Deco’s Original La Paz Batchoy, the ‘Father of Lapaz Batchoy’, recently opened a new, modern restaurant inside Robinsons Place Jaro.
Jareños and visiting tourists will surely be delighted with the opening of Deco’s third branch in the city, especially those who want to enjoy Ilonggo’s heritage dish served in a very cozy setting.
Deco’s branch in Robinsons Place Jaro offers customers a different vibe with its Ramen house-style concept. The restaurant near the entrance of the mall features an open kitchen with counter at the center. Customers will surely be happy to see how their favorite Ilonggo soup prepared before their very eyes.
Deco’s Batchoy Jaro’s interior walls showcase Iloilo’s iconic landmarks and Ilonggo’s rich culture through a mural. Its color scheme is a vibrant blend of brown, orange, yellow and blue tones, instantly brightening up one’s mood upon entering.
“We are revolutionizing the look of a batchoyan in Iloilo to make it more exciting to our guests. Given the fact that Iloilo is very progressive, Ilonggos today are more modern and many tourists are visiting our city. We have created a look that has an inviting ambiance that people from all walks of life will be happy to eat there,” said Marichel Magalona, the licensed operator of Deco’s Original La Paz Batchoy.
Keeping Tradition
The look of the restaurant may be modern, but the batchoy is very much Ilonggo and prepared the traditional way. This is the reason why Deco’s batchoy is so flavorful that people keep coming back.
“We continue to prepare our batchoy the same way it was done when it was created by Federico Guillergan Sr. This is how Ilonggos love their batchoy, and to this day, we continue to please their palate,” said Magalona.
With the concept of having an open kitchen, diners get to see how the food are being prepared and served to them, and will likely be impressed on the way the staff follow quality and safety standards.
“We do not practice shortcuts in our stock making. We ensure the quality of our ingredients. We have our own reverse osmosis system so clients are assured that the water used for our stock and for drinking are clean and safe,” Magalona added.
Father of La Paz Batchoy
Federico ‘Deco’ Guillergan Sr., a butcher in LaPaz Public Market, founded Deco’s Original La Paz Batchoy before the World War II.
He loved to cook and experimented on a soup by combining miki, pork meat, liver, intestines and different spices. The soup which he named batchoy, became a big hit to clients at the public market. This encouraged him to expand his business.
The people of La Paz first tasted the original Ilonggo soup for only 10 to 20 centavos per bowl served inside the La Paz Public Market on a counter-type setting.
Deco has passed on the baton to his sons since then on. That is when several Deco’s Batchoy outlets started to sprout out like in España Manila, Iloilo Capitol, Paglaum Sports Complex in Bacolod City and Iloilo Central Market.
Due to its popularity, some restaurants in Iloilo and Manila carry the dish La Paz batchoy in their menu. Now there are even instant noodles manufactured already.
In 2007, Ilonggo billionaire Edgar “Injap” Sia bought Deco’s La Paz Batchoy brand, and the rest is history.
Deco’s Batchoy is now in three locations, namely Robinsons Place Jaro, Robinsons Place Iloilo, and Valeria (La Salette Building). More developments is expected in the other branches in the coming months.
For their latest offerings and promotions, Like Deco’s Batchoy on Instagram @decosbatchoy and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/decos.lapaz.batchoy.official/.
