Thursday, June 9, 2022
Next to the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art (ILOMOCA) is the Philippines' first Brandy Museum dedicated to showcasing the rich history and tradition in Spanish brandy making that dates back to 711 AD. Stepping inside the museum will give you a glimpse albeit in a nutshell of how brandy is distilled from wine or fermented fruit mash. The elegantly designed museum showcases vintage and antique wine making tools, interactive displays and samples of Spanish brandy from all over the globe.
If you're a brandy connoisseur, the museum is the place for you to partake of exclusively held brandy appreciation classes and even enjoy coffee brandy infused drinks and pastries like cupcakes and macarons from the Brandy Museum Cafe.
I took home a bottle of Emperador Coffee Brandy which retails at P149. I don't drink but I'm sure it will come handy for coffee inspired baked goods and yes cocktails. Now let me fetch the recipes!
Festive Walk Mall, Iloilo Business Park
Mandurriao, Iloilo City
Opens 10 am to 9 pm daily
Sunday, June 5, 2022
Local weekend markets are great places to scour for unique handmade items and artisanal finds. Small batch production and commitment to creating innovative products with as much handmade flair are what makes weekend markets very popular with discriminating Ilonggo shoppers.
The Tahum Weekend Market held last June 4, 2022 at the right wing of Festive Mall in Iloilo Business Park provided an easy like Saturday morning vibe to shoppers in the popular shopping strip. From quirky embroidered espadrilles to statement jewelry, there was something for everyone--the Titas of Iloilo and even the millennial crowd.
These are the items that caught my eye!
Saturday, June 4, 2022
Thread, fabric and beads meld together to create tapestries of stories culled from personal experiences of hope and redemption. Dubbed Super Inday: Stitches and Stories Behind Bars, the art installation and exhibition features thick swathes of tapestry collage held together by a bold thematic crimson hue and intermingled with stitched objects fashioned in bright colors and meticulous patterns.
One of the striking features of this exhibition are the soft fabric sculptures that express a gentle ambiguity of the female silhouette, some anatomically incorrect. At closer look, the oversized dolls (that how lovingly I refer to them) seem to represent a state of consciousness that transcends the cold metal bars of a penitentiary. The mind and emotions cannot be chained and hence seek expression in handmade fabric avatars that represent unboundedness. This is when stories and emotions come to play and soft sculptures or art dolls as they are called are elevated to an almost spiritual, ethereal significance. To the untrained eye, the art dolls resemble Caribbean inspired shamanic voodoo dolls but to those who seek the story behind the fabric, the dolls are little alter egos created in whimsical, folklore inspired form. To create is to seek freedom, healing, and resilience both for self and others.
The women prisoners who are behind this inspiring art installation and exhibition to some degree have achieved a defining sense of self and empowerment and fabric is the avenue they choose to express their desire for liberation. Art sets one's spirit free.
Discover the stories behind the fabric. Get inspired by your inner Super Inday at the Hulot Gallery of Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art.
Hulot Gallery at Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art
Casa de Emperador, Iloilo Business Park
Mandurriao, Iloilo City
Gallery hours: Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday, May 29, 2022
Some of the coziest cafes can be found just in your neigborhood! For people living in Jaro and Tacas area, this modern rustic cafe located near the entrance of Alta Tierra Village can just be the perfect place if you're looking for some sweet coffee escape. Books and coffee style vignettes adorn dark wooden shelves and if you are Team Kahoy just like me, Barber's Ground Coffee is just idyllic. A lovely place that serves good, no-nonsense coffee, check out their latte range (the butterscotch!) and their wholesome Pinoy breakfast/brunch sets that are hearty and totally friendly on the pocket. For Happy Hour you might want to check out their craft beers- vanilla and caramel beer infused with fruity flavors like lychee and peach.
Barber's Ground Coffee is uncrowded on Sunday mornings, just the perfect place to have breakfast after morning mass or maybe after a haircut at your friendly neighborhood barbero. Do check out the shelves for coffee inspired mementos and souvenirs. They also offer takeaway coffee and grub via Grab Food.
Barber's Ground Coffee
Entrance of Alta Tierra Village, Jaro, Iloilo City
Shop hours: 8 am- 8 pm
Sunday, May 15, 2022
Do you like plants? Do you like coffee? Then you would love hanging out in the garden cafe of CINCO, a neighborhood hotspot located at Gran Plains Subdivision in Jaro district. Lush plants greet you as you enter the sanctuary like garden. The place is small and intimate yet very serene- a secret garden if you will for those who want to sip their iced coffees in private. An ideal date place for friends and lovers and plant lovers especially.
Cafe comfort food like grilled cheese, pizza and pasta make up the simple menu. I love a cafe menu that is straightforward and familiar. There's nothing more satisfying than melty grilled cheese washed down with iced Americano. That and between bites of homemade pizza, the cafe life is just best enjoyed al fresco.
CINCO Cafe
Block 6 Lot 4 Phase 5 Daffodils St.
Gran Plains Subd. Jaro, Iloilo City
Shop hours: 2 pm- 10 pm, Wednesdays to Sundays
Sunday, April 10, 2022
I'm fortunate to live in a city that has an incredible view of a mangrove lined river that undulates into bright horizons and spectacular sunsets. With the pandemic turning us into outdoorsy kind of people, we look forward to leisurely strolls around the nose shaped river (Irong-Irong is Iloilo City's old name) every weekend. There's nothing like open air and warm sunshine to soothe a pandemic weary soul.
On a carefree weekend, I would go for brisk walks along the 1.2 kilometer promenade that ends at Carpenter Bridge that connects Molo and Mandurriao districts. Iron park benches at the foot of the bridge invite one to sit and linger while watching a lonesome tiny banca glide through the river, its surface scintillating in the early morning sun.
The warm, heady fragrance of flowering trees (fire trees and ylang ylang) that line the side of the the brick paved road is a tropical olfactory sensation.
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