Only twenty days since I left and I already miss Iloilo. Tomorrow, my hometown will be celebrating the Dinagyang festival. Other than the colorful festivities which have earned Iloilo both national and global pride, I will always remember this city for good food --- affordable yet very delicious --- where you can treat your loved ones without breaking the bank. This brings me back to one of my recently discovered restaurant.
A few hours after I landed in the Iloilo International Airport last December 21, 2013, the first agenda of the day was to take out the most important people in my life to dinner --- the senior citizens of my life: Mama, Tita Bertad (Papa's sister) and Tito Susing (Tita Bertad's husband). I don't know why I do but I love having dinners with the senior citizens who've played important roles in my life. I feel that I cannot thank them enough and taking them out to dinner (instead of going on dates with the younger flock) is my small way of showing how much I value them.
At that time, we were getting together for our usual catch-up and bonding in celebration of Papa's birthday (December 19). My usual go-to places for these types of get-together are Breakthrough (Plazuela), Cafe Laguna (SM City Iloilo) or maybe Buto't Balat. For once, I told Mama that we should try something new. The senior citizens turned the tables to me and tasked me to find the place, hahaha.
I searched the net and these posts regarding "Punot" restaurant got me curious. The pictures of the food were mouthwatering and the reviews piqued my interest.
Punot restaurant is located at Boardwalk, along Iloilo Esplanade (near Smallville), Diversion Road. From the reviews found on the internet, I learned that the owners are from Estancia which is a seafood haven located at the northern part of Iloilo and where my dear Papa actually grew up. When Papa was alive, our meals always included at least one fish dish (and I mean every meal) and Papa used to casually call out the names of the fish with 100% certainty like these were supposed to be common names. I also learned that the names do change from the time that a fish is a "baby" until it becomes fully grown. Unfortunately, the fish vocabulary didn't stick with me. I just knew fish have names :)
Estancia is dubbed as the "Little Alaska" of the Philippines, something that I can only picture in my mind based on my Papa's stories since I've never been there. With the recent devastation from Yolanda, I sincerely hope and pray that the Estancia folks will be able to get back on their feet like what Ilonggos are known for. Go Ilonggos!
"Punot" refers to the basket used to catch fish, the main source of livelihood in Estancia. The fresh and abundant seafood serves as the main theme of Punot, the restaurant.
Punot's ambiance is quite upscale with a "private" feel given its location and its refined interiors. It's not your usual "by-the-beach" bamboo theme as the furnitures are that of the fine dining kind. The Ilonggo smiles and warm welcome offset all these and bring back that homey vibe. The service crew were attentive although the fireworks along the Baywalk distracted them for a while. It was Christmas season, anyway.
We ordered buko juice for the benefit of the elder folks ;) as well as the Estancia chowder. Please scroll down below to see the rest of our orders.
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| Our simple but very filling feast Careful ordering was needed since I was with senior citizens ;) Had to set the seafood craving aside If you do get the chance, please check out Punot's seafood fares as these are the resto's forte. |
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| Chicken binakol housed in a coconut husk How's that for an interesting presentation? There's the extra coconut which you can scrape off from the buko and mix with the binakol-cooked chicken. The sweetness of the coconut may make you second-guess your tinola as THE comfort food of choice. |
Wasn't that yummy? Please click 'Read more' for my take on the rest of our orders.
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| Tito Susing's favorite Tito usually says that this tops his favorite list of Tita Bertad's cooking specialties (probably next to embutido). So I had to order this just in case he wouldn't be happy or restricted from eating the rest. (Fortunately, he loved this and all of the orders.)
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| Kaldereta I can't remember eating a proper kaldereta. This one exceeded my expectations. It was not greasy, the parts included are meaty, and the sauce is perfect that I forgot that I was actually eating goat meat (probably for the first time). It's a good touch to add some olives for a different twist. It was so good that I more than gladly helped Tito Susing in finishing this dish to the last drop :) The two ladies (Mama and Tita Bertad) found that amusing. |
It was a great way to start my holiday retreat. Punot flavors represent an upgraded version of home cooking. Very nostalgic and new at the same time. I know it's kind of difficult to describe the experience in a few words. But when the very picky senior citizens of my life (who strongly believe that the best tasting food are cooked in home kitchens) all sing praises after the Punot dinner, I guess that says a lot already.
I am in no way sponsored to write this post for Punot. We paid for our dinner and left as satisfied customers :)
If you do get a chance to be lost somewhere in Smallville (Iloilo =), please consider wandering farther to the Boardwalk side and check out Punot (https://www.facebook.com/punot)
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