In the Saturday celebration of the Dinagyang Festival 2020, my itinerary was to visit the Kaon Ta Iloilo Food festival along Arsenal street and after that was to check the Ilomination of the heritage buildings along Calle Real. I posted earlier the one on the Ilomination event and for today, I will share my experience of the KTI food festival. Fyi, the term “Kaon Ta” means Let’s eat in English.

I initially planned to head out that morning before lunchtime to see the new features of the Saturday festivities as initiated by the IFFI and Iloilo City government. Unfortunately, I woke up that morning with fever and asthma and combined with a broken stomach so I had to take time to rest. I then went out around 4:00 pm where the weather is not that hot and humid. I dropped by Reis place first before walking to Arsenal street which is quite a few blocks away.

Entering the street, I saw their welcome arc and sort of an entrance where there is a guard to check your bag and to make sure you are safe to enjoy and dine inside. They have also posted a list of guidelines and house rules. Unfortunately, I was not able to take a picture of those.

The place was somewhat crowded with all the people eating and ordering their food at the participating stalls. I decided to go around the place first to see all of the dishes, local cuisines and delicacies available and it was difficult to walk through the crowd as there was only a thin line between the tables and the stalls. The people ordering were blocking the pathway so you will have to say excuse to pass.

My first stop was the stall serving shabu-shabu or those various kinds of shrimp, fish, meat and lobster balls and vegetables which were then boiled on a hot pot. You can pick the ingredients that you like to add in your bowl and each one is priced accordingly. I think the total amount of my bowl was around P120. Here are the pics I took while ordering and waiting for my shabu-shabu bowl. I topped mine with green onion leaves, garlic and a little of their chili sauce.  

After finishing that shabu-shabu bowl, it seemed that I was already feeling full but then I have thought to have one more dish so my KTI experience will somewhat be fulfilled. I checked on some of the burger stalls and in the hopes to order one. I inquired to a few of them and unfortunately, their burgers were quite pricey. I understand that it was a special food festival but then I let my practical self to do the decision.

I ended with the stall named “Chori Chori” which served various chorizo dish along with a chorizo burger. The price of one burger was only P50 and so I went with it. It was an ordinary taste with basic ingredients and sauce.

Total money spent: P200. I know I was a cheapskate at that time but I was concerned more about what I eat as it might trigger a stomach ache. I was not feeling 100% at that time so I had to be more careful.

Overall I think most of the people who attended the food festival pretty much enjoyed the food and the music from the live bands. I would personally prefer that the area would be more spacious next time but I know the organizers would have to work to optimize the current resources at their disposal. Still, good job and a thumbs-up sign to them.

That is a wrap for this Kaon Ta Iloilo Food Festival blog post, until next time.