Travel Bites: It can get only warmer in Iloilo

The Miag-ao Church, built in 1786, is on the Unesco list of baroque churches in the Philippines. (Photo from http://myphilippinelife.com/)

MAAYONG aga! (Good morning!) 

The first thing you will notice as soon as you arrive in Iloilo is that sing-song, caressing dialect of Ilonggos. It envelops you like a warm hug, making you feel like a long-lost friend. It makes you eager to find out what everyone is talking about. 

That warmth translates to the service in Iloilo’s hotels and resorts, its cuisine and its people who are keen to take visitors around town, and to the remarkable concern that Ilonggos have for many of its heritage homes and historical landmarks. (Iloilo is one of the few cities in the country that has a very active cultural heritage and conservation council.) 

Although I must admit that while the centuries-old churches, heritage homes and the beach are quite remarkable places to visit (especially for first-timers), tourists like myself are most excited to return to Iloilo just to soak in the pleasant, laid-back atmosphere of the province, the feeling of family and familiarity among its people and to feast on its delectable and sincere, home-cooked dishes. 

A good time to visit Iloilo is during its Dinagyang Festival in honor of the Señor Santo Niño and the welcome by the indigenous Atis of Malays who soon settled on Panay Island. It is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of January. (Check out the festivities in January 2013 at http://dinagyangsailoilo.com/) 

Must-see’s 

History unfolding. Drive down the bustling Calle Real (now called JM Basa Street) in Iloilo City, and you will see many buildings retaining their Spanish-era baroque designs, Parisienne art-noveau sensibilities, as well as modern American details. Still a center for commerce, many of the buildings are used as stores and retail spaces to this day. (Even the nearby public market is an architectural marvel featuring a ziggurat in the center of the façade.) 

Nelly Garden in the town of Jaro was built in 1928 by Don Vicente Lopez and his wife, the former Doña Elena Hofileña, and named after their eldest daughter. With its extensive manicured lawn and florid American art-deco architecture, the stark white mansion transports visitors to the time of affluence when Iloilo was booming with sugar export revenues. 

The Angelicum School (Tabuc Suba, Jaro) is no ordinary educational establishment--it was once the estate of the Lizares family. The mansion was built in 1929 during the excesses of the sugar-industry boom, and for a time acquired a spooky reputation, having been reportedly used as torture chambers during the Japanese Occupation. Since the takeover of the Dominican Order, the mansion has been festooned with colored lights and ornaments every Christmas. 

The Lizares Mansion, now known as the Angelicum School, is lit up every Christmas. (Photo from Redlan's Web of Arts)

Religious sites. The Miag-ao Church (Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church) in the municipality of Miag-ao, southern Iloilo (about an hour away from Iloilo City) was built in 1786 by Spanish Agustinian priests and is on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization world heritage list of baroque churches in the Philippines. The church functioned as a lookout for marauding Moro pirates and was built like a fortress with secret passages.  

The Molo Church (Saint Anne’s Church) in Molo, Iloilo, is every feminist’s dream church. Built in 1831 in the Gothic-Renaissance style, the church pays homage to 16 female saints with its main retablo focused on Saint Anne. Its two separate spired belfries were said to have once housed 30 bells of varying sizes that once tinkled in various musical tones. 

Other distinctive Spanish-era churches in Iloilo are: San Juan de Bautista Parish Church in Dingle, eastern Iloilo; Saint Jerome Parish Church in Dueñas; Santo Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church in Guimbal; Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Parish Church in La Paz; and the San Jose Church in Iloilo City, which houses a 17th-century statue of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary. 

Local weaves. Due to the onslaught of cheaper textiles from abroad, sinamay weaving is practically a dying industry in Iloilo. Hand-loomed from piña or the fibers of pineapple, sinamay cloth and products can be purchased as pasalubong (gifts for family and friends that are usually bought during one’s travels) from the House of Sinamay along Osmeña Street. 

Cool it down. Iloilo’s coastline is home to some of the cleanest beaches in the province. Whether white, dark grey or black sand, the province’s beaches still provide locals and tourists a quick break from their harried lives. 

The Dinagyang Festival honors the Señor Sto. Niño (infant child Jesus) and is celebrated every fourth Sunday of January. (Photo from the Phil. Daily Inquirer.)

The most accessible beaches are those located in Oton, Tigbauan and Guimbal, which are still within Iloilo City. There are a number of resorts providing clean, basic amenities to beach bums as well as seafood restaurants to satiate those hungry tummies after having gone for a swim. 

In the towns of Ajuy, Concepcion, San Dionisio and Carles in northern Iloilo can be found white-sand beaches that can rival Boracay’s tropical treasures. Also in the north is Sicogon Island, with its pristine off-white beach; due to limited accommodations available, locals usually just go there for overnight trips. 

To-do’s  

Eat! A visit to Iloilo is to fall in love with its cuisine. Many of the dishes—whether they are cooked in someone’s home, or found in the public market or restaurants—are extensions of the Ilonggos’ yearning for the languid life of comfort. It’s no wonder that some of its well-known dishes are actually heartwarming broths like the la paz batchoy, pancit molo and chicken binakol. 

Go to Sarabia Manor Hotel’s Café Salvatore for a steaming bowl of pancit molo (pork dumplings soup) or if you feel adventurous enough, check out Kapitan’s old-style version in his house near Asilo de Molo. (Everyone calls him Kapitan because he’s a barangay captain, so everyone in the area knows him and can easily point out his house to you.) He is one of the best-kept secrets of Iloilo because local politicians and VIPs order from him whenever they have parties and they want to impress their guests. Each dumpling is lovingly handmade, with the broth so umami you just know there are no extenders. 

The best la paz batchoy (noodle soup with pork innards and cracklings) can be found in the La Paz public market. Take your pick from a multitude of stalls that all serve the soup with some deadly but delicious bone marrow. It is best eaten with fresh Puto Manapla (steamed rice cake from Manapla). 

Most chicken inasal (grilled chicken on skewers) in Iloilo are equally good, whether these be found in the restaurants or in the streets. At Tatoy’s Manukan and Seafood House (Villa Beach)—an excellent restaurant serving a wide array of seafood—they use native chicken for its chicken inasal, thus raising the bar higher for the grilled delicacy. 

Of course, if you are lucky enough to get invited to someone’s home for dinner, you can be sure that the traditional Ilonggo dishes served there will be genuinely authentic and even more superb. 

A steaming bowl of kansi – tender beef shanks in a broth soured with batuan seeds – is one of the well-loved dishes of Iloilo. (Photo by the author)

Shop! The best pasalubong from Iloilo are biscuits, cookies and sweet treats. Panaderia de Molo (Avanceña Street in Molo, with branches on Jaro Street and Rizal Street across the University of Iloilo) is probably the oldest bakeshop in the province and serves Spanish-style biscuits and cookies. Its best sellers are the kinihad, biscocho, merengue, hojaldres and bañadas. 

Biscocho Haus (8 Lopez Jaena Street, Jaro) also serves various cookies and biscuits, but its best product for me is the butterscotch, which tastes close to food-for-the-gods. 

For dried-fish goods, go to the Iloilo City central market on Rizal Street. These tabagak, guma-a, dried squid, danggit, etc. are must-eats for a great breakfast. Also at the market are ginamos (shrimp paste), which is the Ilonggo’s version of the bagoong.  

Party! While steeped in their laid-back ways, Ilonggos are also party animals. Check out Smallville (Diversion Road, Mandurriao, Iloilo City) a complex composed of a hotel, bars and clubs and restaurants. Flow Superclub is the place to let loose, drink and dance your cares away. 

Where to stay 

THE best budget-friendly hotel is Century 21 Hotel along Quezon Street, Iloilo City (033-335-8821 to 23 or click http://www.ann2.net/hotels/century21/). Aside from its great affordability, the rooms are clean, and the hotel itself is in an area where public transportation is always available. 

Sarabia Manor Hotel along Gen. Luna Street, Iloilo City, (click http://www.sarabiamanorhotel.com/) is a mid-priced hotel designed with old-world elegance. It has an excellent friendly staff and a good location as it is near shopping malls and only 40 minutes away from the airport. Its breakfast buffet has a wide selection of entrees. 

Getting there 

MOST airlines­­—Airphil Express, Cebu Pacific, Zest Airways and Seair—fly daily to Iloilo City from either Manila, Cebu or Davao City. It is also accessible by sea via Negros Navigation (from Manila, Cagayan de Oro, Ozamis, Iligan, Zamboanga City); Cokaliong from Cebu; and the Superferry (from Manila, General Santos, Davao, Ozamis, Zamboanga, Cotabao and Cagayan de Oro). 

(Learn more about Iloilo from http://www.exploreiloilo.com/ and http://iloiloilove.com/).

(Travel Bites is published every Monday on the front page of the BusinessMirror. This piece was published on Dec. 17, 2012.)

Our ‘palangga’ Chef Pauline

‘PALANGGA” means beloved, darling, or dear in the Visayan dialect. And there’s nothing closest to my heart than Ilonggo cuisine, and its primary purveyor in Manila, Chef Pauline Gorriceta-Banusing.

Chef Pauline Gorriceta Banusing explains the elements of Ilonggo cuisine.

I met Chef Pauline during last year’s Ilonggo food festival at the Mandarin Oriental Manila and was just wowed by her cooking. Nothing impresses me more than Pinoy chefs who can cook authentic Filipino (or regional) dishes really well. No more Pinoy fusion, ek-ek arte stuff, please! (And seriously, after all that rich, fat, foie gras-stuffed duck breast or edamame and pomegranate-infused pasta salads, we still come home to our traditional Filipino comfort foods like inihaw na baboy, sinigang na baka, or tortang talong, right?)

Chef Pauline got into cooking when she went home to Iloilo, after graduating from her Social Science degree from the Ateneo de Manila University. Her father had passed away by then and and she helped her mom run the latter’s fastfood and ice cream house chain called “Try Me!!!”

“At the time, we had 12 branches. Because of this experience, it dawned upon me that I really loved to be in the food and restaurant industry. Working hands-on in my mom’s restaurants showed me the reality that running a restaurant is not glamorous at all, but really hard work. I went to study abroad because I had this ambitious vision that I wanted to change the culinary scene.”

She confesses that she was not really into Ilonggo cuisine when she started cooking some 15 years ago. “Honestly, I did not know how to cook Ilonggo food. I just refused to learn. Kasi your maid will cook it, ’di ba? And hindi sosyal, and you always want to be sosyal,” she giggles at the recollection.

In fact, when she was studying at the Culinary Institute of America for her two-year course, she says she cooked sotanghon guisado and adobo, for the school’s international food festival!

When she returned to Iloilo after that CIA stint, she put up an Italian restaurant called Al Dente at the Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center, which is still around to this day. Knowing the Ilonggos (my family hails from nearby Roxas City), this probably made many think her as buang (crazy).

“They thought it would last only for a year or so, since Ilonggos are very picky with food. I had to be focused and humble to reach my goal and luckily, I succeeded,” says the ever-amiable Chef Pauline. (Since then, she has opened other restaurants in Iloilo as well, such as the Maki Japanese Restaurant, Villa Regatta, 101 Luna and Steps of Rome, and conceptualized the menu for Freska here in Manila).

Kansi (tender beef shanks in a broth soured with batuan seeds. It's like sinigang na baka, or bulalo.)

As her culinary talent became more well-known, she was hired to do caterings by private companies, local governments and politicians. “[They] would hire me as their caterer and they wanted to impress their guests with our local cuisine. That started it all. So I said to myself that if I had to do it, I had to do it right and it had to be good. I didn’t want to pretend to know something that I don’t and just come up with something mediocre. So I had to learn by asking, researching and experimenting.”

She adds that she’s been fortunate in this regard because these traditional cooks have been very generous in sharing their recipes with her. “I’m just so lucky. Every time I ask this person who makes this dish well, he/she teaches me. I ask these traditional cooks, ‘How do you do this?’ I have to be honest. I tell them I want to make it well. I don’t want to make it commercialized. They’ll teach you. You just have to ask them how to make it,” says Chef Pauline.

Using only the freshest ingredients and following recipes handed down through generations from several families, Chef Pauline weaves her magic and offers up the most delightful dishes that are sure to perk up your palate, fill your tummy, and warm your heart.

Her kansi, for instance, is just to die for. During a recent media lunch to preview her dishes for an upcoming food festival, I headed straight for the steaming pot of kansi at the buffet table. The beef was so tender, and the broth just had the right hint of sourness—a soup that just fills your soul! Of course, I just had to have two bowls of that.

Lobo-lobo (Local anchovy cooked in tuba, sugar, tomatoes, and garlic, and wraped in banana leaf)

There were oysters from Aklan, diwal (angel wings) clams from Capiz that were fresh and plump, as well as prawns also from Capiz which she served with a heart-stopping aligue (crab fat) sauce. Mmmmm.

Another favorite was the kinilawin na tanigue (Spanish mackerel ceviche), where Chef Pauline used tuba (coconut vinegar) to give the dish some light sweet notes. A new find for me was the lobo-lobo, tiny anchovy-like fish akin to the dulong in Luzon which she cooked in tuba, sugar, tomatoes, and garlic, and served wrapped in a banana leaf. I ate it, atchara-style, pampaalis-suya to my rather gut-busting meal.

She says her only regret is that she hasn’t learned to make the suman and other native delicacies that Iloilo is known for. “They just don’t want to teach me,” she said of the original makers. Well, no matter, your meal at the foodfest will still end on a high note once you get a taste of her Yema Cake. It’s rich and sweet, with some crunchy bits that will gladden your sweet tooth.

What makes Ilonggo cuisine distinctive, she explains, is the use of batuan seeds as souring agent, and the sinamak (spiced coconut vinegar). Most Ilonggo dishes cannot be cooked without either of those two ingredients.

“This Ilonggo food festival is special to me since I had proved that Iloilo food is so loved by many, not just by Ilonggos. Therefore, I am no longer hesitant to introduce other Ilonggo dishes that would seem rather too ‘native’ for others. All throughout the festival, I will be using this tul-tol salt that I got from Guimaras—it’s a slab of homemade rock salt. The salt is made from seawater mixed with small amount of coconut cream, then boiled for day in a vat until it produces a hardened rock salt. I’ve been told to make the dishes for the festival as authentic as possible, so I decided for this year to have everything—even the salt, vinegar and honey—from Western Visayas.”

Lukon na may aligue (Prawns with crab fat sauce)

After doing a number of food fests here in Manila, she says she has an “idea” already of what the public wants and expects from an Ilonggo festival. “But at the same time, I am more confident now in introducing other dishes that may seem very new for non-Ilonggos. For example, I’m bringing the lowly sidewalk lobo-lobo delicacy to a five-star hotel and making it look and taste good. Just expect the unexpected. What makes my Ilonggo cooking different from the rest is that I adhere to healthy cooking and using healthy ingredients. Nothing too fatty, nothing too rich, nothing too deadly. [Laughs] Everything’s just right.”

Chef Pauline says she will also be highlighting the traditional method of drying seafood, or lamayo. “Before, Iloilo used to harvest lots of seafood. What did they do with the excess? Well, they put calamansi and soy sauce, then dried the seafood under the sun for 24 hours. After that, you can fry it; it’s so good!” she enthuses. Namit! (Delicious!)

When in Iloilo, what keeps our bubbly chef occupied are her restaurants, her catering service which specializes in all kinds of cuisine, and of course her family. Chef Pauline is married to Gus Palmares Banusing, a businessman “now busy training for Ironman Philippines 2012!” She lets out a laugh. They have two bright-eyed kids named Justin and Nadine.

•The Ilonggo food festival “Diwal and Other Ilonggo Flavors” will be from May 25 to June 3, available for lunch and dinner, at the Paseo Uno, Mandarin Oriental Manila. For information, call 750-8888 or e-mail momnl-fb@mohg.com.

(My column Something Like Life is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. This piece was originally published on May 18, 2012. All photos copyrighted by this blogger.)

Diwalicious food fest at the Mandarin Oriental

Steamed diwal (angel wings clams)

I HAD been soooo looking forward to this food fest. I had heard so much about Chef Pauline Gorriceta Banusing from my Ilonggo friends and now, she's at the Mandarin Oriental Makati's Paseo Uno, whipping up wonders in its kitchen for the outlet's Diwalicious Visayas food festival w/c started on Monday, Sept. 19.

As I looked over the entire spread of her dishes yesterday, I struggled to contain the panic rising inside me. What do I do? Where do I start? What looks like the best dish to try first? (Sadly, they all did, which made my heart race even faster).

But since it was a Diwalicious festival - highlighting the Diwal (angel wings clams) both steamed and w/ baked w/ cheese, I chose that first. Dipped in vinegar with chopped onions, I quickly downed a few of the succulent steamed diwal along with some huge scallops from Roxas City. Sweet, sweet Jesus. I prayed to myself. Thank you for these wonderful gifts from the sea.

Kansi - beef short ribs in a sour broth.

Then I had a go at Chef Pauline's Kansi - tender beef short ribs in sour broth w/ some veggies – and I was in heaven. Seriously, it was such a divine experience for me just spooning the comforting soup in my mouth, then biting into the oh-so-soft beef w/c just broke down as soon as I chewed on it. I just had to have steamed rice w/ this dish. This was comfort food at its finest. And I swear I could've gone home happy even if I just ate these two dishes alone.

Kansi can be compared to Sinigang na baka except that the souring agent used is the fruit called batuan, which is mostly found in the Visayas, although Chef Pauline says some can also be found in Ilocos and Bohol. Batuan is much more complex than the usual guava or tamarind Tagalogs use for their sinigang. It not only adds sourness to the broth but depth as well. It's difficult to describe it - one must just try it to get what I mean by "depth". Anyhoo, I made Chef Pauline promise to send me her recipe of her kansi so I could replicate it at home.

Pinalmahan na Pink Salmon

But there was more. I tasted the Pinamalhan na Pink Salmon w/c I actually never had before, but as far as my research goes, is prepared using vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and a host of other ingredients. It's been described as 'paksiw made dry.' The pink salmon was lusciously tender, but despite the supposedly 'dry' style pinalmahan should be, it was actually masarsa, which I liked.

Another soothing treat was the La Paz Batchoy, basically a noodle soup w/ pork innards, and some chicken or pork cuts, with a sprinkling of chicharon and chopped green onions. The broth was just as heartwarming as that of the kansi, only clearer. Batchoy could probably be described like Vietnam's ubiquitous Pho, except that even in the Visayas, there are so many styles of how the dish is made although it originated in La Paz, a district in Iloilo.

La Paz batchoy

Using fat juicy crabs from Roxas City, Capiz - where my own father's family hails from – Chef Pauline also cooked up some ginataang alimango - I forget now the actual name of the dish. It was sweet, earthy, and quite succulent. Of course, I just had to put down my silverware and used my hands to get to the innermost bits of crab meat, and sucked every tiny bit of morsel I could manage out of the crab's corners. I was just so into it, I completely forgot I was in a five-star hotel's dining outlet. But I just thought it would've been a waste to pretend to be all proper and dainty eating the crabs (I even had a claw cracked open) when there was so much goodness to savor from the crabs.

I had two other dishes as well - the chicken inasal and fresh lumpiang ubod – but w/ what I already ate above, I was quite happy...ecstatic even, with the entire experience. And I was quite delighted to see even some Japanese guests at the hotel, savoring each of the the Ilonggo dishes served, instead of concentrating on the usual Western or Oriental portions of the daily buffet.

KBL! Kadios (pigeon peas), Baboy (pork pata), and Langka (jackfruit)

I thought it was so apropos that one of the dishes served was the kansi, bec. I think that it is the best dish that represents how we are as Filipinos - our warmth, open heart, and embracing nature. It is something that foreigners like them would love to experience over and over again.

Chef Pauline says people on a diet needn't worry about increased calories from the buffet because "Ilonggo food is healthy." It basically presents a good balance of protein and a whole lot of vegetables. Diabetics, however, should steer clear of the yema cake. Although it is just as wonderful as the main dishes, it is made w/ loads of sugar. (In fact the actual recipe calls for condensed milk but Chef Pauline, rightly so, used evaporated milk. Whew.)

Check out the Visayas food fest ASAP. It ends tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 25. Lunch buffet is P1818 ++. Also available for dinner. Happy tummy! ;p

Fresh lumpia ubod (egg spring rolls w/ palm hearts)

Yema or caramel cake

Chef Pauline Gorriceta Banusing, chats with us at lunch. More on Chef Pauline in a future entry. Note: All pics herein are copyrighted by this blogger.