Eats all here at Robinsons Place Jaro

Brightly colored looms, ceramic jars and santoses carved in wood and stone greeted us as soon as we entered the darkened interiors of this ancestral house in Iloilo, which doubles as an antique/curio shop and restaurant.

Originally built in 1860 for Fernando Avanceña, the Camiña Balay Nga Bato is a showcase of Ilonggo culture, heritage and gastronomy.

“Welcome and make yourselves feel at home,” said Minviluz “Luth” Camiña, one of the fourth-generation descendants of the Avanceñas, as she gave us a quick tour of the “bahay na bato.” Luth, her husband Gerard, and their children call this heritage house their home.

Like most ancestral houses, Camiña Balay Nga Bato has its fair amount of antique furniture and other knickknacks, but what draws tourists to this place is the Heritage Buffet, which features Iloilo’s iconic eats.

I guess this explains why Robinsons Land Corporation director for corporate and public relations Roseann Coscolluela-Villegas brought us there for lunch.

“Heritage and gastronomy are two of Iloilo’s main attractions,” noted Villegas.

And yes, one can experience both in just one setting — at the Camiña Balay Nga Bato — where we feasted (our eyes) on historical artifacts and its culinary offerings: Pancit Molo, pork dumpling soup; Kadios, Baboy, Langka, a popular Ilonggo soup dish; Embutido de Arevalo; Ilonggo adobo rice (with achuete); and bino-ug nga baboy (grilled pork belly), which goes well with sinamak  (local vinegar) spiked with kutitot (siling labuyo). It was definitely one of the best meals we had during our stay in Iloilo.

Camiña Balay Nga Bato, which is just a short drive away from Go Hotels, where our group was billeted, teased our palates to the delicious Ilonggo fare that awaited in Jaro, the biggest district of Iloilo.

Savor Iloilo?

We were in Iloilo for the opening of Robinsons Place Jaro, a retail complex right at the heart of Iloilo’s heritage district where De Paul College once stood.

“Jaro is a place where residents treasure their affluent pride, religious piety, rich heritage and culinary offerings,” enthused Ma. Mercedes “Ditas” Taleon, VP for lease, Robinsons Malls. Ditas hails from Bacolod so she knows what the locals look for in a retail complex.

“The retail and restaurant mix found in the new Robinsons Place Jaro celebrates and complements the values that become the foundation of the area,” noted Ditas.

Robinsons Place Jaro, which is a stone’s throw away from Jaro Cathedral, opened its doors with a glorious spread of the region’s culinary delights, proving that, indeed, “the best way to a shopper’s heart is through his stomach.”

Ditas and her team gathered Iloilo’s key players in the resto biz to give us a preview of the delicious fare that awaits shoppers in the newly opened mall.

One of them is Paulo Treñas of Ang Kamalig, Iloilo’s homegrown dining concept, which is located at the podium of Robinsons Place Jaro.

The restaurant’s signature dish is Kadios, Baboy, Langka (KBL), a comforting stew of pigeon beans (kadios) and tender pork hocks that are soured by batwan and unripe jackfruit (langka), which the locals can’t get enough of.

Ang Kamalig’s success inspired Paulo to open Wild Bamboo, a fast-casual Japanese restaurant, which is located right beside Ang Kamalig. It specializes in tempura and rolls.

Another success story is Mang Inasal, the acclaimed P3- billion food franchise built from relatively modest means by entreprenuer Edgar “Injap” Sia II in Robinsons Iloilo back in 2003. Mang Inasal’s new store at Robinsons Place Jaro cements Robinsons Malls’ commitment to fostering the success of its tenants, which it views more as business partners.

More novel dining concepts and breakthrough food innovations are found at the Food Gallery located on the mall’s third level. The 330-seater dining area houses Ocean City and Grillers Oyster, which turn the day’s freshest catch into celebrated food fare best shared with the barkada and the whole family.

Katsu-Don, founded by chef Takuhi Kobayashi, brings the traditional Japanese rice bowl and crispy pork cutlets to a younger, budget-conscious set.

Tex-Mex favorite Niños Burritos serves filling tacos and burritos, while Pub Express takes pride in its fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs.

Those into healthy fare can opt for Salads & Wraps by Healthy Kitchen.

A trip to Iloilo wouldn’t be complete without a steamy bowl of Ted’s La Paz Batchoy, a heartwarming noodle (miki) soup dish loaded with pork liver, kidney and beef loins topped with crushed chicharon.

“These dining outlets serve up a cornucopia of pure culinary bliss,” added Ditas.

Jaro There, Iloilo?

Robinsons Malls first came to Iloilo in 2001 with the opening of Robinsons Place Iloilo downtown.

“I was reminded by Rep. Jerry Treñas that the original Robinsons Place Iloilo used to house the City Hall for over five years,” related Frederick Go, president and COO, Robinsons Land Corp. “Well, we’ve come a long, long way. The mall is almost 91 percent leased out, occupied and operational.”

In his opening remarks, Frederick thanked all their business partners for their faith and confidence.

“We hope to live up to your expectations,” he said. “To the Ilonggos, thank you for entrusting your support with us.”

The newly opened mall not only serves the needs of the locals, it also provides employment to thousands of Ilonggos.

“I was informed that there are about 250 tenants in this mall,” said Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog. “And what does that mean? It translates to about 3,000 new job opportunities in the City of Iloilo. Every Ilonggo should be happy about this because of the direct employment that it provides aside from the indirect benefits that we could gain from this.”

Robinsons Place Jaro is the second Robinsons Mall in the province of Iloilo, creating a hub that locals can call their second home.