World Class Chefs
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Ramilo (Ram) Villaluna
Ram is a budding chef from Iloilo City (Molo). He gained his training in Culinary Arts at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies under food guru Gene Gonzalez, Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kumpps) in New York. He took up bread making, and he studied food styling under Delores Custer of the Culinary Institute of America. It all started in Antique where his father owned a restaurant many Antiquenos learned to love. He continued the culinary legacy of his father and now, Ram owns a catering business, Cindy\'s Catering. Food is Ram\'s life, seriously speaking. I am short in saying that he is married to the food industry that, he spends most of his time teaching and mentoring at the Department of Culinary Arts at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo. If one cannot find him in the classroom, Ram will be on the road crisscrossing Iloilo and Antique having first hand in the management of his thriving businesses from both provinces. He also has a once-a-week TV show in GMA 7 \"Food Trip\". I met with Ram once before and he exudes perfectionism, the character that will beam him up to the limelight of culinary arts. At present time, Ram is extremely busy in Manila. I believe he is one of the finalists in The National Food Showdown 2010 sponsored by ABS-CBN. We wish you all the luck, Ram! Maybe, after this showdown, Ram will have the opportunity share favorite recipe here at ILONGGO LIVING.
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Posts Tagged ‘bibingkang sapin-sapin’
Menagerie of Native Desserts
May 17, 2010
After a grueling two-hour drive to Scarborough yesterday to attend a birthday party, we were rewarded with an uncompromising array of native desserts. We almost gave up going to the party halfway through as we got rerouted to downtown Toronto due to road construction. For some reason, I dislike driving around Toronto, not to mention driving parallel to the rail-tracks of streetcars. My stereoscopic sense prefers smooth driving surface as opposed to uneven surfaces such as rail-tracks. I out-rightly despise it! No regrets, albeit, pursuing our way to the party despite of the driving challenges as enticing desserts awaited us. Check this one out!
As soon as we went inside the house, my eyes was taken by this big server-full of native desserts. Never mind the main dishes, native desserts captured me!
Up close, can you name them one by one? I bet this is a good test for Pinoys!
Tropical fruits galore!
First round of desserts, one of each kind: (left-right) cassava cake, ube halaya, espasol, biko and bibingkang sapin-sapin. The one at the bottom is the irresistible buko pandan salad!
Now, who can refuse for another load of desserts, this time with colored puto, chicken macaroni salad, brazo de mercedez, biko with toppings, leche flan and some fresh fruits to balance it out.
Finally, as if those rounds of dessert were not enough, my chef cooked Vigan royal bibingka later that night as she has the cravings. Whew! What a day of desserts it was, indeed!
Chicken for the Road
March 25, 2010
“Why did the chicken cross the road?” Some people may ask this quite familiar riddle and one gets varied answers to it. But, majority of the people will tell you that because there’s food across the road! That’s exactly why my cousin Darling from Quezon City and I decided to booked our mini-family reunion the last time I was in Manila. Remember what I said about Pepe Thai Restaurant in Iloilo? Never mind ambiance as long as food is great… an exception from the rules I set for a great restaurant. Judging by its name, one won’t suspect that it’s a name of a restaurant, CHICKEN FOR THE ROAD RESTAURANT in Pasig City, just a stone throw away from Edsa-Ortigas area. I was briefed by my cousin that their chicken is fantastic and comparable to some “popular brand name” chicken in town. Let’s check it out and be my judge. Thank you to my cousin Darling Bulosan for facilitating our mini-reunion and for each and everyone who showed up.
FOR COMPARISON, this is chicken from Savory is undeniably delicious.
But look what we had at Chicken for the Road... a load of similar chicken at a lesser price! I would say, they perfected the cooking (roasting) and tasted so scrumptious that if it was a blind taste test, one will have difficulty distinguishing them from the other popular brand of chicken.
Chicken and tofu combi with estofado sauce.
chicken fritters, a good hand food or pulutan.
Fried chicken a la Chicken for the Road. Very comparable to other name brand of fried chicken.
Vegetable Egg Fu Yong and fried rice.
My cousin Ching brought this bibingkang sapin-sapin for dessert.
Part of the Hibionada family in Manila.
The other side of the table, my first time to meet a few of my relatives.
Provincial Treats!
February 24, 2010
One is truly privileged living in Manila as it allows them to savor conglomerates of provincial treats within easy reach. And there’s no place like Fiesta Market at The Fort where they have rows of small stalls brandishing their local treats. I was truly amazed that one does not have to travel as far as Ilocos or Baguio in the north or Bicol of the south just to savor their native delicacies. You name it, they have it all under one roof! Well, I would say, almost everything. The competition is very tight that in order to win a customer, some stalls gave small portion samples of the food to entice buyers. A very neat strategy. Check this one out.
From Bulacan, Dolores Kakanin's Bibingkang Sapin-Sapin. Delicious!
I was so attracted by its color pattern and later, I discovered that it has 2 more layers underneath. A truly sapin-sapin! It is available in small size, as well.
Again, from Bulacan, Ube de Leche! Something different & special kakanins.
Simply ube made into a leche flan. Sweet!
Lia's cakes are also good.
My favourite from Lia's is their Ube Cheesecake! Superlative & unique kind of a cheesecake.
Calasiao puto from Pangasinan, a very popular puto dubbed as "white gold" because people likes to buy them. They also make delicious puto kutsinta.
Ah! Puto Pao. It's the first time I've heard of sio pao on top of a puto. Truly Pinoy!
Hopia in different flavors. Very colorful.
Fiesta Market at The Fort, Taguig.
Final Chapter of My Philippine trip – Luzon
Before the memory of my trip to the Philippines become oblivious , as it may seem as days goes by, I’ll post the remainder of the pictures I’ve taken during the trip. I will start off with native kakanins my cousins brought upon my arrival in MANILA. They know exactly my weakness, nothing hidden, the suman and bibingkang sapin-sapin. Boy, did it even pacified me of my separation anxiety! They got it from Taytay, Rizal.
Next stop, Baguio City! After a gruelling 7 hours trip from Manila, not to mention the unimaginable hustle of getting a ticket at Victory Liner in Cubao, we finally arrived to our destination! BAGUIO CITY! As we entered the city in the evening, pine-scented cool breeze welcomed us and familiar fixtures by the surrounding areas instantly brought back memories of my 5 years stay in that city. AH! Yes St. Louis University years… gone and now it’s back, haunting me! Former friends and acquaintances dropped by one after the other that night. Before I knew it, was already 2:00 A.M. Time to catch some few zzz for in just few hours I would be treading Baguio by foot.
On our way to Mines View Park, we spotted a food vendor selling boiled sweet corn just like the ones we enjoy back here during summertime. For 12 pesos a piece, it's a bargain. I devoured 2 of them! It's a shame, I did not take as much food pics as I should have been for I was overtaken by the sceneries of Baguio and the memories that went with it. Quite frankly, food was the last thing in my mind that time. SURPRISED!
FONTANA RESORT, Angeles City
Different kinds of bibingkas and kakanins one could imagine!
SUBIC BAY, Zambalez
Beautiful sunset by Subic Bay
If there's any consolation at all, I got to brush elbows with high ranking government officials during the weddings. Deputy National Security Advisor Luis "Chavit" Singson for one and Congressman Eric Singon of Ilocos Sur, Governors of Ilocos Sur & Baguio City, mother of the groom Undersecretary of Agrarian Reform Rose L. Bistoyong, were among the "big shots" of the day. All of them are my kumpare and kumare! What a previledge indeed! Who knows, one of these days they might come in handy! That's what I get from marrying a politically-inclined family!
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