The best of source of good provincial food has to be the politician of the province.
I say this based on experience. Because politicians are swamped with visitors daily, cooking goes on the entire day in their home.
Ilokano ‘dinuguan’
I saw this during my stay in Ilocos Norte. I visited the home of former Rep. Roquito Ablan, whose mom, the late Nana Mining, made the best Ilokano dinuguan. It was dry, thick and simply fantastic. I remember Nana Mining as a kind and gracious hostess.
In the home of former Laoag Mayor Rudy Fariñas, I was introduced to dishes like sarabasab, igado, the authentic pakbet, bagnet. Even when we ventured out of town, his cook went with us. He always had good food around.
The one dish I will always remember is inihaw na baboy, chopped, then mixed with ginger and onion, with vinegar and patis. Yummy!
On our weekly cable TV show (“Foodprints,” Lifestyle Channel), we try to tap the provincial politician to get tips on what and where to get the best dishes or sweets in their place.
On a visit to Vigan, Ilocos Sur, a few months ago, I was also very impressed with the type of Ilokano food I had in a restaurant in the plaza. The pakbet was superb, the poqui-poqui or grilled eggplant omelet was also very good. I have to go back there.
Three kinds of ‘longganisa’
I have learned about this restaurant along Scout Rallos St. in Timog, Quezon City, that serves authentic Ilokano food. Desserts are made by the great baker Heny Sison.
In one of our family get-togethers, my cousin Cory brought food from there, and it was good. I heard that Ilocos Sur Vice Gov. DV Savellano is somewhat involved in it. Knowing what’s best in his province makes this restaurant very exciting to visit. So, we booked Victorino’s.
The place is a huge white house broken down into dining areas. It looks like an elegant colonial setting from the Spanish era.
We had the private room on the second floor. Good thing it was soundproof as our racket was like that of a Divisoria marketplace, with my cousin Pat’s voice and laughter filling the room.
On our table were dishes worth tasting—the pako salad with sweet vinegar dressing, and tiny squid with garlic and olive oil were very good.
I loved the three kinds of longganisa. I was familiar with the Vigan version. The two others bore a slight difference in taste, but were very good nonetheless. They were fried until toasted. With Iloko vinegar, it was also a winner.
I also loved the igado or stewed pork with liver. It had rich brown sauce with tender morsels of pork. The tinapa fried rice I could eat by itself. Sarap!
Then there was also the crunchy empanada with monggo, green papaya and longganisa filling.
The fried lumpia ubod is likewise a must-try.
My cousins smuggled in a cake from Diamond Hotel called Le Royale. It has to be one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever tried.
It is made with dark Valrhona chocolate with almond meringue and hazelnut cream. Super sarap! A must-try for chocoholics.
I had just come from my taping of “Foodprints” in Batangas and was trying to cut down on my calorie intake. I postponed my move when I took a first bite of the cake. Inis! (Le Royale by The Cake Club of Diamond Hotel, call tel. no. 5283000.)
I have to return for Heny’s desserts. I am sure they are nothing less than perfect. With Vice Gov. DV Savellano behind Victorino’s, it is sure to be a good representation of Ilocos Sur cuisine.
Happy eating!
Victorino’s is at 11th Jamboree cor. Scout Rallos, Timog area, Quezon City. Call tel. nos. 9228558 and 0917-8334148.
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