Where to Eat in Iloilo

The moment I discovered the little blog site, called Flavors of Iloilo, I instantly realized that a  single day of culinary adventure is definitely not enough to taste all of the sinfully tempting food that this huge, thriving city has to offer. 

While the City of Love is mainly known for its batchoy and local biscuits like biscocho, there's apparently more to Iloilo in terms of gastronomic pleasures. Although I don't think I've made a wise choice of restaurants during my first day in the city, I guess these still deserve a little exposure on the Frugal Wanderer's list of Places to Eat whilst in Iloilo City.

1. Ted's Batchoy

Ted's Batchoy

Although I'm not fond of eating batchoy, I swore to myself that I would be consuming delicacies and specialties that originated in Iloilo. So I ordered a combo meal of Sisig, Rice and a small serving of La Paz Batchoy (P120). The sisig was acceptable, yet I just couldn't get my taste buds to like batchoy, half of which became leftovers.

2. Green Mango

I have to admit that it wasn't an easy decision at all to choose from the wide selection of restos, bistros and cafes that Iloilo takes pride in, and I honestly haven't decided yet what particular establishments I'd try prior to coming to the city since the recommended restos by the DOT staff, whom I spoke to earlier that day, were far from Ong Bun Pension House. So I willed my self to go to SM Mandurriao, and I checked out the small cafes that line along its street.

Green Mango, Iloilo

I've read about Green Mango a number of times online and ultimately decided to give their food a try. I realized later that night that Green Mango was one of the fast-food restaurants that's popular in the city and mentally kicked myself for opting for a fast-food chain instead of a real resto that truly offers what Iloilo serves best.

Spare Ribs, Green Mango

Nonetheless, I joined the end of the queue and went for the P99-worth Spare Ribs with Rice and Green Mango Salad. While I found this meal slightly costly as it didn't come with drinks, the viand tastes good enough to silence the hungry little monsters causing chaos inside my stomach.

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The only part of the meal that I ordered for the second time was the salad. I highly recommend this small portion of green mango drenched in vinegar. I realized why the resto is named after it the moment I found myself calling the waiter for a second round just so I could order the ironically sweet green mango, which is supposed to come with a price. Thankfully, the waiter was kind enough to give the second serving for free. Damn. Just thinking of that salad makes my mouth water right now.

3. Smallville

On my second night, I finally had the chance to experience the city's nightlife. Smallville is just like Iloilo's version of Davao's MTS but only bigger. A wide array of restaurants and bars are available here--from high-end cafes and tempting dessert bakeshops to reasonably-priced restos and cheap bars.

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If I had only checked out Smallville during my first day, then I would have the chance to sample a mouthwatering cake from Nothing but Desserts as well as chill out at the cozy lounge at Blue Jays. Perhaps I just have to do this during my next visit in September this year.

4. Fresca

Fresca is housed in the same restaurant as the Japanese resto found right at the entrance of Smallville. Aside from this, it also offers a variety of affordable cocktails and beers, the bar of which is located just outside the restaurant and strategically beside another bar that holds live band shows every night.

Fresca, SmallVille

Fresca primarily offers Filipino cuisine from seafood to the usual grilled meats. My friends and I ordered a platter of their fiesta meal (P1000) that eventually satisfied the gluttony of four famished stomachs (which was particularly brought about by the 30-minute stroll we did earlier in search of a nice resto in the surprisingly huge Smallville).

Fresca's Fiesta Meal, SmallVille

Overall, food was okay, but the only thing that honestly surprised me was the very cheap price of Fresca Bar's beer. A bucket (5 beers) only costs P150! Unlike the beer buckets in Davao that costs no less than P200, we actually found ourselves a very good deal!

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