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Despite never having gone to Iloilo, one of my favorite Filipino dishes comes from that province. Named after the district from which it originated, the la paz batchoy is a soup broth made out of chicken stock, shrimp broth, pork innards, crushed chicharon, vegetables, and noodles. It’s not a very difficult dish to find in Metro Manila since a lot of Filipino restaurants and carinderias carry this on the menu. And I’m guessing that I’m not the only one who thinks soups like la paz batchoy and beef mami make the best rainy day afternoon snacks.

Just recently, Pinoy fast food chain Jollibee launched their own version of the la paz batchoy, which you can add on to your meal for Php 25 or get as a solo dish for Php 28. My curiosity was stronger than the searing noontime heat, so for lunch I went to the nearest Jollibee I could find to try it out.

I can’t compare the Jollibee la paz batchoy to the ones you can get in Iloilo because obviously I’ve never tried the latter. But from what I know of the la paz batchoy as served in Manila, the Jollibee version is fairly up to par taste-wise. It was served piping hot, not too salty, and has that garlick-y, slightly oily aftertaste that I love. However, you might be better off ordering the soup at carinderias, where the servings are larger and more plentiful. The la paz batchoy at Jollibee is ridiculously small – barely larger than a cup of rice, and it don’t contain as many pork innards as I’d like. My hunger was barely satisfied when I was done with my soup, and I had to order a one-piece Chicken Joy meal to make my growling tummy shut up.

It looks to me like the Jollibee la paz batchoy might do fairly well in the mass market because it definitely beats the next most accessible la paz batchoy source – the instant noodle types you can find in convenience stores. However, I think the la paz batchoy would be an even bigger hit if Jollibee offered size options. The large sizes would sell like pancakes during the rainy season and those who are craving for batchoy in the summer can still get their fix through the smaller sizes. Plus, people like me who get full and happy after a large bowl of noodle soup will definitely come back again and again for their la paz batchoy fix.

Tags: batchoy, Jollibee