ILOILO DAY 2

Here's the second batch of pictures from our Iloilo trip. Been so busy over the week I didn't have time to post this one sooner.

This was taken during the christening of baby Vivienne. Lunch was at Days Inn Hotel. I didn't get to take pictures of the food because I was busy eating :-)

I had to take a picture of the cake though. I have to say, it looked really nice. It was made by a local baker and it came with these cute sugar cookies that looked like baby shoes. The kids loved it!

After lunch, we decided to go around town to buy some local pastries. We stopped by Biscocho house. This was where we bought most of our pasalubong for our friends and family. We also went to another place where we bought the squid rings and also the yummy barquillos.

Next stop was SM Mall. We wanted to check the stores that were there. We went window shopping. We were looking for a place to have coffee in the mall but it was too crowded and noisy so we decided to head out.

We were still full from lunch but decided to go to Ted's for the Lapaz Batchoy. I just had the special. The others had the extra special, where slices of liver were added to the soup. I have to say, there's nothing quite like it. It's probably the best batchoy I ever tasted! I enjoyed the soup so much I had to order an extra bowl of soup. I didn't really finish the noodles and the meat but the soup was really flavorful! According to Cathy, the secret of that soup is the addition of a little bagoong...which somehow doesn't make sense to me but hey if it works then why not.

Dinner was at Bauhinia. It's a Filipino restaurant. They serve Filipino food with a twist like Crispy pata with kare kare sauce and bagoong, then they have these shells cooked in red horse and sliced green mangoes,

We also tried the soup with mussels and lemon grass, then we had the Grilled stuffed squid,

We also had these two fish dishes that were also good but I forgot their names already....sorry about that.

Then the last one that came was lechon kawali. As usual, after trying all the dishes for dinner, we didn't have room for dessert anymore but they still ordered a chocnut cheesecake for us to try and some suman with latik in shot glasses. I really liked the way they did the menu and I think that this restaurant can definitely compete with the restaurants here in Manila.

I wish we had more time and space in our stomachs to be able to try more stuff . I guess we just need to go back there again soon for more food discoveries.

ILOILO WEEKEND FOOD TRIP

Believe it or not, this is my first time to go to Iloilo! I've heard so much about the province and their food. I was so excited because I was going with my friends Cathy and Anna. Cathy's sister-in-law Divine was having a christening of their baby girl Vivienne over the weekend and Anna was one of the god parents. I tagged along for a short weekend getaway!

We arrived at the Iloilo airport around 10:30 a.m. We headed to the Limsui residence and had Lanzones for snacks. We waited for the rest of the family members to arrive and headed out to lunch.

First stop was at Breakthrough.

The restaurant is by the beach and it was nice because of the cool breeze. Cooked food was on display like turo-turo. They also had tanks where they had the live seafood.

Here's a baby shark in the tank. Think that if someone ordered this, it will be served on the table. For now the meantime, its a pet of the restaurant.

Here we are by the waterfront. That's me, Cathy, Aan, and Anna.

Our food came to our table about 15 minutes later. We had steamed crabs, crispy fried catfish,

Grilled scallops with garlic and butter, lechon,

And everyone's favorite, aligue rice! We were so full, we didn't have space for dessert anymore. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the hotel. We all took a nap then headed down to the mall to window shop.

Dinner was at Amalfi restaurant.

For starters, we had focaccia bread and garlic bread sticks with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. Then here are the items that the group ordered.... A trio of soup ( pumpkin, cream of broccoli, and cream of tomato soup.

For appetizers, we had arancini balls sitting on a bed of basil, garlic and tomato sauce and drizzled with balsamic vinegar, then a seafood pizza.

For salads, they ordered foie gras with peached pears on a bed of greens, for pasta we had pasta with pesto sauce,

Spaghetti bolognese for the kids, Seared scallop pasta with tomato sauce for Aan.

Osso bucco with saffrom risotto for me and Anna, Sea bass for Eric,

Cathy had the Salmon fillet, and Divine had the Seared tuna. To end the very wonderful meal, we were all served with mint tea. Dessert to follow on the next blog :-)

FISH AND CHIPS

Here's a recipe that I did for the show which I think is a sure winner! Serve this with seasoned vinegar or tartar sauce. A cold beer completes this English dish.

Happy Weekend to everyone!!!

Ingredients:

150 grams fish fillet, cobbler fillet

BATTER

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups cold beer

100 grams french fries

Directions:

1. Slice fish if desired to make them smaller, but whole fish is ok too. Season fish with salt and pepper.

2. Combine all-purpose flour, cornstarch, cayenne pepper, paprika, pepper, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Reserve 1/4 cup for dusting.

3. Add the cold beer gradually and mix using a wire whisk to avoid lumps. do not over beat. Mix just until combined. Add more beer if batter is still too thick.

3. Heat oil to 375 F. When oil is ready, dunk the fish fillet on the beer batter and deep fry the fish until golden brown.

4. Place on paper towels to drain the oil. Set aside.

5. Meanwhile, deep fry french fries. Drain.

6. To serve, place the fish fillet and french fries on a serving plate. Serve with vinegar and tartar sauce.