IT’S MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES (FOOD EDITION)

   

Whether you are a native citizen or a foreigner, here are some foods that will definitely add more fun as you travel around the Philippines.

EMPANADA

Let’s start at Northern Luzon. Have fun with the delicious taste of Empanadas in Ilocos Norte. Inside is a mixture of egg, shredded vegetables and longganiza inside deep fried thin pastry pockets. The best thing to complement an Ilocos Norte Empanada is to dip it in a little Sukang Iloco (Ilocos vinegar), the taste is amazing. The best places to get your Empanadas are at Dap-ayan in Laoag City and Glory’s Empanada in Batac City, Ilocos Norte.

BANGUS

Bangus (Milkfish) is the national fish of the Philippines, it’s not an overpowering fishy taste and not too heavy. In Pangasinan they can fry up some bangus for you that is so delicious that it will be a meal you won’t soon forget. The crispy fish breaks apart and melt in your mouth and is a true delight in every bite. There are many good places to pick up some broiled Boneless Bangus in Pangasinan, but you can easily find it by the departure point to the Hundred Islands National Park at Lucap wharf.

BULALO

Next is the province of Batangas and here you can find the delicious Bulalo. This delicious beef, bone marrow and vegetable soup will satiate any hunger. You can find Bulalo in many different restaurants and malls across the Philippines but the best place is Leslie’s in Tagaytay, Batangas. There are other branches of Leslie’s where you can also pick up a huge serving of this dish for a good price.

BICOL EXPRESS

Heading over to Southeast Luzon you’ll come to the Bicol region. The number one must have meal to have here is Bicol Express. Rumoured to be named from the train journey between Manila and Bicol this dish is made from coconut milk, shrimp paste or stockfish, onion, pork, garlic with a generous portion of spicy chillies and is slightly Malaysian in taste, but better.  You can try it at Mrs. Doyet Garcia’s Lutong Bahay, a small eatery on Mercedes Road in Daet, Camarines Norte

CHICKEN INASAL

This Visayan food is an Ilonggo dish, or more specifically a Bacolod dish. The chicken pieces, imbued with a reddish hue from achuete or annatto seeds, is nothing but appealing to your sight, but it’s the smell of inasal cooking that always brings about rumblings in the stomach, and you can’t wait to sink your teeth into it. You can find it at Manukan Country and Chicken Deli in Bacolod but if you’re just in Manila, try it at JT’s Manukan Grille at Quezon City.