Batchoy has been one of the Ilonggo’s signature dishes and there has been a competition of which one serves the most delicious Batchoy dish. We have known of other unique versions like the one with the Coconut meat but still, nothing beats the original.

One afternoon after office work, I decided to pass by the Iloilo Central Market for a late Batchoy snack. The urge and crave that time was somewhat enhanced by the gloomy cold weather. The market is just two blocks away from the Iloilo City Hall so it was just a small walkathon. As I entered the market, there were a lot of people around looking busy buying goods and other items. I then quickly went to the stall where Popoys is located and found a line of people occupying a long bench and enjoying their hot bowl of Batchoy. That scene somewhat got me excited to order mine. I then asked the lady who was taking the orders to serve me one bowl of Super Special Miki Batchoy. That time though I forgot the add one fresh egg for the topping. I was situated near the area where the batchoy are made. I see their cook chopped up the ingredients along with the noodles into the bowl and filled it with broth taken from a large cooking steel pot. It was a beautiful sight to see. Again, I forgot to take a picture of that part.

Here is the bowl served after a few minutes of waiting.

That heavy chicharon topping made it looked more delicious. I sprinkled soy sauce and pepper before mixing the soup with the noodles and toppings and took my first sip. It was a very satisfying taste. See below the close up as I took a spoonful of the meat and liver toppings with the noodles.

Popoy’s Super Special Miki Batchoy costs about P60php and the add-on fresh egg at P10. You can also order Pan De Leche bread for another P10 and soft drinks for P15. All in all, the Batchoy cravings will only cost you P95. That is a lot cheaper than eating in branches located inside malls and I have noticed that the servings are also larger.

Be sure to add Popoys Batchoy in your food trip list the next time you drop by Iloilo City in particular, in the city proper area.

Until the next blog post.

*header pic grabbed from Foursquare.