Bacolod Food Itinerary

a bright idea came to mind. my wedding in a few months, friends coming over to bacolod for the first time, plus too much time in my hands equals a bacolod food itinerary of some sort. genius.

solely for my friends comfort and information of course. not at all for my need to show off bacolod's gastronomic delights, or a chance to tell people hey i have a food blog. but that would be nice too.

breakfast.

i hardly eat out for breakfast. chances are, i'd still be nursing a hangover. and the only reason id be having breakfast outside of home is if im avoiding a hangover. like if i come straight from a bar and it's 5 am and my liquor-filled tummy is calling out for something substantial that hits the spot. which happens a lot in my case. 

Business Inn at Lascon St. got the best Cansi Steak in town. 

but if a chunk of yummy beef cartilage and marrow is not your idea of breakfast, you can opt for a more traditional kind. There's American Kitchen at Art District,  Pancake House by Lacson Street, or Kuppa by Tindalo corner Hilado street. i heard they make a mean cup of coffee. 

lunch. 

tough. i don't know to which direction ill point you first. 

of course, if there's one thing you cannot miss in bacolod, it's the chicken inasal. it would be like going to germany and not drinking german beer. or go to italy and not eat pasta. or to india and not have curry. i can go on, but you get my point.

i have said this before, and i will say it again. Aida's at Manokan Country, hands down best chicken inasal. don't even embarrass yourself and bring up Mang Inasal in bacolod. just a heads up. 

if a shabby place doesn't work for you and you want an airconditioned place cause you're conyo like that, or you just don't want to take my word for it,  you can head to Bacolod Chicken House by Lacson and 24th Street. they also make excellent grilled spareribs. 

if chicken inasal is not your thing, which i don't see why it won't be, you can head to Bob's. branches at SM Bacolod and North Drive. this restaurant has become an institution. famous for it's sate babe, mongolian barbecue, and fruit punch. 

along Narra Ave. Capitol Shopping Center, there's the Cansi capital of bacolod. you have two choices, Sharyn's or Eron's Cansi House. Cansi is another not-to-be-missed ilonggo dish, our own version of bulalo. only better. i usually have it for take away and eat at home. like i said, nursing a hangover. and this, the cure.

then there's Mushu, by 20th Lacson Street. this restaurant is known for asian food with a twist. pretty elaborate menu. it helps too that this is Masterchef Philippines Judge Chef Jayps' baby. so you know you're in good hands. and during Masskara week, this place transforms into a crazy party scene at night. dinner and drinks. it would have been smart if i had put this in the dinner category. moving on.

snacks.

it would be a shame not to indulge and treat yourself for a slice of blueberry cheesecake, or chocolate cake, or pecan cake, or black sambo, or heck, all of it at Calea. branches at Balay Quince, Lacson street. another at Lourdes C Bldg, Lacson street. and a few more around the city. 

there's also Felicia's by 6th Lacson st, famous for it's macarons and ensaymadas. and Bascon's Cafe' s Baba cake is to date, my favorite chocolate cake (27th Lacson street, Mandalagan).

or if you're not a sweet tooth and want to try an authentic ilonggo dish, i introduce to you batchoy. there's 21 at once again, Lacson street. it's as fine dining as you can get in bacolod. but if you're a hole-in-the-wall type like me, head to Super Batchoy House, Locsin street (beside Kit's store, in front of PBCom). it's been there for more than 30 years! you couldn't go wrong. 

dinner. 

if you're up to have the best sisig in your life, there's Kubo Sa Lawn (KSL at P. Hernaez Street Extension formerly Libertad Extension). be warned, sisig will never be the same again and you'll find yourself booking a flight to bacolod just to satisfy your cravings. im that confident. 

another place for carnivores is Lord Byron's Backribs. known for it's, you guessed it, backribs. by far the best backribs ive had, and im not even the backribs/spareribs type. but this one is definitely my type. the branch at Brgy Montevista, Homesite (behind the tennis court) can be a challenge to find for tourists, but is definitely worth the trip. there's one branch at Magsaysay Ave., if that's more convenient.

you're gonna thank these fatty grubs later when you're binge drinking. but if it's seafood you want, at Old Pala-pala it's seafood you're gonna get. it's by San Juan street corner North Capitol Road. it's our version of dampa. the sinigang na isda there will always be topnotch. there's 18th street Pala-pala too, corner 18th and Aguinaldo Street, just parallel to Lacson street which makes it a more convenient choice. just about anything i eat there is worth the mention, but the grilled scallops will always be a winner.

nightcap. 

Mushu and Dugout brings out the madness, especially during Masskara weekend. Art District have Txacho , a Spanish bar and restaurant which concocts dynamite sangrias and margaritas. Garaje (across Txacho) not only makes cocktails that will make you forget your room number (don't say i didn't warn you), the bar is a must-see. bottle-caps on the bar counter, lamps made of cassette tapes, tables made of sewing machines, coke cases turned into stools.  im a sucker for those things. and for cocktails too, of course. 

if you can squeeze in a midnight snack there, try L'fisher Hotel's Molo Soup.

you're welcome.

don't know how you can fit all these in your itinerary? i have that same dilemma everytime. that would be the least of your worries. try fitting in your jeans after. 

get lost in the moment, join the crazy, get your hands dirty and just let go. after all, you're in the city of smiles. 

here's to October 2013! CHEERS!

popping the cherry

having a food blog is long overdue.

i eat a lot. take photos of my food, a lot. and i think i can write.

and i eat a lot, too.

so this is me immortalizing my calorie-intake. and immortalizing my need for social acceptance.

popping my blog-cherry is no easy task. i had to delete a few lines, re-think, re-type, and delete and type again. obviously too much time in my hands. the pressure. of what? oh yeah, my million readers.

ill just shake it off and start where it all began. Bacolod.

this is going to be my Ode to Bacolod. my food sonnet. my, well, blog entry about Bacolod food.

Bacolod is somewhat the gastronomic capital of the Philippines. if it's not for Pampanga claiming that it's them. but hey, im from Bacolod, im expected to be tikalon.

Here are some of my top choices of where and what to eat in the Philippines' gastronomic capital.

this needs no introduction. but for those who are still clueless where to score the best chicken inasal, head to Aida's at Manokan Country. we ilonggos take our inasals seriously. we may have our own personal favorites, like Nena's , Bernadette's, Chicken House, but Aida's is definitely the most famous one, and with good reason. Namit guid!

21's batchoy. if you ask Bacolodnons where the best batchoy is in town, most likely you'll hear 21. ---or Super Batchoy House in downtown area, where i have yet to try. so for now, this tops my list. another favorite of mine on their menu, the kinilaw. and so stylishly served in a margarita glass.
 

Time Out Restaurant's butterfly spareribs and squid sisig got me through my college years. having my OJT here had it's perks. and such delicious perks. one of those comfort food close to my heart, and my tummy.

18th street pala-pala is not to be missed. It's your usual dampa-style ,but only better cause you're in Bacolod. But if you're feeling more adventurous, head to the old pala-pala. personally, i enjoy the rugged vibe there, and their sinigang is a bowl of heaven. but 18th street is just more convenient. and their quality of food is relatively the same.

my favorite dumplings in town would be from L'sea. they make good siopao too. And that bowl of goodness, is their papao rice. divine! i go here just to eat this. another restaurant to look out for is Mai Pao by lacson street, they have their special fried rice (i forgot what it's called) and their siomais are good too! too good that i was torn if i love it more than L'sea's.

Ladies and gentlemen, the cansi. our version of bulalo. only better (because everything is just better in bacolod). like i said, tikalon. may it be from Conee's or Sharyn's (both in shopping area), it's always goood. my perfect hangover cure. or without a hangover. still very good. My Roli's palabok is making a cameo on this photo. that is a must-try when you're in town too. and don't forget to indulge on their famous napoleones.

and yes. my kryponite. Kubo sa Lawn's pork sisig (KSL). i had to slam my head on the wall a few times, hating myself why i only had a taste of this a few years back. where was i? best sisig ever, take it from the sisig connoisseur. pampageno's will be giving me an evil stare.

still have room for dessert? head to Calea. black sambo is my sin of choice. but their blueberry cheesecake and chocolate cake are equally sinful. and El Ideal's guapple pie, just enough to make a girl who's not too crazy about pies go crazy. 

i guess ive tortured myself enough for one day. it's not as if i can just head out and eat all these. but ill be seeing (eating) these all in a few weeks.

expect more photos and opinionated entries to come up when im back in the philippines. not to mention more weight gain.

other dishes/restaurants in bacolod worth mentioning, and are my personal favorites:

Business Inn's Cansi Steak.  Business Inn Hotel, lacson st.

Lord Byron's Backribs. Homesite.

Nene's Snackhouse's spareribs and sisig. Opposite USLS-IS.

Bob's sate babe and fruit punch. SM City Bacolod.

L' fisher's molo. L'fisher Hotel, lacson st.

places im excited to check out and see what the fuss is all about: Shawarma ni Kulas, Pamilya Grill and Balaring. at least we know what im gonna write about next.

i wanted to post the complete address/details of all the restaurants in this blog, but i figured you can do some work and just google it.  and who am i kidding? only one person will be reading this. Hello Pao! my ever-supportive fiance' and partner in food quests.

Bon appetit everyone!

Cheers!