FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

SEAFOOD ALA PUNOT Discover the flavors of modern Iloilo as the pride of Estancia, Iloilo now caters the discriminating tastebuds of the Ilonggos in Iloilo City. Literally translated as "fishpen" in Hiligaynon, Punot restaurant is named as such as the town is considered to be the "Alaska of the Philippines" as it houses a lot fishpens and also is  located in one of the country's richest fishing grounds - the Visayan Sea. ESTANCIA CHOWDER A special food tasting session was arranged for the members of the Iloilo Bloggers Inc. a few days ago by the Arañador siblings - Singapore-based advertising executive Andrea and Center for Culinary Arts graduate Chef Tope. Punot is the first venture of the siblings paying tribute to their parents Lea and Rogelio who built the family's two restaurants in Estancia - Friends (1987) and Punot (2000). KILAWIN SHOTS Whetting our appetites that night we had the Estancia Chowder which is a light and creamy soup wit...

It was really a fun filled get-together with some high school classmates as we reminisced those good ol' high school days at Red Paprika Restobar at the Riverside Boardwalk . And just like what the title says, our mini reunion lasted past one o'clock for it was so much fun - the food, the memories, the updates and of course the presence of each and everyone one. To think we started around 6:30 in the evening and we had the whole second floor to ourselves, so it was fun, fun, fun until one. Food and drinks came in as we shared stories and exhausted our (actually their) voices in the videoke. Red Paprika is among the pioneering restaurants in the Riverside Boardwalk Complex. Others come and go but this restobar is here to stay. They have the ambiance, the crowd and the food - well not exactly spectacular but generally good. On top of my list is the Ox Tongue with Mushroom in cream sauce. The few times I've been to Red Paprika , it has always been part of my order. Though I ...

Arroz caldo in Iloilo City is synonymous with the name Luna's . Though many other restos and snack shops serve this dish, Luna's always had been the top pick. So if you crave for arroz caldo anytime of the day, this branch along Gen. Luna street serves you a hot bowl 24/7. Peppy Thai Deli transferred to a much better location along El 98 Road in Jaro and is almost a month old. If you want Thai specialties served "fastfood", better be there earlier than lunch time or you'll never get to taste it. Among the newest addition to the row of restos in the Riverside Boardwalk. Ramboy's Lechonan and Restaurant serves a variety of Filipino favorites mostly meat and seafood; grilled, sizzling or just anyway you expect it to be. Another new resto at the Riverside Boardwalk is Mangay's , just a few steps away from the above resto. Here, it's mostly seafood cooked in various ways to be enjoyed as a meal or as pulutan . Photos courtesy of ExploreIloilo and Skyscr...

From the usual Filipino dishes to pulutan, you'll be surprised how extensive their menu is. They also have Japanese, Chinese, Thai and more. We were here first but since they had no paella, we searched the other restaurants. We almost had dinner at Imay's but the ambiance (plus the smell) was not good so we opted to go back. And that decision was great. Very nice ambiance. Nice live music. Great food. Their lechon kawali was crispy and melts in the mouth while the ox tongue was very good. The chicken binakol was just okay since it was not native chicken.