Coming from the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festivals in
Leyte where the 1st Leyte Food Summit was launched, we explored and
re-discovered the diverse flavors of Leyte and the different tastes of
Tacloban.
For outsiders, Tacloban is still associated with
the 2013 super typhoon Yolanda. Many of us would probably recall images and
stories of the unfortunate catastrophe that hit Leyte’s capital city. One and a
half years since the tragedy though, Tacloban has endured the road to recovery
and is now well on its feet as Eastern Visayas’ center of business and trade.
The city is now witnessing a return to its progressive state all thanks to the
Taclobanon’s Tindog spirit, international aide, and local advocacies such as
Pilmico’s Mahalin Pagkaing Atin which champions the region’s backyard farmers.
And with iconic restaurants going back to business-as-usual and a slew of new
hole-in-the-walls popping up here and there, now is the perfect time to paint a
new picture of TacTown- a bustling foodie haven. A day’s worth of exploration
is simply not enough, as you’ll find yourself already filled to the brim after
just one food stop with more must-visit restos left to be tried.
Food renaissance
Tacloban city’s rise from the ashes spurted a
gastronomic renaissance with countless hole-in-the-wall restaurants and cafes
coming back to life post-Typhoon Yolanda. A quick Internet research of “Where
to eat in Tacloban” will give you a plethora of food reviews that will trigger
hunger pangs in an instant. There’s Sunzibar along Burgos St.- the quaint
Mexican restaurant known for its nachos and huge servings of their famous rum
ribs, Jose Karlos Café which is deemed by some as the country’s best original
Filipino designed coffee shop, and the Filipino-French fusion restaurant Café
Urbana. The list of must-visit restos doesn’t end, really. Tacloban’s food
scene stays true to the variety of flavors that so characterizes the city’s
food identity and it only promises to surprise the palettes of locals and
tourists alike for years to come.
Their own brand of cuisine
The Taclobanon brand of cuisine is rooted on the
rest of Leyte’s gastronomic peculiarity. “It’s very varied. But what I love
most about the cuisine of Leyte is the use of coconut milk. ‘Yung ginataan,”
Loudette Ruiz of the famous Calle Zaragoza restaurant shares. From its famous
street fair that includes Tacloban’s version of the lechon, longganisa, and
barbeque to the fresh catch off the coasts of its rich bodies of water, it is
quite a challenge to get your tongue around the city’s culinary identity. The
use of coconut milk ties it together though with hallmark ginataan dishes such
as the Kinilaw sa gata- a best-seller at Ruiz’s restaurant, Ocho Seafood and
Grill’s porbida (kangkong leaves in coconut milk), and the famous Leyteno pasalubong
binagol. In a coconut shell (pun intended), Taclobanon food is pretty much an
amalgam of authentic Filipino food favorites with a particular affinity for all
things ginataan.
A variety of freshest seafood
catch only available in Leyte Island is within reach at the Ocho Seafood &
Grill.
Ocho and Calle Z
Ocho Seafood and Grill's Baked
Scallops, a butter rich entree smothered in spices, is a definite must-try in
Tacloban City.
In Ocho, you can grab some
bukawil, Leyte's own sea snail. You can have it cooked with butter garlic, with
coconut milk, or simply steamed.
Two of the many top-of-mind restaurant recommendations
in Tacloban are Ocho Seafood and Grill and Calle Zaragoza or simply Calle Z.
Ocho, located at down town Tacloban, is the ultimate seafood place known for
its paluto specialties. For over a decade now, the iconic restaurant has been
supporting local fishermen by harnessing its seafood supply from the nearby
waters of Daram, Sorsogon and Guiuan, Eastern Samar. The day’s fresh catch then
finds itself inside Ocho’s elegant confines, stored in clean tanks where
patrons can hand pick the fish of their choice and have it cooked just the way
they like it. Fish sinigang, calamares, chili crabs, and baked scallops among
others are some of the more popular orders in Tacloban’s seafood Mecca. Aside
from their famous paluto delicacies, Ocho’s wide menu also boasts of Filipino
staple dishes and original creations that are uniquely Tacloban such as the
best-selling porbida, which is made by cooking finely chopped kangkong leaves
in rich and creamy coconut milk.
Practical and straightforward Filipino comfort food
is what Calle Zaragoza is famous for. Think of their best sellers Bulalo- with
numerous soup refills at that, crispy tenga, sisig bangus, and lechon kawali.
Theirs are the food that will never fail to satisfy a craving for Filipino
cuisine- food that you will most likely find at other restaurants. What sets
Calle Z apart though is the equally no-nonsense and homey feel of the
restaurant which used to be one of Tacloban’s first ever convenience stores.
“People can come as they are. They feel like its home. It is a lifestyle that
they’ve grown used to,” owner Loudette Ruiz says. Al-fresco or inside their
simple air-conditioned space, eating at Calle Z can be compared to your own
dining experience at home where your mom’s cooking welcomes you from a long day
at work.
Classic street food and pasalubong
Mahalin Pagkaing Atin, Pilmico Foods Corporation’s
agricultural initiative established at Palo, Leyte in 2014, aims to alleviate
the lives of the country’s backyard farmers by providing them with various livelihood
opportunities. It also envisions to champion the country’s many local food and
its traceable origins. Aside from the region’s past experience in overcoming
the adversaries brought upon by Typhoon Yolanda, Leyte serves as a fitting
backdrop to the beginnings of the campaign with its colorful local food
tradition. A journey through the streets and corners of Tacloban city is like
taking part at a local food fiesta. The Taclobanons’ version of the lechon is
found perfected to its crisp yet juicy goodness just about everywhere and when
the night falls, one can’t miss the many barbeque stalls that pop up along
Rizal Avenue and Justice Romualdez Street. TacTown also has their own take on
the longganisa which is subtly sweet and is packed with more meat than its
provincial counterparts.
SMB the staple pasalubong from
Leyte (Sagmani, Moron, Binagol) can be found at Calle Zamora, downtown
Tacloban.
When it comes to pasalubong, Tacloban city is
undeniably the hub for local food souvenirs. Rows and rows of vendors selling
S.M.B or the three most popular Leyteno pasalubong: Sagmani- a cassava and
sweet potato suman version, Moron- suman with cocoa, and Binagol- sweetened
taro pudding, are found at down town Tacloban. S.M.B., as locales would call
it, all have coconut milk as a vital ingredient which gives the local
delicacies its natural sweet taste.
Now, with your
pasalubong all boxed up signifying the end of your Tacloban food trip, it now
becomes clear as to why Douglas MacArthur and the rest of those who have gone
to Tacloban have said, “I shall return” with full conviction and a full tummy.
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Disclosure: Photos and press release have been provided by Pilmico Foods Corporation.
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