All Batchoys are not created Equal

There's no better place to get lost in, than in Iloilo City. Just arch your back and point your nose at the sky and get a swiff of the sweet and salty aroma that is La Paz Batchoy. The aroma will play tricks with your senses and a taste of the soup will make you forget you were lost in the first place. Better if you accidentally do it in La Paz District because this is where batchoy originated and hence avaiable at every corner.

Batchoy is a noodle soup made with pork innards, chicharon (crushed pork cracklings),  guinamos (shrimp paste), vegetables, meat stock, bone marrow, garlic, pork meat, and meke noodles.  It is best eaten with pan de sal (salted bread) or puto manapla (rice cake). Although readily available in Manila (both Ted's and Deco's have branches all over the Philippines) as well as supermarkets (ready to cook instant noodles), make your first taste be in Iloilo City. After all, all batchoys are not created equal.

 

Ted's Old Timer La Paz Batchoy
Special
Super Special
Extra Super
http://www.tedslapazbatchoy.com/

Deco's Original La Paz Batchoy
Special
Super Special
Extra Super
http://www.decoslapazbatchoy.com/

 

 

 

*** Don't be shy to ask for a second, third, or even a fourth helping of kaldo (broth).

Iloilo's Best Street Food: Bibingka

They say that you get to know the culture of a place by their street food. While bibingka is far from the typical street food found in the rest of the Philippine Archipelago, it is widely found in the streets of Iloilo - usually near Jaro Cathedral and Molo Church as well as along the road on the way to Arevalo and Villa.

So, when in Iloilo, be on the lookout for a bibingka vendor. Unlike the typical bibingkas that has a soft spongy texture, the bibingka sold in Iloilo are thin, golden brown on top, and moist on the insides. It is usually sold in brown paper bags (8-10pcs) for Php 20.

To complete the experience, you may want to observe how the vendors bake the goodies. They use make-shift ovens and recycled pans out of used canned goods lined with banana leaves. Some vendors use coconut husks and wood to fire up the "oven," while others use charcoal. The ingenious way of how they are cooked adds to the experience of actually tasting this delicious native delicacy.

  

*** Remember, the bibingka is best eaten warm from the oven.