Best Ilocano Food

If you ever decide to have a food trip in Ilocos, here are just "some" of the yummiest food (and very affordable too!) you can find:

1. Miki

A noodle soup with hard boiled egg. Perfect when eaten with puto and bread sticks plus loads of ilocos vinegar.

Miki Up-close:) 

The noodles have an eggy taste to it but it goes perfectly if you add of spicy sukang ilocos! You can also ask for extra soup if you want;)

 

Bread that was rolled, dipped in bread crumbs and deep fried to crunchy heaven.

It funny how filipinos enjoy eating carbs, carbs and carbs:)

 

2. Dawangs Carinderia 

A whole in the wall restaurant in Laoag and it is open for breakfast. Food here is cheap but really good and authentic. J's mom refuses to eat here:)

Insarabasab

What resembles thinly sliced liempo with tomatoes. 

It's super good when you add spicy sukang ilocos:)

I can't remember what this is. M, J's brother ordered this one with his Insarabasab.

Pinapaitan Baka

Sampalok and Bile flavored stew of tripes and innards

I was afraid to eat this because i normally do not eat anything with bile in it. It has a strong taste but it gets better as you eat more. It would help to not think of what it's made of...that's what i did! The meat is tender and thinly sliced.

3. Good Dinakdakan

Tito B got take-out dinakdakan from this place. 

Dinakdakan

Grilled pig head/ face

The meat is very tender and the sukang ilocos compliments it perfectly. It's similar to sisig, but it's not crunchy.

4. Food @ Mario's

This open air restaurant has a great ambiance and different kinds of Ilocano food that you can order. It's located near Fort Ilocandia, Laoag.

5. Ilocos Empanada

There are different places to buy this in Laoag or Batac. There are mixed reviews but for me, as long as I buy it in Ilocos, I'm good!

Rice flour with achuete, egg, monggo and vigan longganisa

This is sooooo good! Extremely crunchy and flavorful! Usually served with ketchup, though I prefer the ilocos suka. If your vegan, you can opt for the regular empanada, which doesn't have longganisa. Some places serve this with cheese inside. I guess I'll just try it next time!

Can you see how worth it this is?:)

6. Biscocho Bread

Pasuquin Bakery has been protecting its recipe ever since because so much people flock to this place for their bread. It's so tasty and soft that you can eat it alone. Or perhaps dip it in coffee and add butter:)

7. Pancit Cabagan

Pancit from Cagayan but is available in Laoag. 

Round noodles, julienned cabbage and carrots, boiled quail eggs and a generous amount of lechon de carajay slices.

This pancit is very heavy but so good! I mix all the sauces together.

sauce # 1: toyo with crushed onions and chili

sauce # 2: egg drop soup

It's like gravy...haha

Sauce # 3: calamansi

8. Ilocos Bagnet

To be eaten with Sukang Iocos or LechonSauce/Mang Tomas

Ilocos Bagnet can be found everywhere, but it's cheaper if you buy it in the wet market before going home to Manila. All you have to do is deep fry it at home. Make sure you separate the fat from the meat so it's easier to cook. You can store the extra portion in the freezer and it will keep.:)

9. Ilocos Longganisa

I prefer this to the vigan longganisa since it has more garlic and the size of the longganisa is bigger:)

Ilocos is such an awesome place to eat and get fat. There's always a different place to eat in. Plus, their spicy suka pretty much goes well with EVERYTHING. I am so excited to come back to binge and spend time with J's family.

Cheers to happy days!:)

Dinuguan Pizza @ Saramsam Restaurant, Ilocos Norte

Saramsam is the sister restaurant of Herencia Cafe. Food here is so great! It is located in Laoag and is right beside a karaoke place, so if you easily get annoyed with people singing the wrong tunes, you may want to visit during the day rather than dinner time.

Dinuguan Pizza

This is a must!

The highlight of my food fest! I know it seems disgusting, but it’s realllly goooood! Next time I visit, I won’t eat anything else so I’ll have space for this!

Awesome!:)

Saramsam Pasta

Mangoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic and cheese. This is a best seller in Saramsam and I would have to say that I am a fan as well. If you put chili oil and bagoong balayan = PERFECT!

yummm:)

Tuna Pasta

Ordered by Tita M and Tita N. It’s a bit on the spicy side.

Poque-poque pizza

This is ideal for vegetarians. It's made of crushed eggplant, tomatoes, onions and cheese. Better with loads of chili oil!

Poque-poque up close!

Iced tea with Basil

People usually order this with their food. I found it interesting since the taste of the basil is just right.

For sale!:)

I think I prefer Saramsam to Herencia. The service here is more personal and it's closer to the house of J's family. Next time I go to Ilocos, I will definitely try the other pizzas.


Cheers to more Dinuguan Pizza!:)

http://lifeisbeautifulandawesome.blogspot.com/2010/09/ilocos-norte-blue-lagoon-and-lunch-at.html
Ilocos Norte: Paoay Church and Herencia Cafe
Ilocos Norte Guide

Ilocos Norte: Blue Lagoon and Lunch at Hannah's Beach Resort

J, S and I decided to go to the amazing Blue Lagoon in Maira-ira, Pagudpud during our Ilocos vacation. Here is the view en route to Blue Lagoon.:)

Half of the road to Blue Lagoon is fixed, while the other half has yet to be developed. It would be best to use a nice van or any 4-wheel drive for more comfort and speed.

Doughnut shaped landmark:)

We decided to stay at Hannah's Beach Resort for our Day Trip. They charged us 1500 for a villa. It had a bed , towels, soap, tv, dvd player, refrigerator, couch and an extremely small bathroom. Imagine, I am 5Feet tall and I weigh 102 Pounds...and I could not even shower properly because the space was so small. In fact, I can shower and pee at the same time since it was right next to the toilet! It was the fastest shower of my life:)

Forgive me for not taking enough photos. There was a sign that were not allowed to take shots and the resort will just provide for us, but really, it's not worth showing.

Hannah's is one of the new resorts in Pagudpud, however it looks 10 years old. The bathroom water smells and tastes like salt and rust, the bathroom sink has so much rust, the furniture looks old fashioned...the place  needs more care and it seemed like the resort was not well thought of. The staff are okay... Some are nice and some are apathetic. I still think 1500 was a reasonable deal since we were also able to use the pool:)

Swimming Pool

J said they should have created an infinity pool, but instead, they blocked the view with more villas.

Beach Front of Hannah's

This area is not so nice since it's the center of the Blue Lagoon and it has a strong current. We couldn't swim here so we went to the end where the water is calm and more conducive for swimming.

People call this the "Boracay of the North"...with waves:)

I love how isolated this beach is.:)

The lifeguard from Hannah's warned us not to swim far since the current is too strong... I'm just happy the jellyfish are gone. Last time we went, they were everywhere:)

We decided to go back to Hannah's for lunch. Here's our PHP700 lunch:

Insarabasab

Liempo with onions, tomatoes and Ilocos Vinegar

This was good:)

Chicken BBQ

I was craving for chicken so I ordered this. the serving is big but it lacked taste - saltiness and maybe more bbq sauce

We also ordered drinks and twin popsies, which were refreshing.

Next time, I will try the other places along the coast of Blue Lagoon since I was not really impressed with Hannah's....unless they rebuild their bathroom and make it thrice the size so I can fit in the shower area:)

For cheaper places to stay, you can rent huts for PHP300 though you might get a heat stroke. There are paluto places as well if you wish to eat fresh seafood.

Cheers to awesome Ilocos!:)

Ilocos Norte: Paoay Church and Herencia Cafe
Ilocos Norte Guide

Ilocos Norte: Paoay Church and Herencia Cafe

Paoay Church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which looked a lot better 13 years ago, when the area was less commercialized. Corals were one of the materials used to build this:)

When you visit, you need to dine in Herencia Café and have their Ilocano Pizzas. As you dine here, you have a really pretty view of the church.

J, M, J and I decided to have a snack and eat: Pinakbet Pizza and Longganisa Pizza (2 in one). You have the option to order 2 separate pizzas since it will be a lot cheaper. Since we weren’t really hungry, we opted for the 2 in one pizza.

Longganisa Pizza (left) and Pinakbet Pizza (right)

Pinakbet Pizza:)

The longganisa pizza was salty and tasty. I was surprised since I didn’t expect the pinakbet to be good as well. It would be better if you add Bagoong balayan to the Pinakbet pizza.

I am not a fan of pizzas but I definitely will try this again!

Menu

Some tables are vintage sewing machines!:)

View from our table:)

Cheers to Awesome Ilocano Dishes!:)

Related Topics:
Ilocos Norte