Aida's at Manoakan County: Juicy Inasal Chicken

After a rough ferry ride from Iloilo to Bacolod and checking in at our hotel, my mom and sis weren't really in a hungry mood despite the late hour. But still I persisted. Correctly assuming that once my mom got a whif of freshly cooked inasal (grilled or barbecued chicken which was said to originate from Negros Occidental), her appetite would quickly return.

There are a lot of inasal restaurants in Bacolod. I've tried a couple from previous stays but for this trip and since it was my mom's first time in Bacolod, I chose Aida's at Manoakan County.

Can't miss the shop since there is one giant chicken at its doorway

Aida's was recommended by an officemate of mine who was from Bacolod. That was good enough for me.

decorated masks from previous festivals are put on the walls

ready and hungry

Since it was late (around 4pm) there wasn't too many customers around. Perfect :)

While waiting for our order, we spied a small table out front with big piles of uncooked talaba (oyster). Apparently, these were being sold by some young entrepreneurial boys. When asked, they said they can steam some for us and bring it to our table. They sell these at P50 a plate which is really cheap.

Each plate has about 12-14 pieces of talaba

Not really knowing if these were fresh or if we would have a stomach ache afterwards, we tentatively tried out a couple. Surprisingly, they were fresh and did not have a bad odor or taste. Mom thought that the talaba was a little bit undercooked (she doesn't like it raw) and so dipped hers in a bit of vinegar.

Ceviche anyone?

We liked it so much that we ordered one more plate with the request to have it cooked a bit more. The second batch was perfect.

simple menu

But of course, we were here for the main event - the inasal!

After about 5-10 minutes, our food arrived. Some pecho and paa inasal with garlic fried rice.

garlic kung garlic

Let me just say that Aida's manok is so juicy, tender, not too burnt but still cooked all the way inside. The meat was very flavorful and it doesn't even need any additional condiment. Yes, it was oily and we probably smelled like inihaw ourselves after we finished eating but man, that was some good chicken. My mom even said that it was the best inasal she ever tasted.

I've tried other inasal restaurants in Bacolod but most of them turn out having dry chicken. The flavor would still be good but I still crave for the juicy chicken of Aida's.

Indeed

  

Final Verdict 

Priced just right, place is not air-conditioned but plenty of electric fans available, no-frills ambiance, simple menu that is all about juicy inasal chicken. If KFC is sarap to the bones, this one is sarap until the last oily drop :D Expect to smell a bit like inasal when you leave.

Direction

Aida's is located in Manoakan county which is basically a strip of small restaurants selling inasal chicken. Aida's is at the center just beneath the Manoakan county sign while a big chicken statue stands guards outside. Very conveniently located at the side of SM Bacolod.

I believe they have once branch in Metro Manila which is at the Makati Cinema Square : L-11, LGF Makati Cinema Square, Pasong Tamo, San Lorenzo, Makati City. Not sure if they're still open at this branch. 

Roberto's: King and Queen of Siopao

Years ago, I visited Iloilo with a friend of mine who was originally from there. I remember she took us to this small shop where she said had the best siopao (steamed bun filled with savory meat) in town. I don't remember much about the place but I did remember that the siopao was good.

Fast forward to today, my sister heard about this place in Iloilo that sells, allegedly, the best siopao in town. I wanted to see if its the same one where my friend took me. On our way to the wharf where the ferries are going to Bacolod, we asked our driver to make a quick stop at Roberto's.

:)

I've read that this place is known for it's big siopao and the fact that you do not need any "sauce" to add to it. The most popular ones are the King and Queen siopao. Both has the chicken, pork, adobo and egg. But the King Siopao had the ham-chinese sausage while the Queen Siopao has the bacon-chinese sausage.

"Ang siopao wala sauce?"

busy store

Baon

almost as big as my sis face!

The Roberto siopao dough was very soft. There was so much filling inside and, indeed, no sauce is needed. The ham in the King siopao is more noticeable than the bacon in the Queen siopao, both are equally delicious. My only complaint is that it was too buhaghag (loose, not adhesive) when you bite into it. It makes eating it so unnecessarily messy. I am just sorry that I didn't take a picture of the inside.

Final Verdict

Nice enough siopao but I am still partial to the one at Emerald in Manila. 

Contact Info:

Roberto’s Siopao 
#61 J.M. Basa Street Iloilo City
Tel. No. 3350484-3371595

Deco's La Paz Batchoy: Going Back to Basic

For some reason, when I'm in Iloilo, I always go to LaPaz market for my Batchoy fix. I'm sure some of my friends think I'm weird. There was even this taxi driver in Iloilo who outright laughed at me when I told him why I'm going to LaPaz market and suggested that I go to the mall instead. Hmph! Pake mo, kuya? Walang basagan ng trip.

Anyways I always go to Deco's, a small restaurant just on the front side of the La Paz marketplace.

allegedly the "original" La Paz Batchoy

small restaurant with 6 small tables but air-conditioned

Batchoy is a noodle soup made with pork organs, crushed pork cracklings,chicken stock, beef loin and round noodles.^[1] Its origins can be traced to the district of La Paz, Iloilo City in the Philippines, hence it is often referred to as La Paz Batchoy. (source: Wikepedia) 

We ordered "Extra" which is P80 per bowl

Here is my take on Deco's Batchoy version: The bowl is good for one hungry person. The noodles, thankfully, did not have that bitter aftertaste like some noodle soups do. There were plenty of "laman" and it tasted fresh. The chicharon was just okay and did not add much to the Batchoy except to give some texture. The broth was nicely flavored. Although initially we thought of adding pepper or patis, we were glad we didn't since it developed more flavor as we slurped our way to the bottom.

It was a nice, rich-tasting soup with little/no frills that's perfect for breakfast.

ready for close-up :)

mom enjoying her breakfast Batchoy

simple menu

Since I am not so fond of puto (steamed rice cake), I bought an Ube Brazo De Mercedes slice from the bakeshop two or three shops away from Deco's. It was really, really (really!) good. It wasn't so pretty to look at but outer meringue layer was just perfectly soft and not too sweet while the customary custard filling was replaced by real honest-to-goodness ube jam.

If we weren't going to Bacolod after, I am sure my mom would have bought 1-2 rolls to take home.

Ube Brazo De Mercedes - P28 per slice 

worth dropping by 

Final Verdict 

Can you get the same Batchoy in the mall for the same taste and price? Probably. Is the one at Deco's the best tasting Batchoy ever? Not sure. But there is something to be said about going to the place where the food originated. So, I would definitely suggest dropping by at Deco's to taste some of the local flavor. Don't forget to eat a slice of Ube Brazo de Mercedes!

Direction:

Ask the taxi driver to drop you off at La Paz Marketplace. It should be just in front near the entrance or just ask the locals. The bakeshop is just 2-3 shops away and located on the corner.

Cebu Pasalubong : Frozen, Dried and Others

Late post from my Cebu trip:

I'm one of those people that think of what pasalubong (gifts/treats to bring home) to buy even before I leave home. So of course, my last trip to Cebu was no different.

Frozen

I could never go in Cebu without buying my mother her favorite pasalubong - Lechon!

Normally, I always buy my lechon at CNT but this time I thought I would buy something different and thought of Zubuchon. Now the last time I ate in one of their restaurant, I wasn't that impressed. See my initial review here. But I decided to give them another chance and had our dinner the second night in Cebu. Read here for my second visit. 

Zubuchon is the only lechon kiosk at the pre-departure lounge

The good thing about Zubuchon is that you can buy your lechon at any of their restaurants and just pick it up at the airport at the pre-departure lounge (after the check-in and security). Super convenient. The not-so-good thing was that the lechon was frozen. 

Each box can contain 2 kilo frozen lechon - no need to tie/tape up

Inside each box is a complete instruction on how to transport and heat the frozen lechon. Very helpful, right?

It also shows some ways to serve the lechon such as a Pritchon, Sinigang, etc. 

My mom was disappointed that she couldn't eat it immediately. We had to defrost it a couple of hours inside the refrigerator. Since we didn't have an oven or a turbo, I just put the meat in a toaster oven for 10-15 minutes. I fried the skin in a skillet. 

Ta-daa!

Personally, I like the lechon in Zubuchon since it is less saltier than CNT and they packed the lechon better with a good combination of meat vs skin. However, mom still liked CNT better. Go figure ....

Price of Zubuchon was P570/kilo. 

Dried

Aside from Lechon, Cebu is also known for its dried Danggit (salted local fish), pusit (squid) and chicharon (fried pork rind). One of the best places to go is Taboan Market. Just make sure that if you do, wear clothes you won't need for the rest of the trip because your clothes will smell even after you leave the place. 

We went here early morning and just took a taxi. 

dried everything

If you're not sure which danggit (salted or unsalted) to pick, ask to taste it. Most of the stalls would fry pieces up in the morning so they can offer these to their customers to try. I like the unsalted danggit. 

Danggit P280 for 1/2 kilo, Pusit P300 for 1/2 kilo

Since the fish and pusit can be smelly, they vacuum pack it in strong plastic. Added bonus is that you can have it divided into how much weight you want (1/4k, 200 grams, etc). Super convenient especially if you're giving it to different people. 

Chicharon P260 for 1/2 kilo

bought everything at this store

Others

Yes, you can buy a lot of stuff at SM. But I always feel like its a cop-out whenever I do buy my pasalubong from there. I do understand, however, that sometimes you have limited time and just want to buy everything at one place.

Islands Pasalubong can be a good alternative. It's a one stop shop that houses most of Cebuanos delicacies and well as some unusual items. 

air conditioned store 

super expensive chocolate dipped mangoes  - I believe this cost P700 per box

dried mangoes in different flavors

chewy, crunchy and healthy?

Shamrock galore 

Different flavors of Butterscotch bars 

not sure if this would be good

Filipinos are really fond of repeating everything

wish they had this at a smaller bottle

Mix and match bin where you can buy small items of each kind

Thought this was a nice idea especially if you're not sure that you want a big bag
of a particular product

and more!

Definitely if I go back to Cebu, I'll try to find some more unusual pasalubongs to bring home.

Zubuchon Branches

ONE MANGO AVENUE BLDG.
Gen. Maxilom Avenue, Cebu City - (032) 2395697

ESCARIO CENTRAL
Escario Street, Cebu City - 
(032) 2540247

MACTAN MARINA MALL
corner Airport Road and ML Quezon HIghway, Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City - (032) 2661310

PRE-DEPARTURE AREA
Mactan Domestic Airport - 
(032) 5110005

ZUBUCHON IT PARK
The Walk, IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City - (032) 2368256

Belen & Titings

Taboan Market 
(032) 2611797

Islands Pasalubong 

Lahug
Across Golden Cowrie

Molo County: One Piping Hot Pancit Molo Please!

While we were in Iloilo, mom wanted to try the Pancit Molo in Molo, Iloilo. We asked our taxi driver where's best place to taste one and he took us to this home-based canteen. He said all the drivers go there for the best Pancit Molo in town.

When we got there, there were already a lot of people on the front yard and some cars parked alongside the road. I thought, "Wow, this place must really be terrific". However, when our driver went inside to ask if there were still tables available, he found out that someone died and there was a wake. Ooops! Good thing we asked before we barged in :D

Best Pancit Molo in town - see the house with the red ceiling?
Too bad they were closed :(

Anyway, we didn't go too far for our Pancit Molo fix because just across was this building that shows Molo Country Bakeshop - Home of the Pancit Molo. Perfect.

Yey!

very clean, nice and airy and mom waiting for us to finish taking pictures 

selling different products

open area

Pancit Molo is not the typical pancit I've been used to which is the stir-fried noodles with pork/ chicken and vegetables. Pancit Molo is actually a soup with pork/chicken dumpling filling wrapped in wonton wrappers. But don't ask people in Iloilo where to buy Molo soup because they only know it as Pancit Molo. Before, I used to ask for Molo soup and people would scratch their heads and say, "Huh?".

Pancit Molo P60

Soft toasted bread is served with each soup

It was the perfect meryenda since it was raining and the soup was super hot (temperature-wise). It even remained hot as we slurped the last spoonful which made me happy since I don't like soup that gets cold easily. The flavor was simple and very clean. Nothing fancy. No vegetables but I really didn't mind. The dumplings were small, plenty and tasted very fresh. All in all, worth the visit.

Aside from the baked items in the shop, note that they only really serve Pancit Molo and nothing else.

Final Verdict

A must-stop place in Iloilo.

Direction

Sorry I didn't ask for contact details. This is near the St. Anne Church in Molo, Iloilo. If you're taking a taxi, ask the driver to go to the Molo plaza, past the Shell station and drive straight. From the Shell station, in about 2-3 minutes, you will see the Molo County bakeshop on the right side. The bakeshop is in front of a big hardware store. You can walk from the Molo plaza but it will probably take you 15-20 mins.

P.S. If you want to buy frozen Pancit Molo dumplings as pasalubong, you can buy some at Panaderia de Molo. This is located a couple of steps away from Bischocho Haus at Molo plaza. The panaderia is beside a water refilling station.

sign is so high up that you might miss it as you drive by

very unassuming bakeshop with no sign on the building itself

they sell some simple items

pork or chicken Pancit Molo P65/pack

I always buy these whenever I'm in Iloilo. They make these on site and freezes them. I just buy it before going to the airport and they're still fine by the time I reach Manila. One pack is good for 2-3 meals. Just boil some chicken stock, drop the dumplings until it cooks, add some vegetables or whatever else you fancy and voila! 

I believe they have 2 additional branches in Jaro and Rizal St. For more info, read here.