Ilocos travel series: Ilocos Norte and more (day 2)

As much as we wanted to stay longer in Java Hotel for its unique ambiance, the second day of our northern exposure trip meant more sights to see. 

I <3 Ilocos Norte

On the second day, we toured Ilocos Norte and its nearby sights. Our first stop was Marcos Mausoleum but taking photos of Marcos' preserved corpse (if it really it was) was not allowed.  We had the chance to view the late President Ferdinand Marcos' refrigerated corpse and it kinda looked like it was made of wax.  The nearby Marcos museum was closed for renovation so there isn't much to see. 

Marcos' presidential plate numbers

Paoay Church is one of the grandest churches I’ve ever seen. If I were an Ilocano, I would probably want to get married here someday. From every angle, the church exudes a very elegant and grand façade. Paoay church is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list and known for its unique combination of baroque, gothic, and oriental designs. 

Paoay Church

Best travel barkada :)

A short walk from the Paoay Church is Herencia Cafe which serves one of the best pinakbet pizzas in the province. We ordered one for take-out. When in Herencia, the view of the church is really amazing. I can imagine people dining in the café and eating their pinakbet pizza while enjoying the view of the church after the Sunday Mass.

Herencia Cafe

Then, we drove for another 30 minutes or so to Malacanang of the North. It is locally called ‘Malacanang ti Amianan’.  The Malacanang of the North is the official residence of the late President Ferdinand Marcos in Ilocos. It was constructed on a land projecting the Paoay Lake. 

Malacanang of the North

in the grand staircase

We toured around the house and saw the many rooms of the Marcos clan. I was surprised to know that the the former first couple has separate bedrooms in the house.

Marcoses matrimonial bed

After touring most of the major sites in Ilocos Sur, we travelled to Pagudpud after lunch. We trekked to Kabigan Falls in 30 minutes and dipped in its very cool water and enjoyed our take-out pinakbet pizza from Herencia Cafe. 

Kabigan Falls

And finally, we headed to Pagudpud which we were all looking forward to..beach!!!! We stayed at Hannah’s Beach Resort in Blue Lagoon (Maira-ira Beach). 

Blue fishing boats in Pagudpud

Since everyone was so excited to hit the beach, we waited no longer to swim in Blue Lagoon’s inviting water. We owned the beach to ourselves. 

Chillaz by the beach

The beach is just perfect as well as really intimate and perfect for those long walks in the beach, if you get what I mean :D Blue Lagoon is actually a beach cove so you can walk from one end of the cove to another.

:)

We’d stop to appreciate the serenity of the place as well as the interesting rock formations. I don’t know, maybe we were just there on an off-peak so we had the beach to ourselves which is not bad at all.

If you're looking for a serene and white sand beach in the North, Pagudpud is the beach to be.

Ilocos travel series: Vigan (day 1)

My friends find it hard to believe when I say I haven’t gone to Ilocos. With my regular weekend escapades, a place like Ilocos could be toured and squeezed into one weekend. So anyways, I finally crossed the Ilocandia region off my travel list when my friends and I impulsively booked for a promo flight (of course!).

My Ilocos travel was one of the more memorable and 'bang for the buck' trips I’ve made. 

We arrived at Laoag International Airport around 10am via Philippine Airlines. We were met by our tour guide and off we started our itinerary for the day. Thefirst thing on our list is Vigan and we traveled approximately 2 hours to get there. We got there lunch time and with rumbling stomachs we ate at the famous Café Leona.

Cafe Leona

The food was absolutely delish but as you know that I like the food after the main meal. I ordered their tsokolate batirol. I love its very chocolatey taste and its bits.

Tsokolate batirol

After our hearty lunch, we walked along Calle Crisologo and checked on some old houses and souvenir shops. Calle Crisologo is  a cobbled-stone street where you can see old Spanish houses dating back from the 18^th century. It’s great to know that these antique houses have been preserved through time. It’s like walking in the past; the atmosphere at Calle Crisologo will make you feel that you are walking 300 years ago.

Calle Crisologo

And yeah, we stopped for some ice cream to beat the afternoon heat.

We want ice cream!

At the end of the half-kilometer street is the Crisologo museum/ancestral home. The Crisologos are one of the prominent families in the province aside from the Marcoses. The museum houses the family’s memorabilia and private collection, and some exhibit.

Crisologo Museum

We then proceeded to the nearby Syquia Mansion owned by the family of the late President Elpidio Quirino. I am really fascinated with old houses. The two-storey and cream painted Syquia Mansion is a charming old house. You will be awed by the big sizes of bedrooms and the furniture are chosen with great flair. There was even a replica of the Spolarium in the house.

Guided tour at Syquia Mansion

I also learned that the Quirino family stays here whenever they're in the province. The kitchen and dining room are modern and some rooms are well-maintained. Our tour guide shared that Cory Quirino, the late president’s granddaughter, stays in the ancestral house from time to time.

I love history so touring around Vigan and knowing gritty-bitty of history is a treat for me. I know! Call me nerd :P

I’m not sure if you have heard of Chavit Singson’s Baluarte in Vigan. It is a zoo where you can interact with the animals. At the same time, you can stroll in the animal sanctuary where some animals freely roam around. You’ll be amazed that all these sorts of animals which are endangered can be found at the Baluarte.

Chavit Singson's Baluarte

Rio!

There is no admission fee to the zoo so why not.

Watcha lookin' at?

Oh deer!

Our last stop for the day is Hidden Garden. The Hidden Garden is a plant and flower garden where you can find every kind of plant that grows on the soil and rocks as well as some hanging plants. They have a coffee shop where you can order your favorite fruit shake and Ilocos empanada.

At Hidden Garden

Ilocos empanada

After our day tour, we traveled back to Laoag City which will be our homebase for the night.  Day 2 of Ilocos tour is up next!

An afternoon treat of dimsum + tea at Shi Lin

Since I changed jobs a little less than two years ago, I don’t usually go to Ortigas anymore where my previous office is located unless I have to meet a friend or there’s an important errand I have to make in Mandaluyong or Pasig. The first time I ate at Shi Lin was when I was with my former officemates and we watched the movie Captain America at Podium. I knew I just had to go back and check out their other menu. 

Shi Lin  serves Taiwanese food mainly dumplings and noodles but they also offer other Taiwanese dishes in small plates. It's interesting to know that the name of the restaurant actually came from one of the largest night markets in Shilin district in Taiwan.

So what brought me to Podium one Saturday afternoon?

Shi Lin menu

Definitely, it’s their Xiao Long Bao!

It was a little past 4pm and since we’re in Megamall we decided to eat merienda at Shi Lin found at the nearby Podium. 

What's on our table?

Of course, there’s Xiao Long Bao.  It’s a steamed bun and is traditionally steamed in bamboo baskets. Xiao Long Bao is also called as soup dumplings because of the broth inside the dumplings. The broth is really tasty that you’d wished there was more you can sip. The dumpling itself is a sure winner for me. The taste of the pork and the rich broth is a good combination. 

Xiao Long Bao,Serving choices: 6 pcs/Php 138, 10 pcs/Php 230

How do I  eat thee?

How do you eat Xiao Long Bao?

1. Xiao Long Bao is best eaten while hot. You can enjoy it with sauce or try it in its original flavor without sauce.
2. To make the sauce, combine ginger slices with vinegar and soy sauce according to personal taste. 1:1 ratio is suggested.
3. Delicately use chopsticks to dip the Xiao Long Bao in the sauce. Be careful not to puncture the thin flour wrapper.
4. Place the Xiao Long Bao in a spoon and bite the top to slowly sip the hot soup within.
5. After tasting the soup, you may add some ginger slices doused in a little sauce to the Xiao Long Bao and eat it in one bite. Enjoy

We also ordered Noodles with Shrimp and Pork Wanton. The noodle soup was kind of bland. You have to concoct your own sauce or mixture to add flavor to the noodles. It may taste bland at first but when you sip the soup you'll know that the noodles were freshly made as well as the other ingredients.  

Noodles with Shrimp and Pork Wanton (Php 188)

We had Passionberry and Plumberry iced teas for drinks. Both iced teas tasted so natural and freshly-brewed. The passion berry is sweeter though thus I liked it more. I’m loving tea these days. It’s just naturally good and healthy too!

Passion Berry Iced Tea (Php 60)

Organic Plumberry Iced Tea (Php 60)

Shi Lin has an open kitchen where you can see the chefs/food attendants prepare the food. I found it amusing looking at them. You can see their serious or rather ‘game’ faces when wrapping the dumplings. Cute!

Overall, I’m satisfied with the food, price, ambiance, and service we got from Shi Lin. So no questions asked, I highly recommend it and I will be returning to try their other Taiwanese dishes.

And oh I'm lovin' these lanterns

Filipino fare at Café Via Mare

I always pass by Café Via Mare in Greenbelt 1 and the one in Landmark on my way home.  But I never had the chance to dine there. Seriously, I never knew what I was missing until I  discovered the joy of eating Filipino comfort food at Via Mare. First off, Erick had a Php2000 gift certifcate for Via Mare as a sort of reward or incentive he got from one of his projects. Greatness..

 

Café Via Mare prides itself as the café restaurant that serves traditional Filipino merienda fare in a very cosmopolitan setting. It was one of the very first establishments that led to the development of Manila's café scene. Not only it is famous for its merienda selection like bibingka and puto bumbong, but also for its favorite Filipino dishes.

We knew we won’t be able to consume all the 2k GC in one dining so we made like 2-3 visits to Via Mare. Let me share with you what dishes are a must-try.

If you’re in the mood to try some seafood, think no further and try their Adobong Pusit. This dish is an instant hit for me. I’ve always loved eating squid –  it may be grilled, stuffed, or served in a pasta. The baby squid meat was so tender and the adobo taste reminded me of how we cook our Adobong Pusit back home in Bicol.

Crispy binagoongan and pinakbet was Erick’s top pick. I'm really not a fan of pork binagoongan. Yes, I  crave for bagoong (shrimp paste) always but not when it's cooked with pork. But the bagoong blended well with the pork bellies and the pinakbet is something not to be missed.

Since I first tried Bagnet in Ilocos, I can’t help but look for bagnet dishes here in Manila. Via Mare’s version of Ilocos Bagnet is almost good as the one served in Ilocos. They reinvented it by making it as Ensaladang Bagnet. The crispy roasted pork tasted good with tomatoes and shallots in calamansi and bagoong dressing.

We tried Sinigang na Karne. It's one of the recommended dishes and had the right taste of tamarind broth. My favorite sinigang is from Sentro 1771 but Via Mare’s is also a good alternative. Plus, they have generous servings of meat in your sinigang. What’s not to like about that?

We also ordered the all-time Filipino favorite Kare-kare. Erick was not quite keen on ordering it but I insisted. Haha.. Let’s just say we loved it from the oxtripe, vegetables, peanut sauce, and bagoong alamang. The meat was tenderly cooked and the vegetables were fresh and cooked. I am a peanut butter person so I definitely love any dish with a peanut sauce or butte but the kare-kare was all good not just because of the peanut sauce.

For side dish, we ordered Fresh Lumpiang Ubod. Well, I didnt like it that much because I’ve bitten a garlic thinking it was ubod. They give you chopped garlic to complement the taste of lumpia but according to my 'very-forgetful boyfriend' I was the one who scooped the garlic and didn’t spread it evenly on the lumpia. I don’t remember doing that. Haha. But I see a few tables ordering it and Erick approved of it so it must be good. 

We also tried the Kalkag Rice which is basically fried rice with tiny dried shrimps. I must say it’s already a meal on itself. The serving size is for 2-3 persons.

And now for my favorite part of the meal.... desserts!

I was in for a dessert treat at Via Mare. The mais con yelo we ordered was one of the best iced desserts. Well, making a mais con yelo is no-brainer but Via Mare’s version was very creamy and the shaved iced was very thin making it very enjoyable to eat. It literally melts in your mouth.

We got curious with their summer shooters which is a dessert sampler including mais con yelo, sago’t gulaman, and guinomis so we went ahead and ordered it. Of the three, I like best mais con yelo and then guinumis which is sago or tapioca peals with milk and crushed ice  then topped with pinipig. I found the sago’t gulaman too sweet for my taste.

We wouldn’t miss to order their puto bumbong. It’s holiday season and where else can you order a good puto bumbong when you’re right in the smack of Makati. The puto bumbong tasted liked the one I usually buy right beside our home. Filipino desserts are  really no like no other!

Overall, I was very satisfied with our Via Mare dining experience especially with the taste of their food and the quality of the service. It will be no wonder if I'm back soon. I'm one happy eater :)

Sentro 1771

Last night, I met with my high school friends Karen and Astrid for a small get-together. Karen is in Manila for her 2-week vacation from the US. It’s been almost two years since we last saw Karen. Since I work in Makati CBD and I will be coming from the office, we decided we’d meet at Greenbelt 3 for dinner.

We still look so much like high school girls :) 

We let Karen decide where she wanted to eat since she’s the balikbayan who probably was craving for some good Filipino food. Without a blink, she said she wanted to eat at Sentro 1771. 

Sentro 1771 offers a modern Filipino cuisine. They serve familiar Filipino favorite dishes but infused with a cosmopolitan dimension. I’m sure that everyone would agree that Sentro is one of the Filipino restaurants where you can bring your balikbayan family and friends or foreigner visitors.

We would not miss to order their Sinigang na Corned Beef (Php 595/sharing).

Sinigang na Corned Beef 

When you order the sinigang, they would let you taste first the tamarind soup and you can request to make it more spicy or sour depending on your preference. I was still full by the time we had dinner because I had one large Gong Cha milk tea but I just couldn’t resist the Sinigang na Corned Beef.

The broth was perfectly concocted and the corned beef chunks are firm and soft. Truly one of the best sinigangs in town!

We also ordered Fried Galunggong Fillets (Php 220). Karen liked so much the galunggong that she ordered another plate.

Rated GG

We also had Adobong Kangkong (Php 80) as side dish.

Adobong Kangkong 

I wasn’t really feeling hungry that night and the Sinigang na Corned Beef was more than enough to satisfy me.

I’m one of those people who frown upon taking pictures in the bathroom. But seeing Sentro’s bathroom awed me. I want a bathroom like this. So please excuse the bathroom photos :) I just can't ignore it.

Bathroom love at first sight!

It was a good night! Seeing my high school friends changed my Friday night routine. The food and ambiance at Sentro 1771 and the company of closest friends surely made my day complete after a weeklong of stressful work days.

Short but sweet Baguio stopover

Straight from Thunderbird Resort in Poro Point, we ascended to Baguio. It took us 1 ½ hours of travel. We were greeted by a foggy weather and drizzle as we made our way to the country’s summer capital.

We are not Baguio first timers so we skipped the more touristy activities in the city. We just wanted to spend a few hours in Baguio and catch up with what’s new in the city.

Our itinerary was: eat + ukay and pasalubong shopping + chill. That’s the most relaxed itinerary ever.

We arrived past 2pm in Baguio. I noticed that the streets in Baguio seem smaller now or there was too many people walking? We had to walk sideways sometimes to make sure that we don’t bump people walking towards our direction. I must say Baguio is crowded these days. It was just 2pm and it wasn’t the rush hour yet and people are all out on the streets.

  

We had our late lunch at Jack’s Restaurant in Session Road. As recommended by JB, we tried Jack’s Rice. It consisted of a quarter roast chicken, chop suey, egg, and a piece of lechon, fried rice. It was a big serving for Php75. Definitelty not bad!!

After our lunch, we went to JB’s house to drop off our things and went back to the city for pasalubong shopping.

I just bought the usuals like peanut brittle, choco flakes, lengua de gato, choco mallows. Although my mom would appreciate bringing a ‘walis tambo’ from Baguio, I hesitated. Hehe I’m just too shy to carry that back home and we’re taking the bus.

Ru, who frequents Baguio, went back to his suki shop where he bought a cardigan. It was really nicely knitted at Php300.

After that, we went to a building of ukay shops. And guess what? I wasn’t able to buy anything. I love thrift shopping. When I’m in the mood to shop but just don’t have the moolah, I go to my favorite ukay shops. It gives me less guilt feeling rather than by swiping my credit card. So, you see it was really surprise I didn’t buy anything even just a 30 pesos top. Haha I may been overwhelmed with all the ukay stuff but honestly most of the stores do not sell cheaper clothes. I can surely buy them in Manila in much cheaper prices. Maybe that ukay complex was priced for tourists since it was in the city center and near other tourist spots.

After my failed ukay experience, we went to SM Baguio just to check the mall. It was dinner time by them and we thought it'd be a shame if we have dinner at SM Baguio. After all, this city has a lot to offer in terms of dining experience.  We debated where to have our dinner. Few suggestions: Forrest House – pricey, Café by the Ruin- not so much reaction from the six of us, and PNKY Café –which is the closest from where we were.

And so it was PNKY Café. We took a cab from SM and paid Php110 for the fare.

PNKY Café is a travel coffee shop with a travel theme and artsy-fartsy restaurant/coffee shop ambiance. It serves gourment coffee and home-made dishes. Acually PNKY is a bed and breakfast which offers homey accommodations as well as well as home-cooked food.

Fortunately, we were the only dining customers that night and we liked how much we felt so at home.

Every nook is gorgeous.

PNKY Cafe's menu is very quirky and unique. The food are named after famous landmarks, cities, and countries. 

We ordered the following. 

Chicken Spinach Riviera

This entree is made of chicken strips, spinach, mushrooms and tofu in white sauce and served with vegetables and rice

Beef a la Seine

This sliced beef dish sautéed with mushrooms, red bell pepper and strawberry is served with vegetable and rice. We highly- recommend this. I liked the way the beef was cooked with mushrooms. It had the right beefy flavor and mushroom taste. For me, this is the best food in our dining experience at PNKY Cafe. 

Le Louvre

This entree is basically cooked with highland spinach, mushrooms, and tofu topped over with rice and drizzled with sunflower seeds. This was my food and I can say that the vegetables are very fresh. I'm not really into vegetables or salads but Le Louvre awed me by the freshness and crispness of the vegetables. 

And for our refreshments, I had their Lemon Slush while my friends had the Strawberry Slush. I love the very refreshing taste of the Lemon Slush which doesn’t dissolve after a while. I tried Erick’s Strawberry Slush and no doubt it was good as well. 

We stayed in the café until late evening and then decided it’s time to go back to JB’s house and pack up and go home to Manila. Maybe next time, we could probably have at least a night stay in Baguio to fully enjoy our time. Time flies fast when you're having fun!


Ru and Yana decided to stay for a few more hours and would catch the bus back home early next morning. Erick and I went ahead since we have to be in the office in the morning.

It was a short but sweet stay in Baguio and definitely worth our time :D