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 ‘fried chicken’
Just the Basics (Victoria Day)
May 24, 2010
Nothing much satisfying in life than to have a dinner with just the basic meal among close family friends. And, the best part of it all, the guests prepared the meal for us! One does not get this kind of a treatment all the time so, my chef and I tried to relax and enjoy while the guests cooked dinner for us. Hey, is there something wrong with the picture here? Should not be the host prepares the food for dinner and try to entertain the guests? Actually, no! I mean, yes, the guests prepared the dinner for us alright. Really! Check out the foods they prepared for the Victoria Day celebration… just the basics!
Seafoods Sinigang was quite a variation as they added okra and eggplant (we usually don't). Shrimps and salmon head was the main ingredient.
Would you believe that this fried chicken was fried on its own with no added salt, as well? What a fried chicken it was!
Who would have guessed after adding shredded apples, cucumber and two kinds of cabbages becomes a sumptuous coleslaw loaded with fibers and antioxidants?
Special pancit with combination of pancit sotanghon and pancit canton. If you are lucky to find it, they added potatoes as well. Interesting!
HAPPY VICTORIA DAY to one and all! Thank you very much to our guests, Elma, Jay, Melissa and Eddie for preparing our Victoria Day dinner.
Uncle Tom’s Magic
April 7, 2010
It seem like magic as I laid my eyes to some of the unpublished photos I took not too long ago in Iloilo. In a flash, I was brought back to the time right after the Dinagyang 2010. Then followed by Uncle Tom’s Restaurant with some members of the SSC Forum (Skyscraper City), some of whom I’ve met for the very first time. Then towards the end, as if someone arranged for Dindong Dantes (a Filipino actor) to show up for lunch right our very eyes! Anyways, the foods were just your average kind of and the pizza was delivered from the next-door neighbor Piazza. Check out the foods we had that day.
As one enters the facade, either ways, one can see dining and roosting areas. I like this one as it is very convenient to go for a siesta right after a meal! Thanks to Jorp of Flavours of Iloilo for allowing me to use this shot.
Uncle Tom's fried chicken is so popular that some says it's close to a popular brand. I'll say, it's average.
Pancit Canton with sotanghon.
Chop Suey a la Uncle Tom's.
Potato Salad, not too bad.
This one, I have been waiting to sink my teeth into it. Piazza Pizza! Voila!
WHO SAID THE FOOD WAS NOT GREAT?
We just had enough, after Uncle Tom's, then Kafe Rotti. We went for a stroll along the new Boulevard by the Iloilo river and waited for the sun to set. What a day it was, a magical one, 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.
Roosevelt Avenue & 69th Street
October 8, 2009
Who would have guessed that someone out there in the big apple would offer their hospitality? No less than a fellow Filipino and an Ilonggo at its best! It all started here in my blog post about LANZONES that Christine Jimenez of Queens, NY responded with enthusiasm and passion for the fruit. Somehow, we got connected by her eagerness to taste lanzones that, the said fruit is in abundace right now here in Canada (though imported). So, our trip to New York City yielded more friendship as we met Christine’s hubby, Danny, and rewarded both of them bunches of fresh lanzones. To their delight, they offered their warm hospitality to us even to the point of taking extraordinary effort accomodating us to their work schedules. This is some sort of a guided tour of the Filipino business district in NY, compliments of Danny & Christine Jimenez. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to do just that on our own as we don’t know New York City area quite well. My chef and I were overwhelmed and very delighted of their genuine friendship, a rarity in the “big apple” so to speak. All we can say is, thank you for being such genuine friends, Danny & Christine!
Roosevelt Avenue along 69th & 70th streets marks the Filipino business district of NYC. Among locals, taking the 69th St. subway train means one is going to the Asian territory.
First stop, Jollibee's of New York. It is interesting to note that this is the ONLY franchise throughout the eastcoast (and Canada as well). There's another Jollibee in Los Angeles, California.
It was known that during the inauguration day, Filipinos lined up a block away just to have a taste of Jollibee's foods. Danny said that Filipinos from as far as Florida came to grace the occasion.
My 12 years old son eagerly looked forward for this trip to Jollibee as it reminded him fondly of our trip to the Philippines last December.
There was a line or two to contend with inside while waiting to order our food.
All smiles from our friendly server and was willing to have her photo taken.
Spicy fried chicken with gravy.
Jollibee's favourite, the pancit palabok.
The "works" with cheese burger.
Our craving for Jollibee was satisfied in our NY trip.
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