FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Are you a big fan of those soft, fluffy, buttery, sweet cheese rolls? If yes, chances are you'd really fall for these cheese rolls from Sweet Fix by Calix . With two variants - Cheese (original) and Chube (that "viral" Ube-Cheese gastronomic phenomenon), these rolls have been "selling like hotcakes" since July. Comparable to the iconic Mary Grace brand, the cheese roll are big yet light and generously topped with butter and sugar. One bite reveals its fluffiness and cheesiness in the inside with its softness enticing you to take another bite. I could finish this box of 6s in just one sitting - no joke! And the Chube Rolls are just as delicious and tempting especially with the buttery-ube sugar toppings. And it explodes with a yummy ube halaya and cheese filling in every bite. Can you guess how many I could finish in one sitting? A perfect page turner from the sweet and cheesy flavor is the recently lau...

At first, I had doubts about kombucha after Googling about it. While the articles I read listed a lot of benefits, it also came with some warnings and side effects. But after a lot of thinking, I gave in to my curiosity rather than my doubts realizing that everything comes with this dilemma. And when I finally had my first sip - it was ❤ 👍 Thanks to Kombē Kombucha for very a delicious and refreshing first impression on this health drink! Kombē is a homegrown Ilonggo brand specialized in brewing Kombucha. The company is  the first to introduce this health drink to the City of Love. Given today's necessity for better health, its digital launching a few days ago came at the right time. As a simple backgrounder kombucha is a fermented tea-based probiotic drink. It is made with green or black tea, sugar and yeast producing SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) plus some citrus fruits. It ...

Got a very special and mouth-watering delivery from Kapitan Gimmo Iloilo!  And I couldn't hold my excitement as well as the grumbling of my tummy as the aroma reach my nose and it was a gastronomic sight to behold! Surf N Turf is one of the restaurant's best-sellers as it highlights Kapitan Gimmo's specialties - all in one plate!  It's a mix of delectable seafood and savory meats cooked in a variety of ways. You can choose from   steamed, garlic butter, sweet chili, fried garlic, teriyaki and barbecue, among others. These complementing flavors surely brings out that you have to to use your hands in order to savor the very best flavors. The SURF portion of is made up of crabs, shrimps and shellfish while the TURF has pork ribs and chicken. Grilled corn provides some color as well as flavor and texture component complenting the entire mouth-watering dish. So, are ready to enjoy Kapitan Gimmo's Surf N Tur...

Just the mere mention  Pub Express  will bring mouth-watering ribs goodness into my gastronomic imagination.  Be it a whole rack of ribs smothered in smoky barbecue sauce or a solo ribs drenched in the savory sauce, both are worth the calories and cholesterol!   The delectable goodness of these ribs tickled our taste buds a few days ago inside Pub Express' main branch in Molo, along MH Del Pilar street. The new hip yet cozy interiors not make creates an Instagram-worthy resto but also adds an appetizing atmosphere for us to enjoy what it has to offer. The whole rack of ribs comes with three sides - rangoons, fat fries and chicken skin. The rangoons are cream cheese-filled wonton wrappers that are deep-fried until crisp and comes with chilli sauce.   The fat fries are actually criss-cut fries made ala poutine (Canadian-style) with cream and bacon toppings. But even without these, the fries are already very good on their ...

Heads up, people.... July is National Ice Cream Month! And to celebrate its pride and core, Dairy Queen is lining up a Blizzard of sweet treats for all the ice cream lovers out there! To kick-start the month-long celebration, Dairy Queen has brought back all the Blizzard favorites with the launch of the DQ Fan Fave Blizzard Treats. Available in three flavors—Milk Tea Brownie Latte, Caramel Almond Cluster, and Sweet Corn Crunch, these frozen Blizzard favorites will surely capture the hearts and palates of all the DQ fans out there. The fun doesn’t stop there. Dairy Queen will have two NEW Blizzard Cakes: Sweet Corn Crunch Blizzard Cake and Milk Tea Blizzard Cake – DQ’s shareable and refreshing new take on the classic Mais con Hielo and everyone’s beloved Milk Tea. The new Blizzard cakes are delectable frozen treats made with 100 percent Ice Cream and are available in 8” and 6” sizes. Exclusive treat for GrabFo...

This popular fishball has been on my bucket list for sometime now and been planning ever since to blog about it. Yet, without any plans today, I just happen to be at Molo Plaza and it occurred to me that this fishball stand that many Ilonggos revere was just right around the corner fronting Andok's.  So braving the street that had vehicles literally passing by inches behind my back, I made " tusok-tusok " Jo-Ann's fishballs. It was then I found out that they have 2 other carts within the area of Molo Plaza - one inside the plaza itself! A stick having 4 balls costs PhP8 each  - seems expensive but when you taste it you'll probably want more! Unlike those we see on other fishball stands or those that can be bought in groceries, this one is made with real fish mixed with flour. It creates quite a crunch especially when fresh off the fryer and tastes heavenly when dipped in one of the four sauces - it has to be spicy fo...

Ilonggos call cooked pilit rice wrapped in palm leaves as  ibos . It is one of the most popular native delicacies found in local markets. Yet at times, it cause confusion as it is referred to  suman  in places outside the region - for  suman  for the Ilonggos is  biko  to the Tagalogs in general. So checking out online sources yields the follwoing: Suman sa Ibus - A ubiquitous variety of suman in the Philippines, the glutinous rice is washed, and is then mixed with salt and coconut milk. The mixture is poured over pre-made coil containers of young palm leaves called Ibus or Ibos, and fixed with the leaf's central shaft.  This is then steamed using water mixed with "luyang dilaw" (turmeric or kalawag in Ilonggo ) — giving it that distinctly yellow colour — and served either with a mixture of shredded coconut and sugar, or latik — (reduce coconut milk until white lumps form and simmer until golden brown). ( Wikipedia ) ...