FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Amidst all the religious activities during the Holy Week in Santa Barbara, there's one "activity" that brings everyone together despite religion or beliefs. It's the decades-old tradition of " pamingka in the plaza " during Semana Santa. I remember the days when these bingka  are only available during Lent that we consume all the bingkas we can since it will be another year when we will get to taste these rice cakes.  And it's always a family affair on both sides - whether your family cooks and makes them or just the one who drops by and buy and enjoy it in the plaza.  During this time the whole plaza is filled with " bingka picnickers" - with paperbags of hot-off-the-oven bingka and drinks. It's exudes a food festival ambiance without the tables and chairs as everybody just content themselves sitting on the benches and on grass. With a well-lighted plaza, this bingka happy-hour starts from late afternoon until late evening espec...

Mention Kong Kee and Ilonggos would always associate it with siopao on top of its equally delicious Chinese specialties.     But what used to be just a gastronomic melting pot in Downtown Iloilo City has now branched out to the progressive town of Pavia, Iloilo. Located just beside Puregold supermarket across the Poblacion and town hall,tou won't miss its iconic logo in its signature font in white and red motif. And of course, you've got to try their specialty - sio pao. Ilonggos have grown up with Kong Kee sio pao eversince and there has been a cult following for the resto's steamed bun. Freshly made daily to ensure its  quality, Kong Kee's sio pao is handcrafted everyday to serve the best tasting sio pao that is soft, moist and juicy. It comes ins three variants - Pork, Chicken and the Chicken-Pork combo. It prides to have no artificial flavors plus no preservatives added for us to taste all the ...

The Feast of San Jose is celebrated every March 19 with a big fiesta in places honoring the saint be it a city, town or barangay. But the one I experienced a few weeks ago was more than just the gastronomic side - it was a feast alright but in a different setting. Not just because it was held during breakfast time but it also included a traditional ritual which brought back a lot childhood memories. I joined the feast at the Camiña Balay nga Bato in Arevalo on that day and it brought the memories of yesteryears. I was no more than 10 years old when I witnessed the "San Jose" ritual in my lola's house in Molo. I can still vividly remember the "role-playing" which had elements of eating, washing and "kissing".  As explained by Sir Eugene Jamerlan (of the Iloilo City Cultural Heritage Conservation Council), this ritual is  a tradition in rice-producing places like Iloilo. It is a sort of welcoming San Jose and his family into the household to...

Got a surprise delivery from Punot Restaurant just in time for dinner hours ago and I  can still taste what I've eaten everytime I burp... 😋 And just the mere thought of it makes me salivate for the yummy leftovers that in the fridge and hope I can survive this temptation. Punot Restaurant is always my first stop whenever I find myself at the Riverside Boardwalk which is just beside the Iloilo River and the popular Esplanade. With the exciting view  it offers, also comes a lot of excitingly delicious dishes. From local Ilonggo favorites to fusion Filipino and other cuisines, it is always a good and fulfilling gastronomic experience at Punot. Good thing that they have already re-opened and to make their specialties more convenient, they also offer delivery and pick up services. And that brings us to the two dishes that were delivered just a few hours ago. First was the BAKARETA. This beef version of kaldereta has very tender and almost fall off the bo...

No pasta? No problem! Let's create your favorite lasagna recipes using the Classic White Bread from Gardenia! But let's first talk about Gardenia! Among the most popular and widely available brands in the country, Gardenia is famous for its Classic White Bread - its signature product. GARDENIA Classic White bread is not only known for its freshness, softness and oven-baked aroma but also for its nutritive value. It is made with high-protein flour, is folate-enriched and has vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3 and C) and minerals  (calcium, iron and iodine) It is also cholesterol-free, has zero transfat, zero saturated fat and bromate-free! And definitely, one loaf is not enough! So always stock up whenever you do your grocery shopping. With a lot Gardenia breads in my midst (again madamo gid nga salamat, Gardenia ), I was up for another challenge - creating a Gardenia recipe which is not a toast nor a sandwich. GARDENIA TOAST TOPPINGS CHALLENGE After some quick check of what's ins...