A Delectable Catfish Feast at Hito-Go in Valenzuela

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The farthest in the North that I got for a restaurant review was in Malabon to try one of their food parks, but now I could say that I also made it to Valenzuela for a similar reason. It seems no matter where we go, there will always seem to be some rare foodie finds to please our taste buds, and for this one, bring back memories of my childhood.

Our special lunch of catfish at Hito-Go in Valenzuela truly brings back some fond memories of my youth when I used to enjoy my mother's "hito" cooked in "miso" or soybean paste, then added with mustard leaves, and okra, plus some tomato and onion slices. And just like every sinigang, add enough tamarind mix as the final ingredient.

I do hope they add that particular dish to their catfish menu, and maybe also "ginataan" because anything with coconut milk is good for most of us, especially if you add a hint of spiciness, to make it just about perfect. Don't forget the rice, our staple food, to complete the dining experience. Now, this is where you could also go "unli-rice" until you drop! Lol!

But speaking of rice, the Boodle Bilao let's you sink in to a festive feast perfect for groups. By the way, you may ask for their special sauce with secret ingredients to really perk up the hito dining experience.

They also have other dishes where the catfish is the star, like the Kinilaw na Hito and the Hito Sisig, and the pultun-perfect Chinicharong Tinik ng Hito, aside from other seafoods like Calamari, Cream Dory Fillet, Bangus, Tilapia, and their Bilao Boodle available in three sizes where they also offer pork, chicken, salted egg, tortang talong and some steamed vegetables like okra and sitaw, also bagoong.

What makes Hito-Go special is that the owners have hectares of farm (excited to visit it soon) where they can conveniently harvest (or should I say catch) these catfishes to guarantee clean, fresh and plentiful supply....Thus, more affordable as well.

Breaking the stigma that catfishes come from unsanitary sources, rest assured that that is never the case if they come from Hito-Go. Though they are survivors that could live at the worst conditions and places, since I did used to see them swimming around during floods in my hometown, nowadays they are a rare sight to behold. I would normally only see these fishes at Muslim-run restaurants offering Halal-compliant dishes. Now considering Halal food are supposed to be processed in clean and sanitary environments, you may think they would stay away from these fishes with whiskers, but catfishes did pass as among their meals. Chef Lucky also told me that contrary to.what I previously knew, the Chinese also are fond of eating catfish, aside from the popular dimsums. Now this is probably not a big surprise since they also enjoy eating chicken feet.

Hito-Go will be opening their brand for franchising so please direct all inquiries to their Facebook page now to become one of the pioneers in this business opportunity.

We would like to thank Chef Lucky for having us at his Valenzuela branch, currently the only one with a dine in option capable of sitting around 20 customers. If you're also lucky, maybe you'll get to see them grill your catfish oders too.

I believe the only suggestion I would give is to make the branch more customer-friendly by adding visually appealing menus on display at their counter. Seeing images of the food convinces customers because we would already get an idea of what we will get to eat. I would also give recommendations on the place, but I believe they will only offer take-out branches for their franchising. Now, that could be a more convenient and with less overhead option since that would mean less manpower requirements if you take away the dine in.

Overall, I was more inclined to come back for the grilled hito not just because it offers a more tasteful dining experience since you would really appreciate its difference in taste compared to other fishes, but I'm also biased against anything fried, thus the breaded and fried version was not a favorite.

Do try this foodie find and let us know if you agree with us on our review.

More photos and videos on our official Wazzup Pilipinas Facebook page.

Bestsellers:
Crispy Fried Breaded or Grilled Hito-Go with Rice Meal: P99.00
Chinicharong Tinik ng Hito: P49.00

Small Bilao Boodle: P349.00
Medium Bilao Boodle: P649.00
Big Bilao Boodle: P1049.00

Bucket of Hito-Go for Takeout
Bucket of 3 - P239.00
Bucket of 5 - P399.00
Bucket of 7 - P549.00

Highly Recommended are the Sisig Hito and Kilawing Hito

Store Location:

#1 Llenado St. Malinta Valenzuela City
(Near Mercury Malinta, beside Gemz Acrylic)
Operating Hours:
Mondays to Sundays
11:00am to 10:00pm

For Dine and To-go
Hito go has a dining capacity of 22 PAX. For advanced orders, please order 1 hour in advance so they can prepare your orders accordingly.

They also have a Take-out only branch in Malabon

Contact Number: 0923-6604438
Mail: info@hito-go.com
Website: http://hito-go.com
Fb: http://Facebook.com/FortiasHitoGo

#HitogoISDAbest# FreshISDAbest
#LetsGoSaHitoGo #Hito #Foodies #WazzupPilipinas #PambansangBlogger #Valenzuela #HitoGo

Effective Tips to Improve the Conversion Rate of Your Small Business Website

Wazzup Pilipinas!

With the digitalization and the entrance of new technologies, leading an online business becomes more and more popular. In general, you have the potential opportunity to reach billions of consumers from all over the world. However, it is not as easy as it may seem. You need to put many endeavours to overcome all the challenges and be a “leader” within the growing competition. In case you cooperate with an experienced eCommerce digital agency you will get the best eCommerce marketing services. They will help you to use the latest trends to succeed. These agencies will surely suggest you implement the tactics of eCommerce SEO and eCommerce PPC management for ranking high and getting traffic. Ranking high and gaining visitors are critically important for your business goal. However, your main goal is to make your visitors convert. Through it, you can figure out the intention of your website visitors, gain more customers and have business growth. Let us have a look some effective tips that will help to improve your conversion rate:

1. Focus on Devices and Speed;

If you want to have a high conversion rate, first of all, you need to have a responsive and fast web design. It means that your website should be accessible in all type of devices (including mobiles, tablets, laptops, etc.). People use mobile phones everywhere they go. If you fail to create a mobile-friendly website, your website visitors will hardly convert. Speed as well plays a great role, as delays will not only reduce conversions but also will have a negative impact on your ranking.

2. Focus on Website Content and Design;

When speaking about conversions we can never ignore the role of a content. Why? The answer is that it is the best way to inform your website visitors about your product or service. Quality content builds trust and encourages conversions, as it gives the information they need for making a decision to buy. However, your website should not only be informative but also impressed by its design. Your website should impress from the first sight so as visitors do not leave it. Website navigation is also very important.

3. Utilize Diversity in Your Marketing Strategies;

When looking at eCommerce PPC services or eCommerce SEO services we see two different approaches. Different agencies (including SEO or PPC agencies) implement the tactics of one or the other in their strategies. However, the mix of them can bring the success that you can never expect. Working together these two can give a multi-channel approach to eCommerce marketing, increasing conversion rates.

4. Utilize Social Media;

As social media is very popular among people it has become a great platform for eCommerce advertising and customer-business relationship. It gives you the opportunity to share information, interact and increase brand awareness. Responsiveness and availability to your customer’s queries build trust and help increase conversion rates.

5. Include Reviews;

According to studies customer reviews have a great role in improving conversion rates. A lot of people tend to make their decisions based on the experience of other people concerning the same product. So, reviews are influential in building trust for your eCommerce business.

6. Include Contact information and Chat;

A lot of people consider contact information as a sign of confidence. Providing contact information makes your website look accessible and if your customers fail to find it quickly they will leave your website. Another important way of quick access is live chat. Through it, your customers can get all the answers and information they fail to find on the website. If you do not manage to have 24/7 online service, in this case chatbots can come to help.

7. Offer Various Payment Options and Free Shipping.

Not all people use the same payment options. It means the more options you include in your website the more conversions you will have. With it never forget to suggest free shipping. In most cases, it attracts eCommerce purchase decision.

Discovering the most effective tips to increase your conversion rate is the key element to improve it. You need to choose the best tactics to attract more and more visitors making them your potential clients and having a successful eCommerce business.

Author

Tigran is a marketing and creative content specialist at Smarketa.com with a primary focus on SEO, PPC and customer satisfaction for eCommerce business. Being a true humanist she draws inspiration from the simple thing as everyday life and the matters one come across on a daily bases doing her best and above to help everyone around.

MARINA Pushes for Phasing-out of Wooden-hulled Ships

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), together with partner government agencies and private stakeholders, pushes for the phasing-out of wooden-hulled ships and its replacement with technologically improved hull materials, during an institutional mechanism workshop with boat operators and associations in Iloilo and Guimaras yesterday, 22 August 2019.

MARINA OIC – Administrator Vice Admiral Narciso A Vingson Jr led the workshop by providing an opportunity for the local boat associations to raise their concerns regarding the phasing-out of wooden-hulled ships for the modernization of the domestic shipping industry.

Aside from the need for more developed port facilities and infrastructure, the stakeholders shared that the lack of financial resources to replace their wooden-hulled ships with modern units is a major challenge for domestic ship modernization.

Hence, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) expressed its full support to stakeholders by encouraging them to avail of its financing program known as CRUISE or Connecting Rural Urban Intermodal Systems Efficiently (CRUISE) that reinforces the development of an integrated and multimodal national transport and logistics system in the country, payable until 15 years.

However, eligible borrowers under the CRUISE financing program include: private corporations, government agencies, local government units (LGUs), government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), financial institutions, and cooperatives. Individual operators are not eligible.

With this, the Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC) encouraged the stakeholders to form a cooperative so they may explore other business ventures to further increase shared capital and enjoy tax exemption. The office also explained the step-by-step procedures, as well as the requirements of boat operators and associations to be accredited as a transport cooperative.

The Caticlan - Boracay Transport Multipurpose Cooperative, for one, has shared their success story of deploying 12 fiberglass boats to cater to approximately 15,000 daily passengers in the Caticlan – Boracay shipping route and how it helped them build their shared capital of 218 million pesos.

Meanwhile, the local government of Iloilo represented by Mayor Siegfredo Betita of Carles, Iloilo and Guimaras represented by Congressman Lucille Nava, Governor Samuel Gumarin, Vice-Governor John Edward Gando, and Mayor Eugenio Reyes of Buenavista, Guimaras have committed to extend all possible assistance to boat operators and associations in the process of phasing-out their wooden-hulled ships and its replacement with technologically-improved hull materials through continuous dialogues and by creating other sources of employment, especially for those sailors who will be displaced as a result of the phase-out.

Several local and international boat builders and shipbuilders including the OCEA Shipbuilding and Industries, Philippines PIO-Ship Inc., Metallica Shipyard, Lacson Marine Consultancy, Swerte Grande Ventures Corp., Suzuki, Pinoy Catamaran, and the Boat Industries Association of the Philippines (BIAP) also participated in the workshop.

They presented available boats and ship designs made of aluminum, steel, or fiberglass that the stakeholders may consider as replacements to existing wooden-hulled ships. These modern designs are proven to be safer, more durable, and more environment-friendly, as well as consume less fuel and provide more convenient services to the riding public.

After the workshop, the boat operators and associations, LGUs, government agencies, and private partners have expressed their commitment to work hand-in-hand with the MARINA in upholding maritime safety and promoting the comfort of the riding public through the construction and the utilization of modern boats and ships.