What’s the best thing about going out with your friends? Being able to share laughs, stories and antics with them, over good food and drink, in a relaxing environment. Through the years, we at Halo Halo de Iloko, have provided a comfortable nook for friends to meet up during the rainy school days when there’s not much to do at home after school.

When the weather is too cold, eat something hot; if the weather is humid, order our delicious iced fruit melange (halo halo). Whatever the occasion, even if you’re just celebrating the fact that your teacher is absent, come over and share a wealth of goodness and camaraderie with your friends.

Credit Cards are necessary resources now with the rising prices of commodities and, inadvertently, the capital requirement for each business venture. If managed well, the money we can borrow through our credit cards play a big role in a business’ survival and longevity. It extends our buying capacity, for things we need in our enterprise.

But how about those who have bad credit? Don’t they get the chance to still avail of the benefits offered by having a credit card at hand to support a financial plan? There are Instant Approval Credit Cards For Bad Credit plans in credit companies that needs looking into. How you turn your credit status around given this deal is up to you, but it will definitely work. Read the rest of this entry »

Besides eat great tasting, filling and authentic Ilocano Food, people go to Halo Halo de Iloko to experience the culture of Northern Philippines. The Ilokanos, as we are called distinctively among fellow Pinoys, have the sincere warmth of a people who live in communion with nature. That we are located so close to the sea means that the seafoods that we serve are the freshest you can find in the region.

Our invitation “Magpasarap ka muna”, means ‘Take a break and indulge“. And you should. ^_^

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thanks mia for the photo

[image from syot's. Thanks]

Summer!!!

Our city boasts of the best waves to ride in northern Philippines. This is where surfers go to hang out, mingle with other surfers or meet and teach newbie surfers who are raring for some wave fun and sun worshipping.

When you arrive at San Fernando City proper, you know that you are only 5 minutes away from the surf spots. It’s time for that hearty breakfast to give you that extra edge over those waves.

A tapsilog (thinly cut tender beef meat with vegetables, rice and egg) and a serving of crispy fries will get you energized to ride that surfboard the whole day.

Do you have a business in mind? A food business perhaps that will bring in customer and profits? This is the best time to plan. When school year opens this year, people will be all over themselves setting up businesses to cater to the young ones who will go to school, stall prices will sky rocket, and competition will be fierce. Planning ahead has never hurt those who intend to make a lot from their investment, but providing funding for those plans is another matter.

Availing of a qualified credit card service is a good option as you can invest using borrowed money, then pay later using your profits. Capital will not be a problem anymore, as these services will provide you with the jump start you need.

Already have the starting funds? Borrow for growth! It is never too early to plan for way beyond the time when you think you will be comfortably breaking even and earning profit. Expansion is the only logical way to go for a product or a service that is bound to be a winner.

Photography genius Deng once again wowed us with this creative photo he took of the entrance of our store. That night, the street lamp wall decorations outside the doorway were lit, not torches. The white light from inside the store shines through the traditional capiz-laden windows. These windows belonged to our forefathers. Nowadays, real capiz shells are almost non-existent, replaced by synthetic ones that felt, smelled and looked like plastic. I love hand-crafted windows.

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that we grew up in this house as small kids with our playmates.; climbing to the spot there the HHDI sign is now and shouting ’til all the neighbors are awake.

It is no secret that successful food businesses are built primarily on good recipes and service, the ambiance, location and all else come later. Some will say that location is the key, but experience shows that no matter where you are, if people who sampled your dishes love you, they will go out of their way to come back for more.

A secret that most food businesses keep is the continuous training, by availing of further education in cooking in culinary schools. How will a culinary school or a chef school help in improving a business? These will keep the food business owner up to date with the trends in mainstream dishes served in restaurant. After all, good dining is a dynamic business.

A business can have one pitfall with regards to crediting, and that is credit addiction. With a big extension of resources, some businesses fail to see that credit is still something they have to pay for. How to overcome this?

1. Planning - Detail all you want to purchase and stick to the list. Overspending can be avoided if the shrewd business owner treats credit as a partner rather than a friend. A partner that needs maintenance and needs to be paid for services.

2. Delegation - Assign someone to monitor your credit status. With all the nuances of handling a business, someone else should do the monitoring of ‘hidden’ expenses. Someone who will shrewdly analyze the finances before the company turns red.

3. Temporary Freezing - Know when to stop borrowing, and borrowing only what you can afford. Assign a quota for your credit card. Wisely delineate what should be the priorities for this payment cycle.

Food Connect is a new and wonderful site I discovered while researching ways to improve our restaurant business. It is a site where we can submit our recipes, and even request for other ‘foodies’ (other food enthusiasts) to suggest some ways to prepare and cook a concept recipe. It is an interactive system where food lovers can discuss recipe ideas and cooking techniques with like minded individuals and even network for menu planning. Membership Registration is FREE.

We can request for a free nutritional analysis of our own recipes, which is wonderful because we can plan meals according our family’s and customers’ nutritional needs. The main thing that I like is that we can get our friends into a meal and recipe planning program, by uploading their email addresses into the system and getting them to join too.

One section of the site is a collection of recipes particularly made for diabetic people. I love this section because it provides help for planning meals in families with a history of diabetes. I particularly want to try their Banana-Oat Muffin for diabetics. It uses cultured and reduced fat buttermilk and whole wheat, and the bananas provide for the sweetness in the muffin without too much sugar. This is for the diabetic people to not feel left out when dessert time comes.

February has come and gone, and so did fiesta season in San Fernando, La Union, Philippines. However, we at HaloHalo de Iloko still consider everyday as fiesta day. As shown in the photo, banderitas or brightly colored streamers still adorn our store.

Filipino fiesta quirks are so unique. Little nuances such as fiesta decors add a lot to a pinoy’s morale. Fiesta means lively disposition and camaraderie, and a whole community celebrates an occasion of thanksgiving for the wealth of blessings we have received so far.

Here’s to more fiesta spirit at HHDI!