MyIloilo.com

It has been a lonely road for me, ever since my beloved Kates went abroad for work. I miss the times we dine out for dinner. I miss the times we play the part of the amateur, self-proclaimed food critic. And I miss the times when he gets those comments or feedback from the marketing staff of the restaurant that we take on. Either he gets good results or he gets hammered and criticized back. Well, like they say, it takes two to tango, right? Hahaha, whatever that means…

And so I take on the challenge of doing this hobby of ours, alone. I decided to try out a new place in Iloilo called the Bluechili Teahouse conveniently located in the heart of Iloilo City at the 2nd floor of Urban Inn, Luna Street Lapaz. You can always drop by the place even if you have your own wheels, or you just take the public transport vehicle. When you look at it outside you can immediately decipher that it is a restaurant with an Asian flair. I have tried some gourmet restaurants catering to that menu, and well, if must compare, in terms of taste and price, it was worth it. In terms of ambiance, the choice of colors and furniture was well suited, but since it is a teahouse in a building, it was rather warm inside. The air-conditioning unit was not fully functional. Too bad, especially if you order tea and some chilies to go with your dumplings. Their business card says that they cater to small parties, corporate and intimate meetings. I would say that it could be recommended as long as they improve on their A/Cs. The staff was hospitable and courteous. So I asked what was their house specialty, and the waiter serving me happily obliged with a detailed description of Bluechili’s specialty, which is dimsum. I ordered pork siomai and lomaikai (I can’t even pronounce the name of the dimsum). When it comes to food, I like a little bit of mystery and adventure, so I thought, okay here it goes! Well, Lomaikai was satisfying to the palate, and I was not disappointed with my choice. Its steamed sticky rice combined with ground pork, dried shrimp, and blackbeans wrapped in banana leaves. After finishing my meal, I decided to wash it down with their Herb Tea Honey Vanilla refillable tea. And I say to myself, “I feel good!” Afterwards, it was time to go check out their lavatory. And well, well, well it was clean! I’m impressed.

So, what’s my over-all assessment of Bluechili Teahouse? I give this hangout a thumbs up!