FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

I still can't believe that all these costs only PhP70 (US$1.50) - okra, radish, patola, bellpeppers and finger chillies (though these were freebies). There's this roadside vegetable stall along the Leganes-Zarraga by-pass road that we frequent if we take a detour when going. It maybe a few kilomters longer but it's literally traffic-free and we always do an impromptu buying of vegetables - lots of it. It's a simple set-up of selling one's produce which are planted just at the back of their stall. And one gets a very good bargain from these veggies. From tomatoes and bellpepers to cucumbers and calubay (upo), its always a treat seeing these as well as preparing all these. They also have leafy vegetables with lettuce and pechay being our favorite buys. Our car is always filled up when we get home but we just a very minimal amount that sometimes I worry if they got their calculations right or miscount the items. But as always this vegetable sta...

With its homey ambiance, it's no wonder it's called Home by Midway , located just across SM Delgado. And the food looks and tastes like the ones served at home. Like this small kaldero of Kansi, which is a cross between bulalo and sinigang. Beef shanks cooked until "tenderly off the bones", soured by batwan , hued by istiwitis (achuete or annatto) with unripe langka cubes with sili pangsingang providing the "kick". >>>  Click here for Sample Recipe And ofcourse, the plain and simple grilled tilapia whose aroma and taste would bring memories of home. Made even more appetizing with atsara ( click for sample recipe ) and with a toyo-mansi dip. All these would always make me ask for "Extra Rice, please". 

It was during the My City, My SM, My Cuisine event a year ago that I encountered a so-called designer dessert made with "ibos". Dubbed as YSL, yes, that's for Yves Saint Laurent with emphasis on the Yves to sound like " ibs "  for ibos . Maridel Uygongco prepared this delectable dessert together with her specialty - Potato Praline Cake. The gastronomic event focused on heirloom recipes of prominent Ilonggo families which also included the Estofado nga Pato sa Tuba of Mr. Eugene Jamerlan.   A few days after, through the invitation of Ms Regine Algecera, producer of the local cable TV show Good Day Western Visayas , I was at the kitchen of the Ms Maridel as she gave us a demo on how her specialty is made. But that time she used ibos made with tapul rice that gave a very appetizing purple hue to the usual plain white ibos. The recipe was just simple, the ibos  are sliced and fried until it becomes crispy. While waiting, the cream base was made from...

Everytime I find myself in Cebu City, I make it a point to drop by Marco Polo Plaza Cebu . And as always there's something new waiting for my palate. This time, I had gastronomic fun at the Asian Station concocting my own ramen. This bowl has noodles, cabbage, shallots, mushrooms, shrimps, century egg and laksa soup base. Now that's a ramen! Also new was the mango-citrus cooler with bits of "everything", if I heard right. It had the right mix  mango and orange (and other citrus) that gave refreshing drink complementing these "food-tasting" portions I got at during the lunch buffet Cafe Marco.  As it was one day before Valentine, Cafe Marco was garbed in the most romantic way - with an arch of fresh flowers  at the entrance greeting the diners.   And then the buffet captured my attention - as always. Here's the Salad and Appetizer station with lots of healthy options. One can choose from the  already prepared...  ... or you...

Mention Cebu and my tummy rumbles with the vast gastronomic opportunities it brings to mind. There's Lechon Cebu, Pochero, Balbacua, Larsian BBQ and a whole lot more.  And then there's Sutukil. It's straightforward method of cooking and is a combination of three words, which means three different types of cooking, particularly with fresh seafood.  “ Su ” came from the word “ sugba ,” which means, “to grill”. “ Tu ” is branched from the word “ tuwa ,” which means, “to stew”. Lastly, the most adventurous style is “ Kil ,” which stands for “ kilaw ”. Winglip Chang welcomes guests at Isla Sugbu I am in Cebu now with fellow blogger Cafe Ilonggo , for a real-deal Sutukil adventure at   Isla Sugbu Seafood City at the Grand Convention of Cebu. Operated and managed by 101 Restaurant City Inc headed by its President, Winglip Chang, it guarantees every food lover a Sutukil standard that’s always a notch higher.  Isla Sugbu SuTuKil has wide array of fres...