, and genetic modification. Arabica and Robusta beans are grown by indigenous farmers from all over the country. For each cup customers buy, they are ...

Expect a lot of good ol' authentic Thai cuisine at Peppy Thai Deli in it's new swanky branch at Plazuela de Iloilo . Almost full to the brim when it's open, it's new location gives it more convenience and a better ambiance than ever. No frills, no VIPs, no announcements - just words of mouth, “the one and only” Peppy Thai Deli opened early this year at Plazuela de Iloilo . Excited patrons poured in making its opening day a success already in the bag even at noontime. But none was more excited than I was – already there a little past 9am! So I got to enjoy the restaurant without the crowd of hungry people craving for Peppy Thai ’s specialties. Just like what the owner said “Still the same concept just in a new and better location”. Indeed, as one enters the new resto, a display of Thai dishes greet his eyes just like the old restaurant - still the same turo-turo idea. But with its strategic new location in a swanky new mall come more polished furnishings and finally a...

I was about to go home yesterday when all of a sudden I just decided to drop by the still unfinished Plazuela de Iloilo . A month ago it had its soft opening with a few locators open but now, though works are still going on, it has quite created a buzz among Ilonggos. From the architecture and the press releases it had, it showcased it Spanish theme maybe as a reminder that Iloilo was the last Spanish bastion in the country. The name of the mall itself, Plazuela shows obvious reference plus its main activity area is known as Plaza Mayor. A new concept of malling in the city as opposed to the usual box typed malls and very compact malls, Plazuela de Iloilo makes malling a leisure. It echoes Iloilo’s way of life – not so hurried despite the hustle and bustle of city life. Compared to the adjacent mall, SM City Iloilo , Plazuela is really very spacious – in fact my first impression is it’s actually a waste of space – lol. But a beautiful one – it could be the next most photogenic places i...

MORE PHOTO UPDATES : ILOILO City -- The turn of the 19th century was virtually Iloilo City's finest moment when this "la muy leal y noble ciudad de Iloilo (the most loyal and noble city of Iloilo)" ruled supreme over its counterparts in southern Philippines with a vigorous economy and a bustling trade and commerce that reached as far as Continental Europe. Today, more than a century later, this glory of eras past has worn frayed at the seams and gone faded and crumbling in some parts. In recent years, there have been repeated calls by the city leadership to the business community to help recapture that glory. But most of the responses were rather timid, half-hearted, if not plain lip-service. But not from Dr. Rogelio M. Florete. The former retailer, who parlayed his business savvy into establishing an extensive and influential radio broadcast empire as well as a fast-growing banking enterprise, has turned to real estate development with an eye towards helping Iloilo City...

After more than two years of anticipation, Ilonggos are getting ready to welcome the newest coffee shop in town. Starbucks Coffee is set to open its very first branch in Iloilo City located at SM Southpoint . Soon, anyone will have a taste of the various offerings food and drinks this coffeeshop have and what made Starbucks a hit in the Philippines when it opened years ago. The two-storey extension building of SM City Iloilo will house food shops at ground level and rumors say. a call center on the second floor. It is conveniently located at the crossroads of two larger shopping centers, SM City Iloilo and Plazuela de Iloilo which is set to open on Oct. 10, 2010. Photos courtesy of zynet and lewdsaint of SSC forum