TASTE CAVITE: Homegrown dishes from Cavite that you don't know

Cavite is known for coffee not because it has much coffee farms and has a center for coffee research and study in a known university. But it also known for its fishing industry Cavite also has a coastline meaning Cavite is bountiful with seafood. But have you ever tried their dishes?

Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park gathered all these dishes all over Cavite. The vastness of Cavite area shows that there is still diversity especially in the local dishes. Island Cove executive chef and resident Caviteno Mr. Vill Purificacion and his culinary team is responsible for recreating and cooking these dishes because these are the dishes only the Cavite locals are familiar with and enjoy.

Island Cove managing director Mr. Gilbert Remulla, who hails from Imus, said that “everyone should know how rich the Cavite cuisine is. Since Island Cove is now considered a gateway of all things Cavite (and) these dishes is from our childhood.”

Upon arrival, we were serenaded by a group of minstrels to welcome us and were treated with a welcome drink of fresh coconut.  While waiting for the second batch to arrive, we tried to see if we can catch tilapia in the coastline since we are standing on it literally. The bamboo huts elevated above the coastline which is also part of the Manila Bay so you can have that feel of dining on fresh catch. Speaking of catch, only one of us caught a tilapia but since it is too young, we had to let it go back to the water.

For appetizers, we ate Tahong (mussels) Chips originally from Bacoor and Fried Lawlaw from Cavite City. Lawlaw is the kind of fish that is small and hard to fry that because of its size. Who would have thought that mussels and fish fillet can be a snack? I already tried tahong chips before but it was already a packed product but this tahong chips are fresh when deep fried.

From this point, get ready to crave hungry because I am now going to show you the all the mouth-watering dishes I tasted.  First, the Adobong Imus. Chef Vill is also from Imus and he prides himself because the recipe comes from his grandmother. Imus is a big area in Cavite but is far from the coastline so they also have a variation of the Filipino adobo. Instead of the usual soy sauce, the Adobo Imus used annatto oil, vinegar, bay leaves, salt and pepper. This will be the adobo that is a little spicy because of the pepper.

If you fancy a soup dish, you must try the Calandracas from Cavite City. It may appear like a typical sopas but it has slices of sausages to add to its creamy soup. But what really caught my taste buds was the Mutya ng Cavite. It consists of mussels, clams, crab and shrimps. The rich creamy soup just reminds me of clam chowder. The dish originates from an old restaurant 7 Sisters in Marulas, Kawit and was owned by the Sabater family. I can see why it is Mr. Remulla's favorite and it is also my new favorite.

Taste Cavite dishes will be served every weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) starting November 18 and will be served daily starting December 22. More dishes will be featured in my next post. Just follow this blog and like https://www.facebook.com/LENSblogs .