Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Seafoods at Diotay's

When I was making my own list of places to eat in Bacolod, some friends interjected to include Diotay's.  Huh?  Where is that?  That was when I became curious about it.

One day, when I had a few hours to kill, I decided to make a turn at that area at the back of the Provincial Administration Center.  I drove slowly at the narrow street and there were small eateries catering to the employees at the Provincial Capitol.  Until I saw the name "Diotay's".  They were cleaning up the place as it was a Sunday afternoon.  One guy was telling me to come back at 5pm when they open.

I came back the next day when I was able to convince fellow tour guide, Bambi,  to try this new find of mine.  We had head of fish which was cooked sinigang and half of it was grilled.  Since Bambi didn't want to eat pork, I was obliged to order adobong squid.  It was perfect for both of us.  We paid P520 for 3 kinds of cooked seafoods plus rice and drinks.

a wide selection of seafoods

Bambi and myself

This prawn costs P210 when cooked.
The owner, Diotay Magallanes, was just around the place.  In Ilonggo, 'diotay' means tiny or few.  The guy didn't look closer to 'tiny' at all.  I wasn't able to take a photo of him because Bambi and I were busy feeding ourselves.  The eatery has turned a year old last December 2013.

a plate of  cooked scallops is P160

I failed to ask how much this crabs cost.

first time I saw a blue fish that could be eaten
Location:  Gatuslao St., Bacolod City
How to get there: Coming from the Gatuslao St. side of the Provincial Capitol Bldg., go straight North, passing by the Sweet Captel (formerly Kadiwa).  It is on the right side of the street, a few houses away from the Office of the Provincial Veterinary.  If you get lost, just ask around.  You won't miss it!  Enjoy the seafoods!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Batchoy on a Cold Day

One rainy afternoon, my friend and I were thinking of what to eat after working on a project. Our eyes met and both of us uttered 'batchoy!' together.  We laughed our heart out knowing that we were thinking of the same thing.

In times when it is cold and raining, having a hot noodle soup gives comfort to the stomach.  But this is one big comfort!

21 Original Batchoy
Batchoy is a noodle soup with thin slices of pork organs, green onions and chicaron bits (pork crackling). The broth is simmered for hours extracting the flavor from the pork bone parts.  Some orders would have a fresh egg on it which you would mix while the soup is still hot.

Batchoy originated in a market stall in La Paz, a district in Iloilo City.  Concocted by Federico Guillergan in 1938, Deco's La Paz Batchoy  proudly says they are the original one.



21 Restaurant, located at 21st  St. corner Lacson St., has evolved into  a fine dining restaurant from a small space from the house of the owners in the 1980s.  Thus, the name 21 because of its location.  It was batchoy that made the restaurant popular.