Village Connect
Looking to satisfy your cravings for authentic Ilonggo dishes and drinks?
Well, look no further as we lay down an array of food and drinks choices and destinations to compliment your taste of Iloilo, in which you no longer need to go around the city but in one roof of SM City Iloilo where you will experience the deliciously signatured cuisine.
In our two days of stay at Park Inn hotel in Iloilo City I had experienced the return of Dinagyang Festival 2023. SM City Iloilo is a co-presentor of the Iloilo City Government for this year’s celebration as it plays host to the biggest and exclusive events that aim to give visitors what they will cherish and to make them feel the hospitality Ilonggos are known for. Surely, the foods they served will make you keep coming back.
CASA ILONGGA, home of the Original La Paz Batchoy
This place continuous to serve customers with the flavors of Ilonggo cuisine for over 40 years nationwide.
The Casa Ilongga proudly uses the freshest ingredients on a daily basis to make sure all you get are flavorful dishes on the menu. This place seeks to provide the best quality Ilonggo meals possible.
As a background, Casa Ilongga can proudly trace its humble beginnings back to the early 1980’s, when Emilio and Julieta Uytiepo decided to move to Manila amidst the downturn of the sugar industry in their home province of Negros. With little knowledge on the food industry and limited resources, the couple, inspired by their Ilonggo roots, opened a small 8-table eatery in a rented heritage home in bustling Vito Cruz.
The menu exclusively featured “La Paz Batchoy,” a home-style soup broth that boasted handmade noodles and savory slices of pork and beef, sprinkled with a generous helping of toasted garlic, pork cracklings (chicharon) and green onions.
This signature dish reminiscent of their old life soon attracted a steady stream of devoted customers. In the spirit of running a true family business, Emilio and Julieta’s nine Uytiepo children found themselves rolling up their sleeves to help their parents as the business began to flourish.
BREAD BASKET
This place has a passion to create and serve freshly baked cakes and pastries at an affordable price with a touch of comforting warmth of home, and as the place says it: “this is what we at Bread Basket are all about.”
When its doors opened to families and friends in Hotel Veronica, Pueblo de Panay, Roxas City in 2019, Bread Basket has created and shared memories of togetherness to people who have come to love our wide selection of products, including fancy buffet with expertly prepared Middle Eastern, Filipino, and Mongolian cuisine.
Aside from the freshly baked breads and pastries, you can also enjoy a couple of coffee and tea on the menu. Bread Basket accepts advance orders and reservations for big or small celebrations.
Here, the place is ensuring quality standards for food preparation, hygiene, and affordability. With passion, “we are committed to make every guest experience extra special and to continue fostering love in every product we create and serve.”
COFFEE BREWTHERHOOD, the right blend of close ties and adaptability
The story behind the place is as interesting as their menu.
For a brand of less than five years, Coffee Brewtherhood, owned by Andrew Canamo, had to learn quickly in adapting to the changes that the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it.
Founded on the value of brotherhood among the baristas they’ve trained, it was the same bond that got Coffee Brewtherhood through.
Coffee Brewtherhood became one of the early adopters of third-party delivery services. Coupled with strong online presence, they were able to continuously serve their customers during the lockdown.
It was also during this crisis that Andrew saw the power of partnership. “SM does really care for its tenants and customers,” exclaims Andrew. While SM supported its MSME partners through marketing, Andrew and his team worked hard in getting their brand out.
Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do. If you want to enjoy there’s a caption on every photo!
A homegrown cafe is pouring happiness and camaraderie over cups of coffee goodness to create a Coffee Brewtherhood. This unassuming shop located at the SM Food Hall, Northpoint of SM City Iloilo, is literally a must go place for worthwhile conversations over cups of coffee.
Coffee Brewtherhood takes pride in brewing local coffee beans they source from Davao and in Iloilo at La Granja Cereza Roja Farm in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, their best-selling coffee which they also share to the Manila market. The shop focuses on serving beverages only, unlike other cafes which serves pastry with coffee.
Inspired by the brotherhood of baristas which started in a small coffee counter of owner Andrew Canamo, who converted his office space to practice baristas their coffee-making skills, Coffee Brewtherhood was born. Andrew has high hopes for national expansion in the future.
JD BAKERY & CAFE
One of the popular dining food places in Iloilo City for the cause that it prolongs your tight budget lengthier. You could bargain such atmosphere and food value for a much inexpensive fee.
Their menu is packed with short order and snack meals, coffee, and non-coffee-based beverages, and a variety of pastries and baked goods. If you are in a hurry or having a short period for lunch or dinner, they also serve “turo-turo” meals for your convenience.
JD Bakeshop/Café started with a simple dining set-up but later on, they have adopted a more comfy, cozy and modernized café design. It also has a lot of branches in Iloilo City.
Just be sure to take with you some patience as some orders might take longer to be served during peak hours.
NICOLETTE BAKERY & CAFÉ
When Nicolette moved to Iloilo to join her husband, Ted Valderama, she turned to cooking her favorite dishes whenever she felt homesick. When the opportunity to open a café at SM City Iloilo came, Ted thought that it would be a good avenue for his wife to expand her hobby.
While Ted comes from a family of bakers, he had no background on setting up a café. With SM by his side, they took a chance and Nicolette Bakery + Café was born.
“SM is the place to be,” exclaims Ted. “We would not have been as successful had we opened our shop elsewhere. SM Iloilo is the busiest mall in the city. It has a lot of international and local tenants that aren’t available in competing malls. So, it is a shared competitive advantage.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Ted and Nicolette started working on a new range of “ready to cook” deli products their customers can cook at the comfort of their homes and continue to enjoy their favorite dishes from Nicolette Bakery + Café.
Through SM’s assistance in marketing, delivery service and waived fees, their new business was able to thrive and they were able to look after the welfare of their employees in adapting to the new normal.
BLUEJAY COFFEE & CO.
A good coffee shop will create a warm, homely feel, yet at the same time create spaces where people can sit and work in relative privacy. This balance is why the coffee shop has overtaken places such as libraries, becoming the go-to location for those freelancing or working out of the office.
With an increasing number of people pursuing these working arrangements, coffee shops will only continue to become more popular.
Even for businesses and employees still working in a traditional manner, the coffee shop offers the perfect place to spend informal meetings.
𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗷𝗮𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲’s store ambience creates that space where people can sit and work in relative privacy. It serves a variety of coffee and sumptuous food.
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