ILOCOS NORTE -Vigan, Laoag, Pagudpud

Last month we went on a cultural trip to Ilocos Norte. It was a very long travel but we sure had so much fun. Naturally I took some pictures of some food you may find interesting in Ilocos. This is not an extensive listing since I couldn't choose where we would go that time - this is a company outing. But just the same I hope you'll be able to pick up something interesting from this post.

Early morning we passed by Jollibee in Hacienda Luisita. We were encouraged to eat breakfast because they said the trip is going to be long. Actually I didn't need convincing because I was so hungry.

Jollibee at Hacienda Luisita

We had lunch at Candon City. We were trying to save time so we were not given chance to look  for local restaurants. We ate at Max's. We ordered the group meal composed of fried chicken, sinigang na hipon, rice and iced tea. Outside Max's I saw a man selling 'kalamay'. I don't know what it's made of - maybe made of coconut or coconut milk or ground rice? It tasted good. It's a flat, round, thin dessert. You can buy four pieces for P 20. Each pack of 4 is wrapped in newspaper.

Kalamay

We stayed at the La Elleana Hotel in Laoag City. That's where we had our dinner. We had barbeque, chopseuy, egg drop soup and grilled chicken.

We checked out the 'night life' in Laoag. There's actually no night  life -- save for a few bars and videoke places. I and two other friends went to a restaurant called Ravanden's Grill, Kusina Kapampangan. Funny we ate in a Kapampangan restaurant in Ilocos. We asked for bagnet but they did not have it on their menu. What they have is lechon kawali (bummer!). We also had their crispy chicken which in a way made up for the lechon kawali let down.

Our breakfast was also at La Elleana. We had tapsilog (yeah I know we can have this in Manila but I can't do anything because it is a 'package tour'). Good thing they served the tapsilog with sukang iloco which was very very  good.

When you're in Ilocos you have to check out GARLIC. It's one of the things that moms and dads, lolos and lolas ask for pasalubong.There's also bagoong and iodized salt.

With all these garlic, Ilocos is sure to be aswang free.

Then of course there's sukang iloco sold in soda bottles.

Be sure to label these soda bottles "Sukang Iloco" so kids won't drink suka like softdrinks.

We had buffet lunch at a resort in Pagudpud. The food was great especially the vegetable dish.

Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte - first time to hear about this place. We passed by the are at around 4 in the  afternoon. We stopped to buy what the tour guide said is a popular pasalubong - biscocho. I always associate biscocho with Iloilo. Pasuquin's version is different. Pasuquin bakery has soft and hard versions of biscocho. It looks like your ordinary pandesal but it tastes as if it has anise. While waiting for my order to be wrapped I saw an old lady buying dozens of cheese bread so I got curious. I asked her why she is  buying a lot. She said the cheese bread tastes great. Naturally I tried it. Yum! Yum! Yum! It was really good. Cheesy (duh its cheese bread), firm, filling.

Biscocho  - hard variety

Biscocho - soft variety

Cheese bread

When we passed by Vigan on our way back to Manila we made sure that we would be able to eat bagnet. We went to a restaurant called Tummy Talk. Interesting name. They serve bagnet with bagoong with lots and lots of onions and tomatoes which I love very much.

Bagnet at Tummy Talk (with bagoong with tomatoes and onions)

Bagnet is also sold at pasalubong center. A kilo of bagnet is about P 380.00.

After dinner I tried to look for Ilocos Empanada. Since it was already late all the stalls selling Ilocos Emapanda around the plaze were closed. I really felt bad. the first time I went to Vigan I also missed this. But I was kinda lucky that night because when I reached the bus our tour operator had Ilocos Empanada for us.

Stoops Ilocos Bagnet and JT Manukan in Makati

Last Monday, my friends and I decided to eat at JT Manukan along Malugay St. in Makati because we wanted to eat something good yet affordable. We've been to this place several times already and we usually order a lot. I usually order 1 quarter chicken inasal and 3 sticks of baticulon (spell check!). My friends usually order the same.

Side story:

[In one of our previous visits I saw Stoops Bagnet restaurant beside JT Manukan. I wanted Ilocos bagnet so I asked the waiter at JT if I could order next door. I figured they would allow me because my friends are ordering from JT anyway. The waiter allowed me. Yehey! He even offered to order for me although I declined.]

Going back to Monday's visit: When we got in I immediately asked the waiter if I could order bagnet at Stoops but i informed him I will also order sticks of baticulon. (I usually ask things like this to be sure that I wont be put in an awkward situation later on.) He said yes then he followed it with "Ay, teka lang, sir! Itatanong ko kung pwede." (Just a moment, sir! I'll  ask if that is allowed.)

Another guy came to our table. He was wearing a different uniform from the rest so he is probably a manager or a supervisor. Anyway, I told him the same things I told the waiter. He said it is not allowed. I asked why. He couldn't answer at once. Then after a while he said they had an experience before when someone brought in bagnet and only ordered rice from them. I asked if they didn't order anything else. He said not. In my mind I knew he was lying. Why would somebody do that? Do they serve very special rice at JT that somebody would do that? He was lying just to  give an excuse for his decision.

My friend got irritated so she suggested we go to Stoops instead.

At Stoops I ordered spicy bagnet meal. The bagnet meal (P 90) consists of spicy bagnet, fried rice and a side dish. I got KKB or Kamatis, Kangkong and Bagoong. I also ordered dinengdeng (P 30).


I love their bagnet (both the regular and the spicy variety). It really tastes like the bagnet from Ilocos. And the dinengdeng is also flavorful. Hmmm.

The store is small. It is air-conditioned. Some of the food already cooked like the dinengdeng, binagoongan, igado. Others are cooked upon ordering like the Ilocos bagnet and daing na bangus (this is yummy as well). The set up is like a clean carenderia.

The restroom is clean. The floor is clean. The tables are small but you can join tables for big groups.