Taste of the Regions
Karen Ganzon, Kim Salazar, Richar
Gomez, Lucy Torres-Gomez, Pauline
Gorriceta-Banusing, Atty. Mark Gorriceta
and Carry Dizon.
Look into every dish that you've ever had and you'd be mildly surprised that even though we are a scattered people of more than 7,000 islands, each with its own unique regional cooking traditions, a common denominator stands out- our love for making food as an excuse to gather kith and kin around our table. No matter how simple and bucolic or grand and complicated, meals are partaken with those who love us back. Day in and out.
Glaxosmith Kline's Wilma
Palad with Dr. Alby Calderon
and Kim Salazar.
In my sojourns around the country, hitting a local food restaurant is at the top of my list. Up north, the Ilocanos pride themselves with the pinapaitan, the delicate balancing of all things bitter and sweet. Spice on the Bicolano table is a staple. The Bicol Express and Laing leave you breathless. The ticklish sour soup known as siningang has many incarnations. Tagalogs like it moderate while in Cebu, you can barely taste the zing in the soup. Laguna and Quezon have a love affair with almost everything coconut.
One region stands out in my mind, though. When I think of seafood, the Villa region of Iloilo is etched in my taste buds.
Atty. Mark Gorriceta with Metrobank
Blueridge Manager Ric Hautea and
Metrobank Staff at Freska.
Ilonggos growing up remember lazy Sunday lunches on the beaches of Villa, with homecooked meal prepared by an abuela who, out of terrible love for her grandchildren, conjures kadios- baboy-langka (KBL), laswa, (a combination of vegetables flavored by shrimps or dried fish), the fattest and juiciest scallops are prepared, not minding the time that takes to prepare the meal. What is time after all, when spent with kith and kin?
Minutes away by pump boat to Guimaras Island, I am whisked away by my plate to a culinary adventure or sorts.
My plate revealed why it is good to have a meal at one of the most versatile ports in the Visayas. Much of the seafood that runs through the port of Iloilo end up in plates all over the country.
Atty. Mark Gorriceta, Pauline
Gorriceta-Banusing, Karen Ganzon, Kim
Salazar with Palawan Representative
Abraham Mitra and Laguna
Representative Justin Chipeco.
The juicy explosion of the lato (seaweed) in your mouth while biting onto an equally juicy pasayan (shrimp) or bulgan is enough to make you feel lucky you are in Villa.
But, as any adventure, this one had to end as I headed back to Manila.
A friend had wonderful news that comforted me months after my trip to Iloilo. Freska, an Ilonggo seafood restaurant in Manila, has been having a steady following so much so that it is now opening a new standalone restaurant along Katipunan Avenue.
The restaurant's name, Freska, is derived from the Hiligaynon term "priska" meaning fresh” They have been serving seafood dishes cooked the Ilonggo way. Now, I thought to myself, I do not have to go to Iloilo to enjoy Ilonggo treats.
Party Rep. Joel Villanueva, Antique Vice
Gov. Rhodora Cadiao and
Representative Justin Chipeco.
Freska is proud of its house specialties such as: Grilled Bulgan (Seabass), Grilled scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce, Baked Oysters with two cheese, Sizzling Giant Stuffed Squid, Adobadong Hito, Grilled Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce and its signature dish, the Grilled Managat (local fish-moist, tender and accompanied by pickled radish). The menu does not limit itself to seafood dishes. It also offers non-seafood choices such as 1960's Chicken Inasal, Mango Salad with Red Eggs and Tomatoes, Lato (seaweed from Palawan), Kadios-Baboy at Langka, among others.
Images of Dinagyang festivals, mouthwatering/classy food shots and genteel lifestyle flashed in my mind's eye. Freska, may well become the Tagalog's or Manilenos gateway to the Visayas where even the simplest grilled selection becomes a culinary feast through the use of the freshest ingredients and choice spices.