Whenever I am asked, “What is your favorite cuisine in the countr y?” Without hesitation, my answer is always Ilocano cuisine. Why? It is one or two of the only cuisines in the country that is not influenced by any foreign cuisine. I love cuisine from Pampanga, Iloilo, Bacolod, Davao, Samar, and many others, but all of them have been somehow touched by foreign influence. In terms of authenticity, Ilocano cuisine it is.
I lived in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte in the early 80s. There I experienced the authentic cooking of many of the Manangs manning the kitchens. There was Nana Mining
Ablan whose dinuguan was to die for. Whenever there was an invite for lunch at her home, I’d drop everything to be there. Then there is the home of Manong Rudy Farinas who made the most delicious and authentic food. Dinakdakan, sarabasab, pakbet, dry dinuguan, bagnet with (KBL) kamatis, bagoong and lasona, and many others. Those dishes made a strong impact on me. Whenever I’m in Ilocos Norte, no fail, I have to dine at Eagles Nest. This a restaurant inside Java Hotel owned by good friend Eric Farinas. Here, Eric serves authentic Ilocano food.
One of the dishes I zero in is one called Dinuguan pancit. This is a flavorful bihon topped with dry Ilocano dinuguan and topped with chicharon. To die for!
When in Manila, I get an occasional craving for Ilocano food. I didn’t know where to go until this restaurant in the Scout area came along. I’ve dined in Victorino’s twice in the past. They were both invites form cousins. Food was okay but not great. I thought it didn’t do justice to what I had experienced in the Northern province. I knew this wasn’t it.
Just a few days ago, I had a meeting in Victorinos and I was not too excited remembering my past experience. Boy did that impression change immediately. The place is beautifully decorated, there are items for sale made in the Ilocos region, and an Ilocano friend familiar with the menu ordered. We had a corn soup to start with.
Hot and very good. It was a great start to warm our tunnies. Then came the binagoongan baboy, ladek (new to me) or Ilocos Sur’s version of dinakdakan, Batac longaniza, pakbet, paksiw na samaral, and a few others. The ones that jumped out to me and changed my view of this restaurant was the corn soup. It was hot, creamy, and so good.
The Paksiw na samaral seemed not too appealing from past experience. I was never too crazy about Paksiw fish. Obviously, the versions I tried in the past were not well made. Try this one. The fish was fresh, the slight tinge of vinegar and sourness was perfect and so so delicious. The vegetables in the pakbet were wilted which I personally prefer and was topped with bagnet strips. The winner of that night was the Ladek. Served on a sizzling plate, it was crunchy, creamy, and simply delicious.
This is a dish that when you take your first bite, will make you think of your loved ones. You will want them to experience this joy. Impossible not to have these with rice. Then, they have a most delicious and authentic Ilocos empanada. But, that’s another story. Their desserts are all made by pastry genius Chef Heny Sison. We had a yellow chiffon like cake with a burth and torched top and a pistachio sansrival. O my. Patay diet ko. Superb! This was a brand new discovery meal. Now I know where to go when I want delicious, Pinoy, regional, authentic cuisine.
You can visit Victorino's Restaurant along the 11th Jamboree (Scout Rallos) in Quezon City. Tel. (02) 7737 6576 Join my Hokkaido food tour from July 11 to 18. Call Melody- +63 917 624 2819 or e-mail melody_a.ph@ jtbap.com.