The food scene in the Philippines is alive and well.

In the past few months, I have been blessed with many local travels. And if there is one thing we don’t lack, it is the variety of cuisines, places to eat and eating destinations to choose from, even in remote places.

Inuwayan Farms is located in Adams, Ilocos Norte, three hours by car from the Laoag airport. The drive, though long, was pleasant. The views of the sea, forest and rivers were captivating.

As the road got tighter, in what seemed like an endless journey to the top of a mountain, we encountered a modest signage that read “Inuwayan Farms.” We had reached our destination.

As our trip came to a halt, we saw a little hut with a wooden door that magically opened up to a wine cellar. It was breathtaking, simply because one would never think that something like that existed in what was literally the middle of nowhere.

All of a sudden, the aches and pains from our early morning flight, followed by a long and winding road trip, were all worth it.

Native wild berry

Adams is home to the bugnay (Ilocano for the fruit more known as bignay), a type of native wild berry that Inuwayan turns into wine.

The bugnay trees are plenty. The path that leads to the entertainment area is lined with it. It’s such a beautiful sight to see—clusters of bugnay in various shades and levels of ripeness, ranging from white, pink and fuchsia to vibrant red, maroon and dark purple.

As we made our way through the bugnay-lined pathway, we were warmly welcomed by Dr. Bielmaju Waley-Bawingan, the owner of Inuwayan Winery, Nursery and Farms.

A long table was set for us. On it was a healthy spread. The dishes consisted mostly of vegetables, grains and produce—picked just moments ago.

The salad was from an assortment of talbos and other leafy greens, simply blanched, squeezed dry and accentuated with slivers of pink torch ginger—both for color and for that mild fresh zing of ginger.

Dressing the salad was their very own impeccably made Inuwayan Bugnay Balsamic Vinegar. The vinegar was excellent— sweet, fruity, wine-y, full of character. Light and fresh to the palate and pleasantly tart.

Doctora said that the bugnay “balsamic” was in fact just an experiment that turned out to be a success.

In a bowl for us to enjoy was red rice and a plateful of scrambled eggs, and more freshly harvested leafy greens.

There was also Adam’s longganisa, and my favorite tukak (super tasty fried frog’s legs)—both welcome additions to a table filled with all things green and healthy.

Our meal was washed down with ice cold bugnay juice.

Passion project

The farm is Doctora’s passion project. It is her haven, where everything she plants grows lush.

There’s more to Inuwayan than just bugnay. The farm has a collection of exotic fruits that I never thought I’d find there.

Imagine organically grown lychees, durian and marang, to name a few. It is Inuwayan’s vision to make Adams the fruit bowl of Ilocos Norte.

And there is cacao, lots of it. It is turned into vinegar, tablea and even chocolate bars infused with spices and aromatics, all grown at the farm. I sampled the variety of chocolate bars and the many renditions of tablea. The easy-melt tablea on a popsicle stick was my favorite. It tasted somehow like a cross between Magnolia Chocolait and Chocovim (the chocolate drinks of my youth) yet with that deep, almost wine-y chocolate essence of tablea. It was so easy and fun to use. We simply mixed the chocolate popsicle in a cup of piping hot milk, and it was ready to drink.

Inuwayan is primarily a wine cellar, where wine tastings are conducted. It was quite a thrill to sit, sip and to savor the different types of bugnay wines available.

One can go on an eat-all-you-can fruit picking adventure, depending on the time of year, and the fruits in season. Doctora even demonstrated how she roasted cacao, and showed us how she turns it into various chocolate creations.

A visit to Inuwayan is an experience of a lifetime—one that is worth the many hours spent to get to it. It is one of those destinations that makes you realize the charm and the richness of the Philippines.

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