Roberto's SIOPAO at Iloilo's Calle Real

 

Filled with exotic pork adobo, egg ad ham chinese sausage, Roberto's King siopao is something not to miss when you visit Iloilo city

Infront of Roberto's at Calle Real

I am sure everyone has his/her favorite siopao. During my younger years when my Dad was still with us, we were exposed to Mamonluk siopao. During my college years, our favorite was Kowloon's siopao - jumbo, asado, pork, longaniza and more. Of course, there are varieties of siopao from other restos like Chowking, Ling Nam, Causeway and more. 

When I visited Iloilo city's Calle Real - the CBD Heritage zone of Iloilo for our CHERISH Project, our host, Dr. Bimbo Ibabao of UPV, made sure that we pass by at Roberto's so that we can taste the special siopao. We (from Metro Manila) are not aware of Roberto's so we are not excited. But Dr. Bimbo, lined-up and bought the siopao for take-out and we were returning to Manila so we were able to taste Roberto's siopao only at the airport. SURPRISE! Roberto's siopao is indeed very good. It has tasty fillings and the size is generous and the price is reasonable. So whenever, I visit Iloilo City, I made sure that I have a take home of Roberto's Siopao. 

Roberto's siopao comes in four varieties - each variety has a unique or extra filling like longaniza, egg.  The varieties are Pork Adobo with egg, Jumbo is a pork adobo with egg plus  Chinese sausage chicken, Queen (Pork Chinese Adobo with egg plus bacon) and King (Pork Chinese adobo with egg plus Ham-Chinese sausage). And which variety is my favorite among the four? I like them all. Roberto's siopao is one of a kind. Roberto's siopao beats the other siopao's that I know.  Roberto's siopao is part of the culture of Iloilo and I hope the owners will continue to serve the same quality of siopao for the future generations.

Another secret of Iloilo Calle Real Heritage zone is the Buho Bakery. "Buho" means hole in the wall. Indeed the bakery has a hole in the wall to serve customers during the night since it is open 24 hours. 

The Hole in the Wall of Buho Bakery

Sample pastry from Buho - tasty and affordable

When in Iloilo City, make sure you visit Calle Real Heritage Zone and you will see the heritage buildings of Iloilo. 

Ozawa Noritako - It's new, fresh and yummy!

Pork Teriyaki Niritako

Pork Tonkatsu and Chicken Karaage Noritako

Beef Tenderloin Noritako

Ozawa Noritako is a new recipe conceived by my cousins and pamangkins and is now the crowd's favorite at the Box Park, Congressional Ave., QC. Noritako is a fusion of  concepts from two cultures - Japanese (nori and sushi) and Mexican (taco). Noritako consists of sushi rice, nori, carrots, cucumber and meat and sauce of your choice (beef tenderloin with Japanese mayo, chicken karaage with sesame dressing, pork tonkatsu with sauce or port teriyaki with sauce) wrapped in crispy wrapper like the Mexican taco. It's eaten like a taco but the taste is different with the nori giving that distinct taste with the rice mixed with the meat and veggie toppings and sauce. There is contrast in the crispiness of the wrapper and soft sushi rice. Each flavor of noritako is unique but my favorite is the beef tenderloin and pork tonkatsu. Noritako is not a Japanese recipe. It's also not a Mexican food. It's unique! It's original! Only at Box Park that you can taste this new, fresh and tummy-filling food. The meat toppings are fresh and fried when you order. It takes about 15 minutes to prepare the dish. The orders for noritako comes every minute that's why serving may take sometime. When we were there, customers have to wait for one hour just to taste the crispy and yummy noritako. But the wait is worth it. Kudos to the Coronels for the innovative and unique recipe!

Ozawa also serves Japanese rice bowls, salads and their raspberry slushy which is served in two sizes of jars is cool. The juice can be shared among a group.

Box Park where Ozawa is located is a new food haven along Congressional Ave., QC. It is similar to the popular StrEAT Maginhawa food park at Maginhawa St., QC where different shops serve their specialties and Ozawa is one of them.By the way, Ozawa serves food from Tuesdays to Sundays from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM only.

Choose your favorite Noritako

The Ozawa owner and chef -happy serving their popular noritako. 
Carlo and Edison!

SIDCOR Sunday Market at Centris

Every sunday from 6:00 AM - 2:00 PM, the SIDCOR Sunday Market is held at the Centris Walk beside the MRT Quezon Avenue Station. At the market, you can buy fresh fruits, fresh seafoods, various types of bread and pastries. Our favorite at the market is the pork barbecue. There are also stalls which sell their specialties - menudo, kare-kare, dinuguan, embutido, sinigang and vegetarian dishes. There are tables for you to sit and eat with your family. When you go to this market, you will meet friends and see some personalities - politicians, professors, government officials and celebrities. Shopping at the SIDCOR Sunday Market is enjoyable and fun. You can buy good food at a cheap price.

Twisted Potato

The kids really love potatoes - french fries, mashed potatoes and potato chips. So when I found a stall selling twisted potatoes, I didn't hesitate to buy it for the kids. Tater Twist is made from 100% fresh potato - one whole potatato was cut partially, twisted and fried - then a stick was stucked in the potato. You can add powdered flavors - cheese, barbecue and others. It's a little expensive though at P50.00 per potato but it was fun eating it and the presentation is unique. The potato is soft - you can even eat the skin. Geof consumed almost half of the stick of twisted potato.

Fishballs atbp at UP

Fishballs, banana cue, karioka (sweet and chewy rice balls), sugar donuts, flavored corn - these are our favorite street foods at UP. Every Sunday, after hearing mass at the UP Chapel, we make it a point to buy one of these simple street foods at the UP Shopping Center.

Apple's favorite is the karioka. My favorites are the fish balls and the squid balls dipped in spicy sauce. The fish ball is a popular snack at UP since my college days here 30 years ago. The kolehiyas in UP used to say then: "Let's make tusok-tusok the fishballs." The kids love the sugar donuts, the corn with cheese flavor and the banana cue. Oh, I remember the banana cue - it has been our staple snack for two years during our Citizen's Military Training sessions at UP.
Street foods have gone a long way. Before, they used to be the food of the poor masses. Now, you will find street food carts inside air-conditioned malls with fancy brand names. The rich and famous are now eating fishballs, betamax(grilled chicken intestines), quek-quek (quail eggs), etc. But when can the poor eat the expensive caviar? :-(