Philippines – Manila Davao Borocay – Travel Food Entertainment

Above: The ever warm and welcoming charisma of the Iloilo Biscocho House

A trip to Iloilo would not be complete without making a stop at the Biscocho Haus – a famous bakeshop and food gift shop. From being a simple snack store in 1975 it has grown more into a dozen branches. The very first Biscocho Haus and mother of all the branches is located at Lopez Jaena, across Jaro Plaza and Cathedral and for almost three decades it has become a household name capturing the taste of both the local customers, travelers and tourists.

Biscocho Haus got its name from its very own main delicacy – the Biscocho, a toasted bread topped with butter or milk and sugar, or garlic in some cases. The word Biscocho is derived from the Latin phrase word ‘bis coctus’ which means “twice baked”. The delicacy has already gained popularity and will always be synonymous with its birthplace, Iloilo. With its unique taste, the biscocho has become very popular even outside Panay Island and has even included as a part of the Filipino cuisine.

Above: Counters and display windows at any Biscocho House are always stocked.

Biscocho Haus, however, has also ventured into other types of snacks and does not just offer biscocho in its stores. It also has a variety of tasty food products that certainly suits the customers’ budget. Some of the favorite delicacies include butterscotch, barquillos, piyaya, banana marble, and rosquillos. Some Biscocho branches now even offer regular meals which feature popular Filipino specialties.

Practically every mall in Iloilo City has a Biscocho Haus shop and other branches are along Iznart Street near YMCA building; Biscocho along Gen. Luna near Assumption School, and Biscocho at the International Airport. If one fails to locate a Biscocho branch in Iloilo, there’s really no reason to be disheartened since the supermarkets in the various malls in Iloilo may also have Biscocho Haus products.

The famous La Paz Batchoy of Iloilo – soup for the gods!

To be a certified traveler in Iloilo you gotta try a bowl or two of the famous Lapaz Batchoy. Iloilo is home to this hearty kind of soup which is basically made from round noodles or miki, pork meat and innards (liver, heart, spleen, and kidneys), fried chopped garlic, spring onions, crushed pork cracklings, and vegetables.

It is widely believed that this food specialty was first introduced by Chinese immigrants, and that the term Batchoy was derived from the Chinese word (Hokkien) Ba-chui which means pieces of meat. As this unique and tasty soup was originally popularized in Lapaz, Iloilo, the word Lapaz has always been attached to Batchoy.

Lapaz Batchoy can be eaten by using spoon, fork, and chopsticks. Most people consume the solid ingredients first before the broth. At times when the customer happens to consume the broth first, the restaurant would never hesitate to replenish it. With the large bowls of soup that the restaurants dish up, a serving is usually already enough to replace a meal.

There are two leading Lapaz Batchoy restaurant chains in Iloilo – Ted’s and Deco’s. The first to really branch out and establish a marketing scheme is Ted’s. In fact it already has branches in Manila. But Deco’s is challenging the dominance of Ted’s, and has been doing extensive promotion.

Above: La Paz Batchoy is a symbol of Ilonggo Tradition

Lapaz Batchoy is everywhere in Iloilo as it has become a symbol of Ilonggo tradition. It is served in the market, in the malls, and in the streets. The Ilonggos love it, tourists and visitors look forward to it. Bon appetit!