FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Almost as famous as its namesake festival, chicken sio pao from Dinagyang Refreshment is truly worth the trip to this hole-in-the-wall food shop. Both of its more convenient branches are located within the MaryMart Center but you will surely have second thoughts if its really worth it since ambiance is never heard of (except the one in the food court). Their main branch though is located in the district of Villa. Dinagyang Refreshment also have shorts orders from batchoy to spaghetti, and turo turo items for lunch and dinner, to chocolate cakes and brazo de mercedes for desserts. But it is their sio pao, especially the chicken that made this food shop stamp its foot in the very competitive gastronomic scene of Iloilo.

Runway Kitchen, the all-day dining restaurant of Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo, is excited to announce its newest offering: Buy One, Get One Free Lunch Buffet for ₱ 1,500ftom September 3 to 26 & November 6 to 28 2025, every Wednesdays to Fridays.  The lunch buffet features a wide variety of freshly prepared dishes, from savory mains to decadent desserts, all designed to delight food lovers and casual diners alike. Guests can enjoy an abundant dining experience while making the most out of this special promotion.  Highlights of the Offer: 😋😋Buy One, Get One deal on the lunch buffet 🍣🍗An extensive menu featuring seasonal specialties and international cuisines  🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒👫Perfect for families, friends, and food enthusiasts who love discovering new flavors  For Reservations and In7quiries you may email atyourservice.ilocy@courtyard.com or (033) 330-7600  Also visit www.courtyardiloilo.com and follow @Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo on Facebook and Instagram fo...

Finally, after four trips to Hongkong, I found myself at the restaurant I’ve been meaning to visit since my first visit back in 2016. Despite with its “not-so-HK” sounding name, Australia Dairy Company is a culinary institution and has often been described as an iconic Hong Kong restaurant. The company was named by the founder as such because he had worked in an Australian farm in the 1940s and now, his resto is one of the most popular “ chaan tengs ” or HK stye cafe or diners most common as breakfast places. Its sole branch is located in Jordan in Kowloon along Parkes Street. And it has always been plagued with a long queue especially during breakfast as locals and tourists vie for seats to start their day with their specialties. The restaurant is notable for its efficiency as even during the rush breakfast hour when I visited, my orders came out in less than a minute. While it is also infamous for its rude service, I didn’t experience it that time. Maybe they just improved over the y...

The birthplace of the Philippines’ Grill Expert, Mang Inasal Robinsons Place Iloilo , has officially reopened—refreshed, reimagined, and ready for the future. On Sunday, August 31, 2025, Mang Inasal celebrated the blessing and digital relaunch of its very first branch, originally opened in 2003, ahead of its grand reopening on September 1.  The milestone event was led by Mang Inasal President Mike V. Castro, brand ambassador Coco Martin, and Iloilo City Vice Mayor Love Baronda, Councilor Nene dela Llana representing Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas, underscoring both the brand’s commitment to innovation and its deep cultural roots. Mang Inasal President Mike V. Castro (right) with brand ambassador Coco Martin. Fro m a single store in Iloilo founded by Edgar “Injap” Sia II, Mang Inasal has grown into one of the country’s most successful homegrown brands. Further strengthened by the Jollibee Group, it has become beloved for its signature Chicken Inasal, Unli-Rice offering, and iconi...

People unfamiliar with these would often mistakenly refer to tambis as makopa  - for its shape and color are almost identical. That's until you you see it up close and bite into its flesh. Tambis has a smoother skin, tends to be more translucent and a lot juicier. On the other hand,  mangkopa  ( makopa ) has a more velvety skin, more opaque and is drier. Both come from the same  genus  -  syzygium  and just differs on the  specie  -  aqueum ,  samarangense  or  malaccense . I really cannot point out which is which though... It was one rainy Saturday afternoon while having a meeting at Camiña Balay nga Bato in Arevalo that I curiously gazed outside the window. It was a tambi s tree teeming with its fruits - lots of it. And before I knew, we were served this basket of tambis which appreciatively devoured... It brought a lot of memories then - of afternoons climbing our neighbours tambis tree, of having ...

It was a curiosity order via an online buy and sell community chatroom. And for only PhP20 a piece, these Kalamay sa Buri were worth the sugar high and the calories.  Also called "parak" or "pinarak" in the local foodie dialect, Kalamay sa Buri is a sweet native delicacy made from the sap or juice of the buri palm tree.  The stately Buri Palm Buri is among the largest and most common palm found in the Philippines which can live up to 30 years or more.  ( Text and above photo source ) While the leaf is considered the most important part of this palm tree - which is made into hats, ropes, brooms, mats, bags and more, buri also offers a lot as a food source. Boiled Budyawi Buri buds locally known as  budyawi  are eaten boiled, raw in salads or processed into sweets like kaong. It is like boiled corn with each kernel enclosed in a pod of its own. Budyawi Pods signal the death of the buri palm The trunk of the buri tree contains a good qual...