Ilocos Food Trip

Aside from getting a taste of the famous soft biscocho during our Ilocos Norte trip, H and I stuffed ourselves with one of the most evil food inventions known to man--bagnet!

Paired with the KBL (a siding of tomatoes, onions, and bagoong), we just couldn't get enough of the stuff!

I think we ordered this three times in three days at our little hotel, Palazzo de Laoag. It was particularly delicious the first night; the fat--glorious, sinful, artery-clogging--was perfectly cooked, the skin incredibly crispy. Mmmm...I've got a hankering for something heart-attack-inducing right about now.

Ilocos is likewise known for its pinakbet, so even though I'm not big on the Pinoy veggies, I still shared an order with H.

Framed newspaper clippings at Palazzo proclaim that the hotel has the best pinakbet, like, ever, but I haven't eaten enough of the dish in my lifetime to gauge if it was true. I did, however, enjoy eating pinakbet in an unusual form...

Pizza! We tagged along as the hotel owner went to Paoay for lunch, and had the famous Pinakbet Pizza at Cafe Herencia, right across Paoay Church. While you're there, you might want to try their Dinuguan Pizza as well!

Soft Biscocho: A Treat from Ilocos Norte

En route to Bangui, Ilocos Norte, our travel companions (most of whom were from Ilocos) insisted that we stop over at the "biscocho-han." Said biscocho-han was actually Pasuquin Bakery, "famous maker of the delicious biscocho, pride of the north."

Sheryl, our unofficial tour guide, told us that the soft biscocho is so popular that the bakery even exports it to Hawaii! (My theory is that the Marcoses missed the stuff so much while they were in Spam-land that they started shipping 'em over.) The little buns come by the dozen in a plastic bag, with pairs stuck together. Each bag costs P55. They're a lot like pan de sal--the softest kind, the kind with no burnt portions on the crust! The main difference is that there's a hint of anise when you bite into it.

Our travel companions bought packets of Cheez Wiz to go with their soft biscocho. H and I were content with munching on our palaman-less bread, until one of the girls said, "Sana bumili tayo ng Nutella!" This was greeted with murmurs of approval, and an excited yelp (courtesy of your friendly neighborhood food lover). I couldn't wait to get home to Manila so that I could try her suggestion!

Two nights later, I was back home, and immediately unpacked my remaining biscocho. I deliberately saved a couple of pieces so that I could try the inspired Nutella suggestion. Instead of Nutella, though, I used Nusica (which tastes a lot like Nutella, but is about P50 cheaper). I followed the Ilocanos' instructions:

Step 1: Take one soft biscocho.
Step 2: Unroll.
Step 3: Spread with desired palaman.
Step 4: Roll. Enjoy!

I love soft pan de sal, and I looove hazelnut spread, so this was a welcome and utterly evil midnight snack.

Sigh. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: My name is Tisha, and I am a bad carb addict.


Pasuquin Bakery is located in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte--I'm pretty sure you could ask any local and they'd know where it is; tel. (077) 775-0198