Number one on my to do list while in Iloilo City? To have a good steaming bowl of batchoy in its birthplace, La Paz.
As soon as we arrived in Iloilo City, after the scallop gorging in Gigante Norte, the first meal had to be batchoy, of course. "Please take us to the best batchoy place in La Paz," I tell my cousin. And so we were whisked to Deco's in La Paz Market.
Too hungry to take a sharp photo of the menu
Extra Php 65
Super Php 60
Special Php 55
Softdrinks Php 13
Puto Php 11
Bread Php 5
Mineral water Php 13
Bihon batchoy add Php 5
I was drooling while waiting for my bowl of batchoy. As soon as the bowl was set in front of me, my mouth became a faucet. It was so good looking with heaps of chicharon and a blob of cholesterol laden bone marrow. I am in heart attack heaven.
Extra - everything in it! pork, liver, intestines, chicharon, bone marrow
I found an old (2006) article about Deco's here. I do not know what year they succumbed to franchising. I have only been to one branch outside of Iloilo and their batchoy, unfortunately, doesn't taste as good — it had no bone marrow, had just about a third of the toppings compared to above photo, and it costs 30 pesos more — as what we had in Deco's in La Paz Market.
Deco's Original La Paz Batchoy
La Paz Public Market, La Paz, Iloilo City
(033) 320 1079
How Mustachio's cousin dug thru his pocket just so the first item on Mustachio's to do list can be ticked off:
Extra La Paz Batchoy Php65
Puto Php11