the search for the best batchoy

I wanted to find out: Is the batchoy in La Paz Market better than any other batchoy?

Usually, when in Iloilo, there are only two batchoy joints that the locals recommend-- Ted's and Deco's. I prefer Ted's because I feel that the broth at Deco's isn't piping hot when served, but I was willing to try either when we arrived at La Paz Market on 17 March 2011, just in time for lunch.

First, we took a peek at Deco's. Their sign says "Original".


And then we looked at Ted's next door. They call themselves "Old Timer", whatever that means.

back from the brink

I first heard about the diwal about a decade ago. People told me that it was the best-tasting shellfish EVER, but that I would never be able to try it because it was almost extinct. (So why bother telling me, huh?)

From roxascity.gov.ph: "The diwal is a rare bivalve found abundantly along the coastal waters of Capiz. Ten years ago, it disappeared because of illegal harvesting practices and pollution. Now, after intensive research, seeding, and strict fishing and harvesting legislation, the diwal is again ready for harvest as the efforts of the Roxas City government have once again caused its abundance. The diwal is known for its sweet and juicy qualities and its immaculately white elliptical shells, hence the name 'Angel Wing' shell." 

Some things are truly worth conserving. So that I can eat it.

The first diwal I had was in Bacolod, in 2008. The second was in Roxas City early this year. But the biggest and best-tasting were in Villa (pronounced vil-ya) near Iloilo City just last month.

Each almost as long as my hand.

I like shellfish, and I feel so blessed that I live in a place where I can eat them without worrying about getting poisoned by red tide. I like oysters, scallops, mussels, clams... usually in their natural state or as close to it as possible. Which is why I was never too keen on the diwal. The first two times I tried them, they were cooked to rubbery death and topped with burnt garlic, fake cheese and bright yellow margarine. Ew.

But these diwal that we had at Breakthrough Restaurant in Villa were heavenly.

Shellfish is sexy!

The meat was tender and juicy, with just a hint of garlic and butter. Most of the delicious liquid in the shell is from the animal itself-- the way it should be. Overall, the taste is delicate but very distinct. When you bite into it, you know that it's diwal, and not any other shellfish.

I actually feel bad for those people who've never eaten diwal at Breakthrough. I would blissfully travel the six hours from my home to Iloilo, just to eat this again.

Thank you, Ninong and your lovely wife for that fabulous lunch. I'd gladly trade another Calea cheesecake for a meal at Breakthrough. Basta may diwal.

iloilo birthday errands

The Philippine driver's license expires and must be renewed on or before one's birthday. Is it the same all over the world, or just here?

Seems like a lame way to spend your birthday... unless you plan an out-of-town sightseeing/ shopping/ eating trip to, say, Iloilo.

A flat tire is inevitable.

Deja vu.

But we managed to do what we were supposed to do that day-- special thanks to Mr. T's progeny, the AJ.

To reward ourselves-- Good job!-- and to celebrate my birthday, we went to Smallville and restaurant-hopped.

First up was Afrique's. Bunny Rabbit liked it.


We had the Portuguese sardine pizza. The crust was interesting. Crispy, but not ultra-thin. A bit bread-like, but not bad. In fact, the texture reminded me of the fast-food 3M pizza of my youth, but in a high-class setting.


The menu is a wide selection of Italian and quasi-Mediterranean dishes, but with a distinct Pinoy twist. I would go back for the friendly service and cozy ambiance. In a compound with over 20 restaurants/ bars, Afrique's was full. The locals certainly think it's worth a visit.

We decided to follow the crowd. Next stop was Nothing But Desserts.


The bottled water was too cute! It's actually water by the Hidden Spring bottled water company, but in very cool packaging. (At first, we thought it was a baby bottle.) They even printed Nothing But Desserts's name and web address on the bottle. I saw some green and black bottles, too.

The strawberry pavlova was OK, if you like meringue. With the amount of fresh strawberries on it, it was a steal at less than US$2. We will try the gelato next time.

Before we headed back to the hotel, I wanted some oysters. Yez, I know. Weird. We got some at Imay's, another popular place. Cheap. Not spectacular, but value for money. This platter of grilled oysters with garlic and cheese cost less than US$2.


We noticed that quite a few places set their tables with the cutlery in these tiny brown paper bags. Like the ones used for fresh roasted peanuts that you can buy by the jigger. Why kaya?

church 3 ways

When we were inside the Molo church, I fiddled with the settings a bit.

Here's Standard Colored:

This is Standard Black and White:

And here's Dynamic Black and White:

I didn't bother with Smooth Black and White here. I find that it's OK with close subjects, but the details get lost a bit. It gives the picture a kind of soft focus effect, and I wanted my shots of the church interior to be sharp.

batchoy calling

From Wikipedia: "Batchoy is a noodle soup which originated in the district of La Paz, Iloilo City. As with most noodle dishes in the Philippines, batchoy may have been first concocted by Chinese immigrants. Ingredients include pork organs (liver, spleen, kidneys and heart) crushed pork cracklings, vegetables, shrimp, chicken breast or beef loin, shrimp broth, chicken stock and round noodles or miki. The noodles are similar to spaghetti, but are generally a bit finer."

I read about this batchoy place in the La Paz market, where this yummy and hearty soup was said to first see the light of day, but we never got there. Instead, we tried Deco's.


It was pretty good. Compared to the other chain, Ted's, I think Deco's is more generous with the recado (ingredients). Taste-wise, they are both delish. But that La Paz market is calling out to me.

Next time.

hardware heaven

There's something about hardware stores. It's like a wonderland of must-have useless stuff, where one can immerse oneself and shut out the noise and bustle of the world-- a sanctuary for gadget guys. Bunny Rabbit can spend hours inside one and come out with just a little pack of wood screws.

This time, though, I found some really interesting junk myself. I was mesmerized by the chisel display.

This is an egg timer. You put in the pot with your boiling eggs and it will let you know when the eggs are done-- soft, medium or hard-boiled.

After you open the wine bottle with this corkscrew, you can also use it as a stopper.

I read about this gadget somewhere. It's a combination padlock. Instead of using numbers, you can choose words. Great for people who can't remember their own birthdays, ATM PINs or their phone numbers.

But this next one is the greatest gadget ever! My best purchase in Iloilo:

It's so tiny-- about the size of half a ballpen. It's perfect for obsessive-compulsives like me who freak out at the tiniest speck of dirt on my camera lens.

First you use the brush on one end...

And then you use the other end to rub and polish. Voila! No more dirt and fingerprint smudges.

Here's how it works:

Click to enlarge.

shelter from the storm

The last place that we visited before the weather became unbearable was the Miagao Church. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, just like the church in Paoay. The architecture is a mix of Baroque, Hispano-American, Medieval Spanish, Muslim and Chinese-- which makes it truly Filipino, as our culture is made up of all these elements.

Photos by Bunny Rabbit.

A guy offered to give us a tour of the interior, so we went around to the side entrance. The walls are 1.5 meters thick and the foundations go six meters deep into the ground.


It took ten years of slave labor to build. It was completed in 1797. If you were a poor citizen of that time, you were obligated to bring a huge block of limestone from the quarry to the building site in a week's time. Otherwise, you would be whipped.


Although the interiors are quite simple, the altar is impressive with all the gold-plating.

lunch break

When in Iloilo, one must eat at Villa. Located in the outskirts of Iloilo, it's a sleepy seaside hamlet whose specialty is lechon.

There are two places to choose from: Breakthrough and Tatoy's. Being sentimentalists, we chose the older and more established Tatoy's.


The place is kind of run down. They really need a paint job. Hey, Davies Paints! How about sponsoring the signboard?


The food was good and the service was excellent, though. Sitting in one of the huts on the beach, we enjoyed the view and the breeze.


Our order arrived in a flash. Clockwise from bottom right: Kikiam (deep-fried meat roll), lechon (roasted pig), nylon shell soup, a small mound of rice and grilled scallops.


Total bill: 725 pesos with tip. That's about US$15. We actually ordered enough food for 4 people, so that makes it US$3.75 per person.

Unfortunately, the lechon did not live up to its hype. The skin was crispy and delicious, even after it had cooled down in the breeze, but that was it. The meat was bland and tasteless. I still say we have the best lechon here. (See previous post "pig on the beach".)

really old

The next church, Guimbal, was very beautiful, but so hard to shoot. There were lots of things blocking the view.


Even with the wide angle lens, I could only shoot sideways, like a crab. There were lampposts everywhere, and an elevated roadway, and a plaza with a steel-rod fence.


This church was built in 1774, and is actually very well preserved.

egg white glue

This trip, from 26 to 29 July, was supposed to be a photography trip. I had researched some of Panay's centuries-old churches and we brought all our gear-- my Panasonic Lumix LX3 and my Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim, and Bunny Rabbit's Nikon D90.

As luck would have it, it rained and rained and rained and rained. We could only visit a few churches. This is St. Anne's in the Molo district of Iloilo City.


It's called a feminist church because all the statues and icons inside are of women saints.


This church was built in 1831. It's made of coral stone and the mortar used was made from egg whites.


Right is front of the church is the plaza with a huge bandstand.


One last look at the interior: The altar.

there and back again

We drove the old L300 van from Caticlan to Kalibo in Aklan province-- then south through Capiz province, to Iloilo City and its environs (Molo, Villa, Guimbal, Miagao and San Joaquin)-- headed north to San Jose de Buenavista and Pandan in Antique, and then back to Caticlan. We followed the coastal highway all the way around Panay Island, which is 12,011 square kilometers in area.

Click to enlarge.

There were quite a few things that went wrong, e.g.

1. The passenger door didn't have a lock.
2. The registration and insurance papers were missing.
3. We got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere.
4. It was raining buckets when we were changing the tire.
5. The car did not have a parking brake. It just didn't have one. It was gone.
6. The fan belt screeched sporadically, usually when we were stopped in traffic and all the neighboring cars could hear our noise and give us the evil eye.
7. Our maximum speed was 60 kph in fifth gear. Our average speed was 40 kph. Later we found out that this was due to the gas pedal being stuck. It couldn't go all the way down to the floor. We could not "floor it", basically.
8. When we tried to move the gas pedal to its proper position, the whole thing broke off.
9. We got stuck in a mudhole and had to be rescued.
10. When it rained-- which it did most of the time, the space behind the head rests leaked.

But we made it!

Ol' reliable.

We found a mechanic who was able to reattach the gas pedal and silence the screaming fan belt.

The best mechanic in Panay is here.