The mere mention of Bacolod always makes my mouth water. I literally drool imagining the aroma, flavor and texture of their delicacies. In fact, the last time I visited the Land of Smiles, I gained five pounds -- in three days!
PASALUBONG SWEETS AND TREATS
Piaya
When it comes to pasalubongs Bacolod's number one delicacy is the piaya. This local pastry, famous and popular elsewhere but never successfully imitated, originated from Silay City. As there are now many different versions, the piaya comes in various size, width and texture. Of course the shape and basic formula are constant: round thin dough with dark brown mollasses-like filling inside. My personal favorite are those wafer-thin saucer-sized crispy and flaky variety generously sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. Then there are the small donut-sized puffy ones bursting with the sweet sticky filling. Because the dough crumbles easily, they're messy but fun to eat.
Piayas are not oven-baked, rather, they are cooked on a griddle like pancakes. Check out the a stall by the entrance of Lopues supermarket in Mandalagan where piayas are cooked right in front of you. They're extra tasty when eaten hot off the stove.
Napoleones
A layered flaky pastry, rich with filling that's a cross between Bavarian cream and condensed milk, and topped by glazed confectioner's sugar. Sinfully delicious. The most popular maker is Rolly's cafeteria. If you wish to buy them in pasalubong quantities be sure to go there in the morning as they quickly run out later in the day. While waiting, snack on their pancit palabok, chicken asparagus sandwich and Quiapo halo-halo. There are now four Rolly's cafeterias around the city.
Guapple Pie
Had enough of the fastfood variety of apple pies and peach-mango pies? Try El Ideal's guapple pie. They're crunchy, not too sweet, and with just the right blend of cinnamon spice. Order a day in advance if you want a whole pie or more. El Ideal also produces a wide array of delectable desserts like buko pie and puto with cheese. The original El Ideal is located in Silay City but they have a more accessible display outlet in Bacolod City.
WHERE TO DINE
Bob's
For hot meals, you can't go wrong at any of the three Bob's restaurants in the city. No visit to Bacolod is complete without sampling Bob's cuisine. First timers are advised to try the sate babe, which is pork barbecue with peanut sauce.
Cliches abound when you ask a Bacoleno about Bob's. "They just don't serve good food, but also memories." This is because the restaurant has been around for 13 years and many of the waiters grew old with the regular patrons.
If you don't want to entrust your meal to the chef, you can always go for the all-you-can-eat do-it-yourself Mongolian barbecue. But you'll miss out on their succulent steaks and barbecues. Try the sizzling boneless bangus. Or the mouth-watering baby-back ribs. Quench your thirst with the fruit punch. It's a strawberry-colored juice full of watermelon, pineapple, papaya, young coconut, ubod tidbits over crushed ice.
21 Food Corner
From a humble stall serving only batchoy and hamburger, the 21 Food Corner is now Bacolod's premier native and seafood restaurant. No amount of steamed lapulapu (grouper) in Cebu will prepare you for the unique flavor of their steam bulgan (sea bass) in leeks. For appetizers, the crunchy crablets go down well with cold beer. The sinigang soup has an aroma that hints of something tart and sweet.
Incidentally, the dessert carts at Bob's and 21 Food Corner are crammed with calorie-rich goodies attesting to the Bacolenos expertise in whipping up sweets.
Carlo Ristorante
Carlo Ristorante serves the best pasta, pizza and steaks in that part of the city. For appetizers, one serving of panzerotti - deep fried pasta filled with hot melted cheese, button mushrooms, fresh crunchy tomatoes and onions - will easily satisfy a barkada of four. Sink your teeth into fileto alla Carlo, a thinly sliced beef smothered in herbs. Even children love their pollo alla mana - boneless chicken cooked in red wine. I have it from a reliable source that the mayor of Bacolod himself loves the calzone - a closed pizza resembling a giant empanada bursting with all the ingredients of a supreme pizza inside: ham, salami, beef, onions, green pepper, olives, etc. The cool, dark ambiance of the place may fool you into thinking Carlo's is a fancy place for romantic dining but this has not prevented locals from bringing their children on special occasions. The regulars are easy to spot, they ask for their favorite dish even before the smiling waiters could seat them and hand over the menus.
Kalan-an sa Kilid Dalan
Just over a year old, this is one of the most crowded places during lunch hour among white-collar workers. The seafood dishes here are delivered fresh daily from the fishing town of Hinigaran. Feast on their juicy grilled blue marlin, steamed crabs and shrimps.
Aboy's
They just opened their second branch close to the Goldenfield commercial complex. They also serve native and seafood dishes. The grilled squid is fresh and surprisingly sweet and tender with an almost milky creaminess to the texture. Their hot hot laing and Bicol Express have distinctly extra spicy flavors that will leave you asking for more.
Manokan Country
The popular Manokan country offers inato lang dining. For a fraction of the cost you can feast on barbecued chicken, grilled squid and fresh oysters at any of the rows of carinderias. Oysters are so cheap in Bacolod that forty bucks for a sackful is already considered expensive.
SNACKS & DESSERTS
Calea
Satisfy your sweet tooth at Calea, a cakehouse right beside L'Fisher Hotel. They have the best chocolate mousse I have ever tasted. Their blueberry cheesecake has more crushed walnuts than dough in the crust. They're very generous with their slices of carrot cake. The chocolate torte oozes with thick chocolate coating you hardly see the cake itself anymore. They also serve assorted brownies, cookies, pizzas and more.
Here you'll find out why everything tastes great in Bacolod. Here they don't scrimp on the ingredients.
Pendy's
Make your final stop at Pendy's and snack on their tasty half-moon pastry - a crescent-shaped mamon with a cream and egg yolk topping. While waiting for your order, you can start shopping for pasalubongs. Pendy's is well-stocked with boat tarts, squid rings, kinamonsil, galletas, butterscotch, brownies, local candies, etc. Planters on their way to their sugarcane farms in the north like to make their stopover here, perhaps to take a bite of Pendy's juicy spare ribs.
Quan
Another "landmark" of Bacolod. They have two branches serving sticky, gluey native desserts like puto, sapinsapin and kutsinta, and Chinese dumplings like siopao, siomai, and even tikoy.
Others
The traditional delicacies, not to mention cheap ones, can be found at the central market. Sample their local versions of peanut cakes, pinasugbos, pusit, biscuits and candies.
Other good sources of pasalubongs are next-door neighbors Totong's and Sugarlandia. The boys back in the office lover their sweet n' spicy dilis (anchovies) which goes so well with cold beer. The two stores also sell giant barquillos, piayas, banadas, kinamonsil, galletas and other local biscuits. For a few pesos more they will pack your purchases in convenient pasalubong boxes.
Published in What's On in the Visayas & Mindanao, June 1996