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Showing posts with the label Iloilo City

Miag-ao Church

It's a 35-minute drive from Iloilo City proper to Miag-ao along well paved roads. We left the city around five in the afternoon and arrived in Miag-ao just after sunset. I've had to filter these photos as it was too dark to get any clear images. Miag-ao Catholic Church or the Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It was completed in 1797 and ravaged during the 1898 Philippine revolution against Spain, during World War II and again during the 1948 earthquake. The walls, the belfries and the facade are all that is left of the original structure.  Miag-ao Church is a fine example of colonial Baroque. The facade of the Church is of yellow ocher limestone which was quarried from nearby mountains. It is decorated in high relief with a palm tree on the top and center of the triangular frame. St. Christopher with the child Jesus on his shoulder is under the palm tree and they are surrounded by indigenous flora. In the niche below S

Ponsyon Restaurant

Sautéed Eggplant and partial menu I was impressed with the food at Ponsyon from my very first dinner with cousins a year ago. I specifically remember the native chicken inasal and how tasty it was. I can also picture in my mind the big plate of oysters on our table. And so many other savory dishes. So before cruising off to Guimaras, my friends and I paid a visit to my new favorite restaurant in Iloilo. My first order was the ginisa nga talong or sautéed eggplant. I'm enamored with eggplants and love to try different ways of preparing it. This particular dish is served without meat so the flavor of the eggplant has no competition in the palate. Ensalada nga Puso ng Saging My friends went for the ensalada nga puso ng saging (salad with banana heart or banana blossoms) which is a little exotic for me. But they loved it as much as they enjoyed the eggplant. Sizzling crab The sizzling crab meat was totally good. Every bite, a delight. But the sizzling tangigue was un

Breakthrough Restaurant

In Iloilo recently, we had the opportunity to check out Breakthrough in the neighborhood of Villa. Breakthrough is a restaurant on the beach with a view of Guimaras Island (which is famous for its sweet mangos). While the sand is a pearly grey, the beach is as inviting as that of Boracay's White Beach. No crowds and quite clean. We ate our lunch in one of the palapas rather than in the main restaurant hall. It was relaxing to sit there and watch the calm sea. We ordered sizzling crab, fish sinigang, prawns, sea weed gel, and pinakbet. My friends loved the seaweed and ordered more to take home. I enjoyed the sizzling crab though it wasn't really sizzling. We washed it all down with a mango shake. This is our favorite drink, especially on a hot day. Is there ever a day when it's not hot in the islands? * * * Photos by Rosario Charie Albar