Gastronomida: BGC

Ilonggo Food Company takes you on a gastronomic adventure to the Central Philippines as they let you taste what the Ilonggo cuisine has to offer. Combined with specialties from the other different regions in the country, their menu promises its customers the best of Filipino food.

The spacious and cozy restaurant, perfect for gatherings as huge as family reunions or as small as an intimate dinner with a special someone, is conveniently located at the ground floor of the Commercenter in BGC.

Tuna Kinilaw P280

Tuna kinilaw is a very common appetizer in the Filipino dining scene. It’s raw tuna cubes in vinegar and onions, black beans, and spices. It's not something I usually order, but it's one that helps stir up the appetite.

Sinuglaw P290

Sinuglaw is also a type of kinilaw, except that it had grilled liempo bits to go with the tuna. If I were to be asked, I would prefer to order the sinuglaw over the kinilaw just because I liked alternating the pork and the tuna. It sort of works as a palate cleanser for me.

Linagpang na Manok P375

It took us so many tries before we finally got to say the name of this dish right. It’s the first time we encountered it, and I didn’t think I’d like it with the way it was described to us. One thing you should know about the linagpang na manok is it’s charred before cooked in the soup, which gives the soup its smokey and bitter flavor. I was expecting it to be really bitter, like burnt bitter, but I was surprised that it did not taste like that at all. It was delicious and really unique - like nothing I’ve had before.

Batchoy P240

We are no stranger to the famous Ilonggo batchoy - a noodle soup with beef, pork, liver, and chicharon bits. It’s perfect for the rainy weather we’re having!

Kansi P385

The kansi was described to us as the combination of nilaga and sinigang. But what makes their kansi different is the fact that it gets its sour flavor from the batuan fruit, not the tamarind fruit we usually use. I also loved its insanely tender braised beef! Hats off to the chef!

Porbidang Kangkong P195

The porbidang kangkong is just kangkong cooked in a mildly spicy coconut milk sauce. It's got a bit of a kick and crunch. It's not really that unique but it's still something you'll want on the table.

Ginamos nga Manok P295

Ginamos is a fermented shrimp paste popular in the Ilonggo cuisine that's similar to what we know as bagoong. The ginamos nga manok is half a chicken marinated in this fermented shrimp paste and other spices and cooked in a charcoal oven. Being familiar with what bagoong tastes like, I was a bit skeptic about how this dish would turn out (I was assuming it would be salty), but in the end it's one of the dishes I really came to appreciate as it was unexpectedly great! It's really moist chicken with super thin skin, and the flavor of the ginamos was just incomparable to the bagoong I grew up knowing. Where has this ginamos been all my life?!

Chicken Inasal P295

A specialty from Bacolod that us here in Metro Manila have come to love, the chicken inasal is chicken marinated in vinegar, garlic, and other spices, grilled and served with atsara. Sorry, but they don't have chicken oil in here (that I know of)! But from the taste of the chicken they served, I didn't think it was necessary (that or I’m just not really into chicken oil ✌🏻)

Pompano

I don't have the price for the pompano because it's a new dish they're looking to offer in September, but just to give a short description about it, it's a not-so-cheap fish wrapped in lemongrass before grilled, so you can really get the flavor of the tanglad in there. It's best to eat with soy sauce and calamansi as a dip.

Chicharon Rice P210

Sisig Rice P220

For the rice, we had both the chicharon and sisig rice. While the two did not have much of a difference in taste, I prefer the sisig rice because I felt like it complemented the mains very well. It added flavors to the mains without overpowering them.

Mais Con Hielo P165

I used to love mais con hielo, until there came a time when I'd gladly pick corn on the cob over it. It's actually been awhile since I had one, but I kinda forgot why I hated the dessert after having some on my visit. The sweet corn didn't feel like something so bad with milk after all.

Halo-Halo P199

I was really looking forward to the halo-halo, but sadly, it didn't make much of an impact. I wish it was sweeter than it was. More sugar or milk could've made it better.

Leche Flan P90

If the halo-halo lacked sweetness, the lechen flan, on the other hand, kind of made up for it. It was sweet, but it did me a favor since I am a sweet tooth (so probably not good for those who are not). I also loved that it was not airy at all. It was so dense and thick to a point that it sort of sticks on your teeth, a consistency I really liked.

Tsoknut Frost P150

If you feel like reminiscing your childhood, then the tsoknut frost would be a good choice. You can definitely identify based on its taste that it's made of chocnut, even without knowing what it was. It's pure chocnut, and perhaps a little more chocolate that made it really really sweet. Just make sure you drink it alternately with water, as it can make your throat sore a bit (from all the sweetness).

Fruit Shakes

Of course, it's not Filipino food without fruit shakes. They also have a sugarcane juice I am hoping to try next time.

The service and ambiance of this restaurant is great. Staff were courteous, professional, and really know the food they are serving. The pricing is a lot more affordable than what other Filipino restaurants in BGC offer. Plus, the serving size of their dishes can be shared by around 2-3 people! So overall, we had such a pleasant lunch at Ilonggo Food Company! Namit gid!

My Scores:

Pricing - 4/5

Service - 4/5

Ambiance - 4/5
Taste - 4/5

Hungry for more,