Ilocos Tour Part 6: Foodie Finds

No trip will ever be complete without me finding the usual food fare. I knew I was in really good company during this trip up north, because these 2 girls sure knew how to eat and EAT WELL! :) Perfect foodie buddies, Kim and Milds are!

So if in Vigan, Ilocos Norte, besides the let's-go-back-in-time tour, one MUST go on a food trip in this historic city. I didn't realize Vigan had so much food haunts. Here are some recommended places to go.

LOS MAJITOS STREET DINING

Owned by Sheila Medina, this caught our attention as we made our way to the Vigan Cathedral to hear Mass. The street dining concept was really cool, since it was really cold out while we were there, plus you get to dine within the old walls of the stone houses. It also had a really cozy feel to it, and I think that's what attracted not only local tourists, but foreigners as well.


And what a meal we had in this place! Since we knew nothing in the restaurant, we were supposed to order Ilocano delicacies by the plate. But the really servers tipped us on getting this HUGE PLATTER (think BOODLE FEAST) of everything Ilocano - bagnet, Vigan longganisa,pinakbet, and KBL (kamatis, bagoong and lasuna). Lasuna is a kind of onion found in Ilocos. THIS WAS HEAVEN!!! MUST EAT WHEN IN VIGAN FOLKS!!


We also drank in this spot, the cool winds made it perfect for binge drinking. But as we were drinking, the peaceful Vigan night was shattered by a small riot. It was so cool to watch the whole scene unfold right in front of your eyes! It was like a movie scene where the bad guys wreak havoc and the police come to break it up. If only we understood Ilocano, it would've been so much better.


I'd also like to thank the staff of Los Majitos. They were very accommodating and when the riot broke up they asked us if we wanted to transfer inside the restaurant. Great food with great service warrants a really good blog entry! :) Sheila, if you get to read this, congrats! Great restaurant, I miss it already!!

LILONG AND LILANG'S COFFEE SHOP

We got to here during our calesa trip, and our driver Kuya Richard brought us to the Hidden Garden to have a look around and to eat.

The restaurant had very simple set-up but was prettified by the wood ornaments, the Christmas lights and of course the plants all around it. It made the place really cool even if it was right smack in the middle of the day.



Here, we got to try their Sisig and Pork Sinigang. It was good, but let me tell yoou one thing, we were starving. They say when you're starving everything tastes good. But really, it was good. I just wish that their Sinigang had more meat in it.



LEILA'S CAFE

Found right beside Los Majitos is this quaint coffee shop called Leila's Cafe. Being a caffeine I just had to have my daily dose of caffeine.

The interiors were very comfortable, way MORE comfortable than Starbucks or Coffee Bean. It looked like a house's living room.

I decided to take a seat outside, and have my Caffe Latte which was only P50 (a little over USD1). Amazing! It was strong just the way I like my coffee. Although I would've liked it in a much bigger cup.


They also serve tea, just take a look at the board for other stuff you might like. It's a perfect place to unwind after a long, tiring tour of Vigan.

Just to let everyone know: Everything that we ate in our trip was BELOW P600 (more or less USD15). We didn't scrimp on our food alright, it's just that food in Vigan is cheap. CHEAP BUT REALLY GOOD! Your historical tour could also be a foodie tour!

This was one remarkable trip. Since this was my first MAJOR trip this 2011 I think it will become a benchmark for all my upcoming trips. So I know deep down in my gut, it'll keep getting better and better! :D

Other links to our Vigan tour:
Part 1: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte
Part 2: Cordillera Inn, Night Shots and Empanada
Part 3: Crisologo and SyQuia Museums
Part 4: Bantay Bell Tower and St. Augustine Parish Church
Part 5: Baluarte and Hidden Garden

Ilocos Tour Part 2: Vigan's Cordillera Inn, Night Shots and Empanada

The three of us had a hard time waking up that Saturday morning. It was a gloomy, rainy day, and it was our first time to sleep on an ACTUAL bed after riding 2 buses going to Pagudpud. We were able to go on a short but sweet tour of the Southern part of Ilocos Norte, but we weren't able to enjoy the beach due to the cold weather. So we just lounged around and got our well-deserved rest.

But Saturday morning, we had to rise and shine, because it was time to get back to Laoag to take yet another bus to get to Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

After breakfast at Polaris Beach House, I texted Kuya Mark our driver/tour guide, to take us to the center of town where the buses going to Laoag are stationed. It was a sad goodbye, but it was time to go.

When you get to Laoag, you just have to cross to the other street to get to the station of the mini-buses that go to Vigan. NO NEED TO RIDE A TRIKE. It's just so cool that the mini-bus we got on HAD ABSOLUTELY NO SUSPENSION whatsoever! It was actually funny, this pic was a testament as to how BUMPY that 3-hour ride was!

After 3 hours and almost having our internal organs turned into jelly and mush, we finally got to our destination!

We got down in front of the Ilocos Sur Capitol and took a trike to our hotel, Cordillera Inn, which was along the famous Calle Crisologo.


When we got in, all I could say was WOW! It was beautiful and everything was ANTIQUE. I loved the lamps that lit the hallways and the reception area!




After signing the forms and paying up, we were brought to our room on the 2nd floor. We were to stay in Room 18 for the night, and when the door opened, again another WOW! moment. The room was huge!!




I left Kim and Milds in the room and walked around the hotel. The lady who brought us to our rooms said that it had a total of 25 rooms. I also found out (the next day) it was owned by the Crisologo family. The 2nd floor had like 3 salas (living rooms), that was how big it was!






I also went downstairs to check out the restaurant, Cosina Ilocana . We only ate here once for the FREE BREAKFAST. They serve authentic Ilocano dishes, so you can have your bagnet, pinakbet, and longganisa right there and then. But the dining table and chairs were pretty. Again, giving you that old-school feel.



We rested a bit in our room, watched a little television (we were sort of deprived of the telly so we were excited about it), and got ready to walk around. I was a bit excited for this, it's my first time to REALLY STAY in Vigan, and I've heard it's true beauty comes out at night when they've turned on the yellow lights.

But first, we heard mass at the Vigan Cathedral. Unfortunately, it was in Ilocano, so we just sat around and prayed. This was the time I wished I learned how to speak and understand the language. My Mom's fluent in Ilocano, so I felt bad I didn't exert so much effort in learning.



After mass, we just walked around and took pictures. It was a cool night, so walking around wasn't too taxing on us. So just sharing with you guys the shots I took of Vigan that Saturday night.






And when in Vigan, one MUST NOT miss out on the opportunity to eat the famed EMPANADA! Available only at night, the empanada stores are found right beside the Vigan Cathedral.




We ordered the ordinary empanada (P10) because apparently there's a huge one or the one they call special (15). The special has egg and longganisa bits in it, too bad it was huge and we hadn't had dinner yet.


They make the empanada right in front of you as the ladies gossip. It's actually a fun place to hang out in. Tourists and locals, alike, congregate in this part of town to have that much-talked about and loved empanada! That's us, completely sold on our P10 empanada with COKE!! :)

Vigan lived up to its name: beautiful at night! And no worries folks, it's safe to go out at night in Vigan. There's still a lot of people walking around. I totally suggest you guys don't miss out on a NIGHT OUT in Vigan. It's something I regret not doing before, but really thankful I got to do it now with Milds and Kim! :)

Up next is our calesa tour. Stay tuned for that peeps! :)

Expenses for that day:
1. Trike from Polaris Beach House to the bayan: P40
2. Bus from Pagudpud to Laoag: P60
3. Bus from Laoag to Vigan : P100
4. Trike from Capitol to Cordillera Inn: P30
5. Cordillera Inn room: P2000 (good for 4 people)
6. Empanada: P10

Cordillera Inn
29 Mena Crisologo St., Vigan, Ilocos Sur
Telefax: (077) 722-2727
Mobile No. (0927) 313-5616
E-mail: cordillerainn_vigancity@yahoo.com.ph
Website: www.cordillerainn.cjb.net