Hybrid of Hiligaynon tradition and innovation in Iloilo
In ‘Flavors of Iloilo,’ chefs Miles Diez and Bea Magalona reworked tradition, transforming ingredients such as batuan, diwal, mango and langka through modern techniques and sensibilities.
Daily TribuneIn ‘Flavors of Iloilo,’ chefs Miles Diez and Bea Magalona reworked tradition, transforming ingredients such as batuan, diwal, mango and langka through modern techniques and sensibilities.
THIS Mexican-Pinoy restaurant is a must-visit when in Iloilo.
Photographs courtesy of Roel Hoang Manipon
GINGAW kinilaw in corn tartlets.
DIWAL (angel wing clams) from Roxas City with garlic butter.
KBL — puffed kadyos, fried pork belly and langka purée.
BRIOCHE with Leon mangoes, muscovado caramel and langka turon ice cream.
Chefs and cooks have long found ways to reinterpret food, drawing from familiar flavors while exploring new techniques. On the evening of 8 April, this creative impulse took center stage at Mestizo by Emilion, where chefs Miles Diez and Bea Magalona reworked beloved dishes and ingredients from Hiligaynon cuisine in Iloilo City and the wider Western Visayas — one of the most developed culinary traditions in the Philippines.
Tucked between General Luna Avenue and the Iloilo River in the city proper, Mestizo comes from the same family behind JD Bakery and Café, which has become an Ilonggo food institution. It offers a Mexican, Spanish, and Latin American menu with a Filipino twist — what they call “Mexi-Pinoy.” The name suggests hybridization, mixing, or blending — an idea that carried seamlessly into the evening’s concept.
Titled “Flavors of Iloilo,” the degustation dinner highlighted iconic dishes and ingredients from Iloilo and Panay, reimagined through modern techniques and inventive preparations. It served as the culminating event of the three-day opening festivities, from 6 to 8 April, for the nationwide celebration of Filipino Food Month 2026, hosted by Iloilo City — the country’s first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.
The multi-course dinner opened with barquillos — crisp rolled wafers popular in Iloilo — filled with cream infused with Ilonggo adobo and chives. The result was a befuddling yet intriguing interplay of sweet and savory.
This was followed by a refined interpretation of kinilaw, the vinegar-cured raw seafood dish often likened to ceviche, presented in tartlet form and made with corn from Passi. It featured gingaw (mangrove red snapper), green mangoes from Guimaras and coal-roasted eggplant, finished with achiote ginger oil, roasted pepitas and tultul — an artisanal salt lightly infused with coconut milk. Bright, sharp, and fruity, the dish awakened the palate with its lively acidity.
A 24-hour focaccia, served with raw organic honey from Molo and whipped latik (coconut jam) butter, provided a gentle pause before the next course: diwal (angel wing clams) from Roxas City, Capiz, simply grilled and paired with garlic butter to highlight their natural sweetness.
Before the second part of the meal, a palate cleanser of tuba spritz from Calinog — blended with batuan and mango — refreshed the senses. Tuba, a traditional alcoholic drink made from coconut sap extracted by cutting the flower stalks, lent a distinct local character to the interlude.
The second half opened with a deconstructed take on kadyos, baboy, kag langka, more commonly known as KBL, a beloved Ilonggo comfort dish. Crisp slivers of fried pork belly were served alongside puffed kadyos and langka purée, before a batuan-infused broth was poured over the composition. The result was a satisfying contrast of textures — crunchy and soupy — anchored by a deeply flavorful broth that called for rice.
The main course featured ribeye steak with kansi reduction, accompanied by purée of grilled king oyster mushroom, kamote (sweet potato), and langka. Kansi, another Ilonggo staple, is a beef soup soured with batuan. The tartness of the reduction provided a nice contrast to the richness of the purée.
Dessert brought the experience to a gentle close: milk-soaked brioche, delicately roasted and served with coulis made from mangoes from the town of Leon, muscovado caramel, and langka turon ice cream — an indulgent yet grounded finale.
“Flavors of Iloilo” offered a dialogue between tradition and innovation, the familiar and the new — at times competing, then blending. It underscored how Hiligaynon cuisine continues to evolve — rooted in heritage yet open to reinterpretation.
