Of all the places that I've been to, Iloilo City is perhaps one of those places on Earth that truly prides with their eclectic ambrosial food and divine cooking prowess.
Every restaurant or food joint we dined, the food were "oh my gosh is this for real?" kind of awesomeness that it takes a few minutes for us to pull down our thoughts from touching the sky due to sensory orgasm.
Yes, Ilonggo food are that insanely "full of awe" good it's so surreal it short circuits our faces to a silly smile of "I can die now" satisfaction.
Last year, it was a joy for me to finally bring my girlfriend to Iloilo City; the Land of Lapaz Batchoy, Pancit Molo, Biscocho, seafood.. heck, every darn great Ilonggo food found in the Visayas Islands.
My girlfriend was the main reason why I became a food junkie plus the extra 25lbs of goodness I carry in my love belly. Before she came to Iloilo, she was pretty so and so whenever I told her about the legendary Ilonggo food.
The only way to convince the most discriminating food lover I've ever known is to bring her and let her have a bite to dispel any heretic skepticism that's been clouding her from seeing the light.
So we finally decided to crank up our plans to reality and hit our shoes to explore the Panay Island for more than a week. So our first stop was Iloilo City:
Yep, were flying high on our way to Iloilo City.
Cebu Pacific planes going to Iloilo City are much bigger than those they have for Cebu city. I wonder why... ? There were only a few passengers on our flight so the more it made the interior looked more spacious and yes it was more comfortable than the Cebu counterpart.
Iloilo Airport is probably smaller than that of Cebu's Mactan Airport and Manila's NAIA airport, but it's cleaner, more cozy and very modern. A far cry from their dilapidated Manduriao Airport that is now being converted to a mall or so I heard.
Inquiring at their traveler's lounge besides SM City Iloilo after a 40 minutes ride from the airport.
Now our first stop: Lapaz Batchoy and Etude house at SM City.
Ted's Old timer's Lapaz Batchoy.
Two extra super please. ^_^
Batchoy paired with three small puto. That's how you do it. ^_^
By hook or by crook, my girlfriend had to visit this place. She's gaga for Korean cosmetics.
Exploring the streets of Iloilo City via a two pair of sneakers:
My girlfriend ramping along Diversion Road, Manduriao, Iloilo City. ^_^
That road is probably going to the old Manduriao Airport.
Near the entrance of Smallville; it's a place where they cram up all the bars, coffee shops, hotels, restaurants, call centers, and so on in one place. Well, it's not exactly crammed like the place is tight because in reality its like a pretty wide and spacious subdivision.
An enchanting view as the sun finally bids farewell to sleep.
Car and street lights bokeh special.
Dinner at Smallville's Grillers Oysters House.
We met David and his wife Amor on our first night and they treated us on an awesome mouth watering goodness at Griller's Oyster house. David is one of my closest friends in Iloilo when I was still studying in Iloilo more than a decade ago. Wow, saying that makes me feel so old. Thanks for the treat bro! *Bromance*
Steamed Oysters or famously called by our native tongue as "Talaba." It is then dipped on sweet vinegar. Nomnom!!
Some nice fried chicken to with the oysters.
Throwing in some Chinese Pancit Guisado in the mix. ^_^
Baked Talaba (Oysters) with cheese. This one tops the night because my girlfriend smiled and almost cried while eating this Ilonggo delicacy!
That balloon your seeing just came out of nowhere. I guess that’s the casualty of having a good food in front of you. My girlfriend is blessed for being impervious to such casualties of gluttony.
My girlfriend became a believer of Iloilo's food delight that night, but little did she know it was just a tiny speck of what was to come.
It was like a tip of the iceberg or a single note of Handel's climatic "Hallelujah" chorus and the cherries on top were yet to be served.
After that one hefty honest to goodness dinner, we went back to Centennial Hotel and slept with a silly smile on our faces.
That concludes our day 1 so there you have it.
By the way, here's my girlfriend's take on our first day: http://reiyakhu.tumblr.com/post/14867433170/in-transit-teaser-iloilo
