Food Trip: Ilonggo Style

My one-day trip to Iloilo City was made much more unforgettable due to Ilonggo dishes that made me wanna go back again and again. 🙂

Our first stop: Deco’s

Batchoy. Namit!

Of course, a trip to Iloilo is not complete without tasting the famous “La Paz Batchoy”.  Having read so many articles about this famous soup, we decided to try the batchoy at Deco’s. I’ve also seen Ted’s Batchoy branches in Manila so we opted to have our brunch at Deco’s. This special bowl that we ordered is really “namit” (Ilonggo word for delicious). Perfect after a morning flight. 🙂 Finally, I now understand when they say that a bowl of batchoy is different in Iloilo.

We tried the Deco’s branch located at Robinson’s Iloilo. However, there are other Deco’s branches scattered all over Iloilo City.

Second stop: Jo’s Chicken Inato

Another distinctly Ilonggo dish that we tried is the chicken inato. It’s grilled chicken but with a twist, which makes it different from the usual chicken inasal. What I like about the chicken, aside from the huge chunk served, is the marinade. Rice is unlimited, with chicken oil. You’re allowed to eat using your hands, there are faucets or what we call “tapayan”, where you can wash your hands before and after eating.

Jo’s Chicken Inato is located near Ong Bun, the hotel where we stayed. There are also other branches scattered in Dumaguete and Cebu City. 🙂

Third stop: JD’s Bakeshop

I got to try the clubhouse sandwich of JD’s Bakeshop as recommended by my client. I like it better than the baked macaroni we ordered, which is such a huge disappointment. If you’re wondering about the chips in the middle of the clubhouse sandwich, it’s called chicken chips. I like it so much that I bought it as pasalubong for hubby.

chicken chips

The JD Bakeshop branch where we ate is the one located at Iloilo International Airport. It’s a good place to stop and buy additional Ilonggo products before departure. 🙂 Damn, I miss Ilonggo foods already! 🙂

A Day at the City of Love, Iloilo

Work gave me opportunity to visit the province of Iloilo for a day. While a day is not enough to explore all the historic establishments and heritage churches of Iloilo, still, I feel fortunate to have had the chance to make the most out of the trip even if it’s a work-related one. 🙂 In a day, I got to visit the Iloilo Esplanade, stay for several hours at the famous Ong Bun Pension House, sample Ilonggo dishes like batchoy and chicken inato, buy Ilonggo delicacies at SM City Iloilo, and linger longer than usual at Iloilo International Airport (delayed flight, ha!). Not bad, isn’t it? 🙂

Iloilo International Airport

In addition, the plane ride to Iloilo City was such a visual treat. I was transfixed as I look at the immaculate province of Antique from my window seat, which made me understood why Antique is the land where the mountains meet the sea. ❤

The province of Iloilo is located at the southern part of Panay Island. The Panay Island consists of four provinces in western Visayas Region: Antique, Aklan, Capiz, and Iloilo. Among the four, I have visited two, Iloilo and Aklan (during law school days, got to explore Boracay, Aklan, and Ibajay). I hope to have the opportunity soon to visit Antique (which I fell in love with from plane view) and the seafood capital, Capiz. 🙂

My purpose to visit Iloilo City is to talk to several people and enter into agreements on behalf of our client. I was accompanied by the collections officer of our client. We booked a room at Ong Bun Pension House and held the meetings there. Ong Bun Pension House is strategically located at Ledesma Street, the business district of Iloilo City.

Ong Bun Pension House

While the facade of Ong Bun Pension House gives impression that it is an old building, the inside of the building would show that it’s a modern hotel with good ambiance, wi-fi access, clean rooms, and warm hotel staff. For five hours, we stayed at Ong Bun Pension House and held meetings at one of their rooms.

After the meetings, we dropped by at Iloilo Esplanade to enjoy the late afternoon by the Iloilo River.

The Iloilo Esplanade was created by the government to celebrate the Ilonggos’ love for their river.

The Iloilo River that late afternoon

This is the breath-taking view of the bridge while we were at the Iloilo Esplanade…

The bridge and the river.

And this is the river esplanade/boulevard where locals and tourists can take leisurely walks, run, jog, and simply enjoy the view of the Iloilo River.

Boulevard

We also stopped by at SM City Iloilo to buy Ilonggo delicacies at Bongbong’s, such as biscocho, piyaya, and toasted mamon.

SM City Iloilo

And of course, my visit to Iloilo wouldn’t be complete without stopping by at Starbucks and buying a provincial mug as souvenir. 🙂

It was a memorable day trip. 🙂 Of course I was left hanging. I want to go back with hubby, and visit the churches, Calle Real, and the local market. But as what I said, I am thankful of what I have experienced in my one day visit at the city of love, Iloilo. And you would just love Ilonggo accent. ❤