I have been to Ilo-Ilo several times; way back when I only have shopping malls and fast foods on my itinerary! :) I never realized the true essence of traveling when I was younger. On my recent trip, I vowed to do something different; heritage sites instead of malls, local restaurants instead of fast food chains.
As you all know, I failed on my sightseeing goal because of a very unfortunate event. I was so determined to succeed in the food aspect, but I made an exemption for lunch as I wanted to let my Mom have her favorite Kenny Roger's roasted chicken. I love to please my parents. Oh well, who doesn't? For dinner, I had the authentic La Paz batchoy in mind while my mom whispered 'Kenny Rogers' for the second time! Hahah! I felt so sorry, but I had to say "once is enough, Mama". :) I would probably have batchoy for dinner if I'm alone, but since I wasn't, I decided to have a "real" family dinner in one of the local restaurants.
My parents are cool, go-with-the-flow type of oldies. When I asked them if they want to have something Italian for dinner, they cheerfully agreed. Afrique's is a popular pizza and pasta place in Ilo-Ilo. It is one of the best, currently rank 11 in Tripadvisor's list of 73 dine-out spots in the city. A friend told me that I should never leave Ilo-Ilo without having a meal at Afrique's. I'm glad I took the advice this time.
