BY PEARL SOCIAS
Iloilo is known for its heritage homes and historical sites. But it is also a haven of delicious and vibrant cuisine. Complete your Dinagyang Festival experience with these must-try food places that will tour your palate around Iloilo, but only within the vicinity of Megaworld’s Festive Walk Mall.
PRINCE BAKER
Prince Baker opens as early as 6 a.m. and is ideal for early morning grinders at Megaworld Business Park.
They started by only taking orders online but satisfied patrons eventually sought for a physical store.
This café-restaurant mainly serves freshly baked pastries, coffee and all-day breakfast. It also has a variety of Filipino and Western-inspired food offerings, ranging from snacks to sweets to pasta and rice meals.
Savor their twist on the ensaymada. It is as light and fluffy as it gets and has that creamy goodness from the white chocolate topping. A classic cheese roll also goes a long way.
What will capture your interest most is their D’dobo pizza. It is a thin crust, notably crunchy pizza topped with shredded chicken adobo. Indeed, a novel approach to combining a snack and a favorite Filipino dish.
Their place whets the appetite and gives you the kickstart you need for the day!
BUTO’T BALAT
Buto’t Balat restaurant is all about scrumptious native dishes and seafood.
Kansi and buttered talaba or oysters are among its many standouts.
Kansi is a beef soup popular in Western Visayas. Theirs, however, is made with sweet corn and unripe langka, or jackfruit. Just the right level of sourness from the batuan as a natural souring ingredient sure hits the spot. It is also served hot and in a clay pot!
Meanwhile, their buttered talaba has melted cheese aside from the usual spring onion toppings.
They also serve native chicken dishes like Tinu-om (wrapped and cooked in banana leaves) and Binakol (cooked in coconut water with young coconut meat), other talaba dishes, grilled tanguige or Spanish mackerel, and shrimp, among others.
True to their “all native” concept, this cozy restaurant is filled with earth tones and indigenous and Iloilo-inspired decor.
PANABOR
Panabor Iloilo Restaurant is for those in the mood for a home-cooked Ilonggo feast.
Among the stars of the table is the KBL, or kadyos, baboy, and langka.
KBL is a pork hocks dish or baboy, boiled to tender with kadyos or pigeon peas, and unripe langka. Its souring agent is also batuan.
They have batuan juice garnished with tanglad or lemongrass stalks, a slice of suha or calamansi, and mint leaves. It is a unique palate cleanser that is citrusy and refreshing.
Iloilo’s pancit molo, a rich-flavored soup with oversized pork-filled dumplings or molo balls in wonton wrapper, is another gastronomic delight. It has shredded chicken and boiled eggs, topped with shrimp and spring onions.
Their Ilonggo adobo, a native chicken adobo with atsuete or annatto but without soy sauce, and the Patotin sa Tubâ, a whole native duck braised in tubâ or coconut wine, and muscovado sugar, are must-tries too.
Other Filipino dishes and seafood are available as well.
BISTRO CARCOSA
This gastropub serves fusion cuisine made of beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and vegetarian options.
Enjoy their best-selling pizzas, the Supreme and Cacosa’s Special.
All their pizza dough is freshly made per order, neither too thick nor too thin. Supreme Pizza is topped with chorizo that they make themselves, bell peppers, and caramelized onions, while Cacosa’s Special also has chorizo as well as bacon and grilled onions.
For a vegetarian-friendly option, Bistro Carcosa has Margherita pizza. It features a superb combination of marinara, basil, and mozzarella cheese.
A glass of freshly squeezed lemon juice goes perfectly with the pizza and other snacks they offer like tacos, sandwiches, and burgers.
Ah, they also have salads, pasta, and main dishes like beef shank, pork belly, seafood curry, and chicken confit.
INGGO’S ORIGINAL LA PAZ BATCHOY
Batchoy is an Ilonggo staple and must not be missed when visiting Iloilo.
Inggo’s Original La Paz Batchoy started at the La Paz Public Market in the 1920s and through the years earned the reputation of having the best batchoy in town.
Batchoy is a noodle soup made of meke noodles and pork stock with pork meat, liver, and offal. It is topped with crushed chicharon or pork cracklings.
Inggo’s batchoy pork stock is infused with fried garlic for more aroma and guinamos, or fermented fish, for smoky and salty umami.
Aside from the typical meke noodles, they also offer batchoy with miswa, sotanghon, or bihon noodles.
Foodies have a choice between pork or beef meat and boiled or raw eggs.
Puto, or steamed rice cake, is served on the side.
Batchoy can be eaten in hot or cold weather and as a snack or a meal. Its versatility reflects the characteristics of the Ilonggos: gentle and soft-spoken but firm and determined.
PANADERIA DE MOLO
An Ilonggo household name, baked goods from Panaderia De Molo are served on coffee tables or tucked in pasalubong bags.
Their famous galletas are a timeless treat. This thin and crispy round biscuit is tasty on its own but can be paired with coffee, milk, or tablea.
The buttery, sweet goodness of their twice-baked biscocho bread fits royalty, earning the name “Principe”.
Herb toast, meanwhile, is an elevated version of crunchy toast with malunggay, basil and oregano.
Barquillos, or wafer rolls, are made with either goat’s or cow’s milk and are creamier than ordinary ones.
Kinamunsil bread, which is shaped like a kamunsil or camachile fruit, hojaldres (layers of thin, flaky, buttery pastry sheets), broas (lady fingers), rosquetes (grainy, brittle biscuits), and bañadas (white-frosted cookies) are also available.
Frozen molo balls are a delight, too, which are ideal for satisfying your soup cravings at any time, even at home.
BIGBY’S
After all the merrymaking, Megaworld Business Park also has a place for big meals. Bigby’s Café & Restaurant offers protein overload.
Their specialty is fork-tender, sweet-smoky pork back ribs called Rack-a-bye-baby.
Dinagyang bundles are available for the occasion, including New Orleans Shrimp with Tijuana quesadilla, Belly Buster (pork combo) with beef nachos, and Fisherman’s Catch (seafood combo) with Tiki Wacky salad.
Try their fried boneless chicken steak smothered in thick gravy sauce and be amazed.
For health nuts, they have fresh salads. Fruit and Nut salad consists of blue and parmesan cheese, candied walnuts, and an assortment of fruits with cranberry dressing. Tiki Wacky salad is made with parmesan and pizza cheese cubes, croutons, an assortment of fruits, and creamy chicken salad on top of romaine lettuce.
Dine and get to win too! They have raffles for Dinagyang souvenir kits for tourists and 3-day passes to VIVA Dinagyang 2023.
BALAI ILONGGO
What better way to end a festival trip than to visit a gift shop?
Balai Ilonggo is home or “balay” to a collection of native products and delicacies in the region, so souvenir buying is more convenient.
Quality hablon and other handwoven products from Miag-ao and Oton towns are available here.
They sell an array of delicacies, including mango products from Guimaras province, the mango capital of the Philippines.
Handmade footwear from Antique province and intricate accessories, among many others, are perfect gifts too.
On display are artworks by Ilonggo painters, woodcrafts, and wearable art like bags, dresses, and hats made of indigenous materials or by local artists.
Products marketed here also help communities. They are collaborating with the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Department of Trade and Industry’s One Town, One Product (OTOP).
We learned that they export non-food items and, soon, delicacies.
What a tour, right? All these food spots will surely give you a gastronomic experience like no other. Nestled at the heart of the Philippine archipelago, Iloilo is a place of hearty food served by heartwarming people./PN
