There’s always
something about old houses transformed into bed and breakfasts or restaurants
that piques my fascination. If given a choice between a post-modern
establishment or a repurposed heritage home, I’ll pick the latter any day.
 |
| The Camiña Balay nga Bato - an important cultural property |
This is the case
with Camiña Balay nga Bato in Iloilo. Literally means “house of stone”, the Camiña
Balay Nga Bato, also known as Avanceña House, was originally built in 1865 in
the Arevalo District along the Iloilo River by Don Fernando Avanceña as a present
to his wife, Eulalia Abaja.
 |
| The house also doubles as a museum where antique items from typical Iloilo heritage homes are displayed |
 |
| Every corner is pleasing to the eyes. |
Father Anselmo Avanceña,
the first parish priest of Molo town in Iloilo, designed the house in the
'arquitectura mestiza' architectural style, which refers to the concept of
fusing indigenous Filipino elements with Spanish influences.
 |
| The 'balcon comedor' or the home's casual dining room |
The home has
undergone many restorations, but some of its original features, such as the capiz
windows, narra floors, and kamagong wooden walls, remain intact. The original
wooden posts—there are more than twenty of them—are still the primary pillars
that support the house, as the owner claims.
 |
| The buffet table |
Through the years,
the house was handed down from generation to generation until Gerard Camiña and
his wife, Luth Camiña (4th generation), came about to become its current
owners. A marker outside the house describes it as an “important cultural
property,” as declared by the National Museum in 2015.
 |
| Kaon ta! |
The decision to
build the house near the river was a strategic one, as back then, the Avanceña
was engaged in the trade of woven cloth, specifically hablon
weaving, and the river serves as an easy gateway to transport materials and
finished products to adjacent towns.
 |
| Pair your meal with their tsokolate batirol |
Serving the Best of
Ilonggo Cuisine
I've had the
wonderful fortune of having dined here on three occasions now, covering each of
my recent trips to Iloilo. The home-cooked delicacies, a representative of
heritage Ilonggo cuisine, made each dining experience feel more like coming
home.
 |
| Just some of the dishes included in the buffet selections |
Aside from their
specialties, the flavorful pancit molo and tsokolate batirol, which is prepared
in front of you using a 'batidor' (whisk made from guava tree) to beat the tablea
mixture in a heated cast iron jug, you can enjoy a feast with your family and
friends with their day’s buffet menu served in the house's airy casual dining
room, or what was called back in the day as 'balcon comedor'.
 |
| Ratotoy is fried eggplant topped with fresh farm tomatoes and onions and served with a unique sauce. |
On my last visit to
Camiña Balay Nga Bato, the buffet menu consisted of ratotoy (an Ilonggo version
of ratatouille), fresh spring roll lumpia, empanada, minatamis na saging, pork
binuog with hot spicy dip, chicken inasal, grilled and fried garlic bangus,
embotido de arevalo, adobo rice, papaya pickles, pancit miki bisayas, mixed
seafood, and of course, pancit molo and tsokolate de batirol.
 |
| Embutido de Arevalo consists of meat loaf filled with ground pork, carrots, and raisins, wrapped around slices of eggs and sausage. |
As this most recent
Iloilo trip of mine winds down to this last day, the finale of DOT’s Philippine
Experience Tour of Iloilo and Bacolod, we made the most of our hearty lunch by
capping it off with great conversations and a song number from DOT Region 6
Regional Director Krisma Rodriguez, who belted a few Disney songs before us
participants made our way to Iloilo airport.
 |
| Me and my Gregorio Del Pilar shirt |
What better way to
bookend another memorable trip to Iloilo than having a fine meal at the Camiña
Balay Nga Bato. Like a returning son, I look forward to coming back to this
heritage house that feels like the ancestral house in the province that I never
had.
