Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine

Last February 20, Marc, Audrey, Whyte, Junnjun and I went to Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine Restaurant in Smallville Iloilo City Philippines to sample their latest menu offerings. Bauhinia Restaurant is known for offering a wide array of delectable Filipino dishes done in Ilonggo way.

The new restaurant menu selections include Kinilaw na Tangigue at Tuna (Marinated Mackerel Fish in calamansi and vinegar, with seared tuna, carrot slaw and balsamic reduction). A serving of the kinilaw appetizer costs PHP175. I find the kilawin a bit too sour. I really have a very low tolerance for sour foods, but the seared tuna is good.

Another new appetizer on the menu is the Squid ala Pobre Crostini. This one’s made of sautéed squid and chilies on French baguette. This is my favorite appetizer! The crostini actually looks like a pizza. For those who are not fond of eating squidsand seafood, this crostini i s a must-try. Bauhina is so good in hiding the squid bits that you cannot actually feel that you are eating one. You’ll likely feel like eating a slice of pizza than eating squid!

The restaurant also has a new line of soups, among them the Tinuom na Sugpo which is actually a soup made of succulent prawns wrapped in pechay leaves and simmered on coconut-Kaffir broth. Tinuom is a process of cooking food, Ilonggo style. But in the traditional cooking, Tinuom is usually cooked using banana leaves. Another new offering is Monggo at Sili Soup. Between the two soups, my favorite is the Tinuom na sugpo. I just have to limit my prawn intake, though, as I might get an allergy attack.

For salads, we were served the La Pinay, A Mesclun salad with grilled eggplant, roasted bell peppers and cashew praline served with generous amount of balsamic dressing. A serve of the salad costs PHP185. Another salad served was the Crispy Adobo Salad. This green is made of green mango slices, radish, cucumber, fine pork adobo flakes and Camiguin honey – soy salad dressing.

Both salads were actually good. I love the sweetness of La Pinay and the crunch of the Crispy Adobo Salad. The adobo flakes gives kick to the salad.

For our main menu, we had Guinataang Salmon, Sugpo sa aligue at Sili, and Tenderloin ala Pobre. Among the three, myfavorite is the guinataang salmon. Salmon is a really good fish. And most of the time, I only eat salmon if it’s a sushi, sa shimi, grilled, or cooked as sinigang. I didn’t know that salmon can taste really good in coconut milk and chili. It’s a must-try! Tenderloin ala Pobre is also good. But I would love to have it served medium rare. Sugpo sa Aligue is a big fail for me. The prawn used is not fresh. It was obviously freezed as the prawn meat instantly “melts” once you scoop it out of its shell. I guess this dish would be really good only if served using fresh prawns.

All in all, the dining experience in Bauhinia Filipino cuisine Restaurant is good. It has allowed me to experience good Filipino foods in a relaxed ambiance.

Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine is located at
The Avenue Complex
Glicerio Pison Avenue, Brgy. San Rafael
Smallville, Mandurriao, Iloilo City Philippines
For Reservations: +63.33.329.6951 or mobile number +63.922.892.3468