Rough Groove

Ilocos sojourn: Delicacies and pasalubongs

A mention of Ilocos and images of Paoay, Marcos, Pagudpud are conjured. But don’t forget the food: bagnet, pinakbet, papaitan and those fit for pasalubong (gifts that one brings to friends and family when one comes back home) like chichacorn, longganisa (native sausages), bibingka (rice cakes) and other sweets.

Ever since I’ve tasted this Laoag longganisa, I have always made it a point to eat one or two whenever I’m in Laoag. It was love at first bite! What with the spicy and garlicky flavor that is so unlike those I have eaten in most parts of the country that is somewhat sweet. Here, one can get it at the market (as posted in the photo above which was taken in the stall at the third floor of the public market) or at streetside eateries being cooked over hot coals. The saltiness is just alright and with less fat compared to the rest. As for the Vigan longganisa, I first tasted it in Sagada, Mt. Province but when I’ll come back to Vigan sometime next month, I will definitely try it again.

Empanada is, like the longganisa is obiquitous in most foodstalls around the city of Laoag and Vigan. These two cities, while they have the same shape and color (that from Vigan is paler compared to Laoag), its the stuffing inside that differs:

- Laoag empanada have for its filling mung beans, longganisa Laoag and egg
-Vigan empanada have for its filling cabbage, longganisa Vigan and egg

Of the two, I find those from the former to be filling and somewhat heavy but both are tasty. A visit to these two cities is never complete without partaking in this delectable streetfood.

Royal bibingka of Vigan is somewhat different from the usual rice cakes that I have tasted in Manila (like in Cafe Via Mare), Laguna (near the Southwoods exit , and anywhere else in the country including my home province in Cebu. Its texture is akin to a cassava cake. Compared to the one I’ve tasted near the Southwoods exit along SLEX in Laguna, I prefer the latter.

Chichacorn, chicharon (pork rind that is fried to a crisp) conjoined with corn to denote, what else, crispy fried corn kernels in different flavors. My officemates very much like these in different flavors: barbecue, cheese, plain salted and garlic. Its a popular pulutan (bar chow) or just as a pica-pica food.

When I get back to Vigan, I would want to taste their: okoy (shrimps in batter fried to a crisp, special tupik (a sticky rice, sugar concoction) that is placed inside bamboo tubes just like the dudul or durol of Sulu, kalamay (sticky rice and sugar with, I guess, coconut milk) and other Ilocano delicacies.

Related post:
A brief sojourn to Ilocos
Ilocos sojourn: La Preciosa

Ilocos sojourn: La Preciosa

We would have gone to Planet Ilocos but did not find it. Instead we went to La Preciosa Restaurant (+63 77 7731162) for those original Ilokano cuisine. The place has already transferred to its new location along Rizal St., in a converted 1950s house and has been featured in the national dailies for its great food and one of the most go to places when in Laoag City. Other than Ilokano, it also serves Filipino, American, Japanese and Spanish cuisine.

The signage near the entrance.

The spacious restaurant with its homey feel.

Bagnet or crispy fried pork was just delectable.

I’m not so fond of pinakbet but their’s is great that I just have to eat it.

Bagoong (fermented small shrimps) rice was unexpected but delicious.

The new location of the restaurant, a 1950s house.

Related post:
A brief sojourn to Ilocos
Ilocos sojourn: Bangui windfarm
Ilocos sojourn: Delicacies and pasalubongs

Series 18: Windfarm of Bangui, Ilocos Norte

A series of 10 photos of the windfarm in Bangui, Ilocos Norte during a sojourn there last Sunday already started at Binary Silver.

Related post:
A brief sojourn to Ilocos
Ilocos sojourn: Bangui windfarm

Ilocos sojourn: Bangui windfarm

Fifteen monstrous, no, massive and beautiful state-of-the-art structures sprouting along the shores of Bangui Bay in Ilocos Norte with their clean white paint, dominating the landscape. And what a site it was! Imposing, powerful and awesome!

The Northwind Bangui Bay Project, sponsored by the North Wind Power Development Corporation, consists of 15 turbines with total capacity of 25MW, standing at 70m each and costing about $35M with 90% of funds from the Danish International Development Agency. This green alternative power source is expected to reduce around 360,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) within ten years and can be used for carbon trading, credits given to a country for reducing CO2 emissions and can then sell these to developed countries. Under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol of which the country is a signatory, this also marks the signing of the first greenhouse gases emission reductions purchase agreement for a windfarm project in the Philippines and the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) of which the country is a founding member.

A 50KM 69KV overhead transmission line will deliver the generated power to Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) in Laoag City and is expected to provide most of the area’s power needs. With a 7% discount against the TransCo rate, it will afford a lower power rate, a boon in this hard and trying times due to surging oil prices. This is just the first of a series of windfarm projects across the coutry.

As regards to the location, this is just a beatuful place with tourism potential. Surfing can also be done here as waves are just huge and the sea is rough.

Related post:
A brief sojourn to Ilocos
Series 18: Windfarm of Bangui, Ilocos Norte

A brief sojourn to Ilocos

Ryan suggested visiting the windfarm of Bangui, Ilocos Norte and check out these massive structures that has been featured just recently in the newspapers. Why not? With nothing to do last weekend, we headed out to Laoag early morning last Saturday. We would have proceeded at around 0500H but my mobile phone did not ring off on the designated alarm time that I was only able to wake up 0520H, not 0415H. But anyway, we headed to the bus terminal of Partas in Cubao.

We were not able to catch the 0600H with the next at 0800H that we decided to ride the one going to Abra at 0645H and drop by Sta. Maria to do a shoot of that famed church which was delcared a UNESCO World Heritage site. And it was just awesome! Its the second time that I’v been to this church. The first a few years ago when I was still toting a film SLR. This time, I was able to enter the church as well as go to the ruined chapel a few meters below.

The buses going to Laoag were quite few that I decided that we take a Vigan bound bus and from there, catch another bus to our destination. While we were able to at last get on a Laoag bound bus, it was already about 2100H that we arrived there. We stayed at Hotel Tiffany (P780) and had dinner of sumptuous empanada followed by two pieces of delicious Laoag longganisa.

Early morning, Sunday and we proceeded to Bangui for the windfarms. We decided to ride a Cagayan bound bus since this will be faster instead of a jeepney which will still wait to have ample passengers. There, I did some shoot and bathed in the rough waters. 1000H and we proceeded back to Laoag, had lunch at La Preciousa restaurant for authentic Ilocano cuisine, had a glass of banana-strawberry shake at Macy’s Diner, checked out and headed to Paoay.

The Church in Paoay, another UNESCO World Heritage site is another earthquake baroque church that is an architectural gem. Did some shoot there, headed to Batac to view the preserved remains of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos (I doubt if this is the real corpse - just looked like a wax figure) and headed to Vigan where we were to catch the return bus to Manila.

Vigan is lively, compared to a few years ago when I visited this place. The plaza near the church is now dominated by Chowking, Jollibee and McDonalds. There is now an eating area for empanada and okoy. We bought some chichakorn for pasalubong at the office and Vigan’s Royal Bibingka.

2000H we boarded the bus and we arrived 7 hours later.

Related post:
Ilocos sojourn: Bangui windfarm
Series 18: Windfarm of Bangui, Ilocos Norte
Ilocos sojourn: Delicacies and pasalubongs