Batchoy of Iloilo
Whenever relatives, friends and associates come over to Iloilo, their visit will never be complete without batchoy. After all, Iloilo is synonymous with batchoy.
The late Philippine food and culture guru, Doreen Fernandez, wrote a very thorough essay on batchoy. I’ll post it here sometime.
Batchoy is basically a sweet meat broth with fresh noodles (miki) topped with slices of pork meat and innards, fried chopped garlic, spring onions (sibuyas dahon) and crushed pork cracklings (chicharon).
Ted’s batchoy is the most popular, having had a headstart in marketing it upstream. (They have branches in Manila already..but haven’t tried them there).
Lately though, Deco’s is challenging Ted’s supremacy. What used to be a typical batchoyan at La Paz Market, Deco’s has been given a sleek image by the owners of Mang Inasal.
Ted’s and Deco’s are not the only batchoy places in Iloilo. Batchoy is everywhere. I should say batchoy is the soup of the Ilonggo public. Before Ted’s and Deco’s became cozy and airconditioned, these two were rugged batchoyans inside the La Paz Public Market catering to marketgoers and market vendors alike. That’s why, the marketplace or tienda is the place to go for a batchoy adventure.
So far (I haven’t tried that many yet) the batchoyan that I keep coming back to is found at the dry goods market in the town of Pototan. It’s called TAK’s, short cut for Takya…Eustaquia, its owner. The meat broth is not watered-down but heavy with real carabeef flavor.
Another batchoy, the one Inday Hami likes is found along Mandurriao Plaza. It’s called Ric Rugged’s Batchoy (that’s pix above) Fancy name, huh? It sure is rugged. No plush seats and tables. Inday Hami even likes climbing the 40 degree ladder/stairs? to eat her twenty peso tasty batchoy at Ric Rugged’s “balcony.”
Now, I’m really hungry. It’s 1:15 p.m. already. I think you know what I just craved for. Till the next post.
P.S. If you know of a great batchoyan, tell us about it at iloveiloilo, ok?
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 24th, 2007 at 10:19 am
super namit ang batchoy sa tak’s in pototan i hope mtry nyo man nga magkad2.tnx gd ky may website na nga iloveiloilo… interesting kaayu.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
After all the turkey, stuffings and desserts this last Thanksgiving Day, I am ready for Iloilo’s famous Batchoy. The only problem is, we can not get it here in the States. Last night, my wife made siopao. My sister-in-law and her Italian American husband and their son loved it. And you know what is kulang? Not Mami(what is that?). Iloilo’s Batchoy!!!
Inday diutay, manamit guid ang Batchoy, ano? Indi ka maka butig, kay I can see that expression in your face. Bon Appetit!
November 25th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
hi guys nice to see some good recipes here…BTW, please visit http://iloiloonline.com/ too.
Thanks
November 26th, 2007 at 4:54 am
[...] Batchoy of Iloilo [...]
November 27th, 2007 at 8:14 am
gani man mitch.
is there no miki for batchoy sold there, boy? and with some beef/carabeef bones for your broth, you can have your batchoy.
March 21st, 2008 at 2:47 am
I remember when I was a child, my Parents took me to “Farmer’s Batchoy” if I remember correctly it was right in front of SM Shoemart, this was back in the eighties. Growing up in La Paz and now a Resident of the United States, it was probably among the ranks of Ted’s and Deco’s. Man, those were the days.
March 26th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
I wish I had more time to stay in Iloilo. Friday didn’t help either – I was not able to eat Iloilo’s famous batchoy.
I took the early PAL flight from Manila to Iloilo. Picked-up by my niece from the airport, stopped by their house in Jaro and picked-up my cousin, then another cousin in La Paz, bought some goodies from Panaderia de Iloilo (unfortunately they ran-out of bingka) then proceed to Miagao for breakfast with another cousin. What a treat – chocolate E with ibos, aloy, galongong, tanguinge, petse-petse (this one is new to me) – I can’t remember all what I have eaten anymore.
I was able to hold myself when we visited our old house, but not enough when we were at the cemetery to pay respect to my parents, bother, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. My cousins also showed me the few parcel of lands that our ancestors have left us. Then we had snack in-between, then lunch, then snack again, then nap-time before going back to Iloilo for dinner of fresh tanguinge and other seafoods.
Flying back to Manila that night I brought with me bayi-bayi, kalamayhati, tablea (chocolate from cacao), dried cadios, and more baked goods from the airport store.
Next year, I will spend sometime to visit other places I missed.
April 8th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Sadly, Farmer’s Batchoy is no longer around. So is Oak Barrel Batchoy. I heard from somebody that the owners have migrated to Guam. I need confirmation that they indeed opened a new Oak Barrel in Guam.
May 18th, 2008 at 1:16 am
I really really miss the batchoy and puto, baw kanamit gid but how can I get? coz I’m here in the US, I hope i can visit the Teds batchoy when i got back home on december,
May 19th, 2008 at 2:55 am
Half a year to go nalang till December.
September 28th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
[...] Batchoy of Iloilo [...]
March 21st, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Farmers Batchoy and Oak Barrel was indeed the best batchoy restos way back late 70s and 80s, even before Teds. My family used to own these batchoyan and sadly we closed sometime late 90s. We the kids, may revive it though someday, hope our loyal customers would remember us and hopefuly bring their kids too as indeed batchoy is one of iloilo’s best known delicacy.
June 11th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
eh wala na talaga tatalo sa batchoy ni Ric Rugged sa tabi ng Mandurriao Church. Mura na, eh ayos lang ang mga rikado. Plus talaga masarap. Pangalan niya is Ric Araneta. Napakabait pa, marunong mag manage mga tauhan nya but most of all, napakasarap talaga batchoy niya. People like him will make you appreciate Iloilo cuisine. Keep it up Ric! I just wish you could expand and have more outlets all throughout the city as well as nationwide.
September 18th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
there’s a batchoyan in chicago … according to a friend of mine…
December 26th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
my name is mike you know me