Seafood Feast Tonight at Alan's Talabahan

A close friend of mine, Nessy just texted me this morning about this cool resto here in Iloilo. It's a good thing to receive her message because, I have been searching the web for cool restaurants here and there are really plenty of them to choose from.

A friend of her from Antique actually is the one who originally introduced this place to her then to me. The place is called Alan's Talabahan and is currently located in Oton, Iloilo. If you crave for mouth-watering seafood, then this is the right place for you to feast!

It was 5:30 PM when I left Iloilo City and headed down to Oton. From Ong Bun Pension (where I am currently booked for a stay), I rode a jeepney to Molo (P7). From Plaza Molo, I hopped in to another jeepney (to Oton, P13) and advised the driver to drop me off at Gaisano Mall. 

Just in front of Gaisano, I can already see Alan's Talabahan's facade. I am still holding on to Nessy's text messages. She promised that when it comes to good food, this place will never fail my expectation. 

Immediately, I entered the resto and was a little surprised. I was kind of expecting that this place is going to be more of a sosyal (read: casual) hang-out, like a place with a unique interior design and a modern ambiance, but I was all wrong.

Somehow, I started to admire this restaurant as I focus into its details. 

I consider this place as one of the original Filipino classic, home-grown restaurants. The place is mainly made of wood, bamboo, and grass for the roofing. The flooring is not made of shiny-shimmering tiles but it maintains the original earthen rough ground flooring. There are no electric-powered fans here since it has large windows so everyone can feel the cool air coming in. The waiters are not even on their suits but are just maintaining a low profile attitude by wearing rubber flip-flops instead of formal shoes.

To maintain a more barrio feel, the restaurant also plays Filipino OPM songs that are occasionally heard on the radio now. A song with a lyrics: "Sa Maynila ka makakahanap ng magagandang babae (In Manila, you can find beautiful girls)", just made me smile. It's my first time to hear it and I don't even know who's the artist who sang it and don't know the title either. 

The restaurant has large windows so everyone can feel the cool air coming in.

The restaurant's original earthen flooring

Now, lets check out the available food.

While listening to this song: "Di na Ako Aasa Pang Muli (I'll never give trust again)", I am feasting over this stuffed squid (P120) so good enough for dinner. 

To be here was really an amazing experience! As I headed back to downtown Iloilo City, I texted Nessy right away to thank her and her friend for letting me know about this place. It's a dining experience I will never forget.