FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

There’s a new noodle house in town where you don’t only get to savor its specialties but also get a closer look on how the noodles are actually made. Located along Iloilo City’s premiere heritage showcase - JM Basa Street, the Tarzan Magic La Mien Noodle House highlights the Chinese influences in Ilonggo food and food ways. It opened just a few weeks ago and diners, mostly of Chinese descent, have been coming back to this restaurant because of the allure of the freshly made, hand pulled noodles that is said to be flavourful but also of the gastronomic exhibition of pulls, twirls and stretches diners see and enjoy. FRESHLY MADE They only make the noodles when a customer places an order and that accounts for the freshness in taste. The kitchen is visible through a glass window and it was quite a sight to see the noodle guy doing his gastronomic stunts in full view of the hungry customers. The noodle maker pulls out a plain looking dough and on a floury surface, he starts rolling it into ...

While some parts of the country were uprising towards the end of the 19th century, another revolution was forming in Jaro, Iloilo. It was a revolution started by fl our, eggs, sugar and other ingredients, barquillos that gave birth to our now popular delicacy - BARQUILL OS! Now who isn’t familiar with barquillos? These crisp wafer rolls are found in almost all pasalubong shops and are often partnered with ice cream. It offers a delicious crunch and willingly melts in the mouth once you start chewing. To kids and kids at heart, taking a bite then blowing out the crumbs on other end, makes and brings back a lot of memories! The name Deocampo is synonymous with these wafer rolls for their barquillos-making history is famous since 1898. “Actually it should have been 1896” opens up Alicia Deocampo during the interview. She shares how they’ve overlooked this packaging error when her fam ily delved into the pasalubong business decades ago. She was no more than 12 years when grandparents Jose ...

A stone's throw away from the plaza of Villa-Arevalo is the Avanceña ancestral house known today as the Camiña Bahay na Bato . Characterized by the yellowish hue of its exteriors, it may look like any two storey-old house from the outside but inside, it's a rich depository of Iloilo's colonial heritage as this was built in 1865. Renovated a few years back, it is now (sort of) a museum and a gift shop as the ground floor houses an antique shop of which some are Luth and Gerard's Camiña's personal collections. Weavers demonstrate their craft as they make some designs for hablon, patadyong and more. Antique plates adorn the walls and fill in the cabinets plus numerous paintings and other antiques are one display for the buyers. But among the more interesting items found in the shop are those related in making a sumptious cup of tsokolate. From the tablea to the metal pitchers and the wooden batidor/batirol, each is as interesting as the other items yet stands ...

Unilever Food Solutions and the Department of Tourism embarks on a gastronomic journey around the country in an aptly named project FOOD TRIP NA, PILIPINAS . During the next few months starting this March, the Unilever along with the print and television media as well as bloggers and food writers will go a literal food trip in 10 of the Philippines most exciting foodie destinations and will dine and experience regional cuisine in more than 100 restaurants in these places. In a related event, a fter months of eating and writing, not to mention countless clicks and flashes, Unilever's Sooo Pinoy Search for the Ultimate Food Blogger has finally come to an en d with Ms. Mae Ilagan , resident foodie of WhenInManila being declared at the Foodie of all Foodies . A nd to commence this amazing and once in a lifetime experience, the FOOD TRIP NA, PILIPINAS "gastronomia" kicked in Iloilo City today and Flavours of Iloilo is honored to be part of this experience. With more than...

The long elusive breakfast buffet of Days Hotel Iloilo dubbed as Daybreak has finally been conquered as I was able to enjoy of this morning feast a few days ago. Aptly named, it was just a little after the break of dawn that Eric D ( www.byahilo.com ) and I went down to The Promenade to have our first meal of the day. And had to drag ourselves out of bed and get prepared. It wasn't easy though as the room we had at Days Hotel Iloilo was among the most comfortable and relaxing. The standard double room was big for its class and had this simple yet sophisticated interiors. It has a sitting corner and a sort of office nook perfect for business travelers as well as bloggers who updated their blogs and tweeted their activities, among others. Amenities like a well stocked refrigerator, cable-internet connectivity, cable tv among others were well provided with. The toilet and bath plus the closet area was also well suited for every guest. And there was even a safe where t...