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 ‘halo-halo’
Halo-Halo Delight!
February 11, 2010
Having halo-halo (ice cone or melange of sweetened fruits & pulses) ) in the Philippines is a tropical treat since ingredients are endless in variety. These ingredients are freshly made and not the bottled kind we have here in North America which are loaded with sugar. So, one will expect a softer and flavorful ingredients such as the minamatamis na saba (sweatened banana), monggo beans and ube (purple yam). Some uses fresh buko (young coconut) that are ornately prepared and others, just plain shaved ice, evaporated milk and red food coloring (leche con jelo). Have a peak and be delighted.
BUKO HALO. From Jo's Chicken Inato in Iloilo City. This is the most ornate halo-halo I ever had. While eating halo-halo, you can scrape the young coconut meat and mixed it in or as a treat, eat them at the end of your halo-halo.
Some restaurants will allow one to prepare their own halo-halo. Like this one at Emilion Restaurant in La Paz, Iloilo City. Ingredients are nestled on ice to keep it fresh.
Making your own halo-halo is an exciting experience. That's what it is supposed to be, having fun making it and, eventually eat it.
Razon's of Gua-gua, Pampanga, makes the most refreshing halo-halo of them all! Simple indredients that are not overpowering. I just love the taste of the soft & sweet saba banana in it.
Most halo-halo special is topped with either ice cream, leche flan and or ube halaya. This one with leche flan at Razon's. I fell in love with this halo-halo.
Memories of Ilonggo Foods- Relived!
November 17, 2009
My cousin Rose Hibionada-Flores and her hubby, Mike of Los Angeles, California are in Iloilo right now for a couple of weeks vacation. Based on the photos she posted in Face Book very recently, Ilonggo foods is in their prime agenda ( I can tell!). Allow me to share with you some of the photos she took and my thoughts about Ilonggo foods.
One peculiar observation I made during my last vacation there is that, Ilonggos are very “patriotic” when it comes to eating foods. I am very close in saying that they stay in their comfort zone and does not want to get out of it. Who would not be, when one grows with and satisfied with Ilonggo foods, why bother venturing out? Not to mention their peso value stretches a long way with Ilonggo foods! This observation was drawn first hand while I was having dinner at a Japanese and Thai restaurants in Smallville. Only a handful people inside the said resto could be seen. Whereas, just beside it or just across the street, or elsewhere, Ilonggo restaurants are teeming with people enjoying the inasal na manok or the siopao they love to eat. What a contrast I learned so quicky during my 6-weeks vacation there. Nevertheless, such scenarios are good for local businesses, assuring them of Ilonggo patronization and the survival of their businesses.
Mike Flores introducing Sabor Ilonggo.
Rose, my cousin, eating halo halo with gusto!
Suman Latik. All of the sudden I can't control my drooling as I look at this shot.
I bet, this is pamahaw with Ilonggo chorizo, ibos and puto.
Inasal na manok, fried crablets and chicken binakol.
Cup cakes galore!
IHAWAN in New York
October 9, 2009
IHAWAN along 70th St. corner Roosevelt in NY is one of the favorite places Pinoys in NY hang around at. This popular resto caters favorite Filipino foods. The first floor is solely occupied by their kitchen and take-out orders. And the second floor is dedicated for sit-down dining or special occasions.
Ihawan...Home of the Best Barbeque in Town
This place stands out with its blue and white facade.
First floor, take-out and kitchen.
Second floor is where the dining room located. During week-ends, I was told, the place is packed with diners from lunch till dinnertime.
Every table is adorned with patis and sinamak.
The Menu, in our case, we had typical Pinoy breakfast.
Tocino & longonisa (left), Tocino & corned beef (right). Served with sunny side up eggs and sinangag (fried rice).
Daing na bangos & longanisa combo.
The popular TAPSILOG.
For dessert we had avocado halo-halo and regular halo-halo. Yummy!
Victoria Day (Canada)
May 18, 2009
Today is a national holiday! So, we either catch up with housework or, just maybe, I will do my tour of the different waterfalls around the areas of Hamilton-Halton and Niagara. The weather is great for doing such activity! We will see, I will just update my blog with some non-food topics later. But for now, I will just lazily move around the house, giving myself a break from work. Last night, they have fireworks all over the place to celebrate pre-Victoria Day. We had mixed beans stew and for the kids they had, guess what? Spinach pizza! Mind you it tasted good and at the same time, they got their vegetable shot! What a fantastic way of getting their veggies in a pizza form. For dessert, we had Halo-Halo, just a prelude for summer. YES! We are looking forward for summer already.
Mixed Beans Stew with Pork
Spinach Pizza
Fried Rice with Smoked Cheddar Cheese Sausage (Sinangag or Kalo-Kalo in Ilonggo)
Sweet Mangoes are so abundant here right now just on time to quench our longing for it!
Halo-Halo
This is just a "test drive" to check if our ice crushing gizmo still works. And it does!
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