Our Vigan experience wouldn’t be complete without a taste of their Ilocano dishes. My husband, Oliver and I took a trip with a group of bloggers headed by Powercom to Metro Vigan Inn and Cafe where we were invited to try their lodging and food.

As explained by our guide, Gary during our food tour, Ilocanos favor salty food and that is apparent in their delicacies. Apart from our fabulous stay at Metro Vigan Inn (read more about that here) we were also delighted to be among the first to dine at their newly opened Metro Vigan Cafe.

After arriving at the inn, we bloggers were treated to a snack of Bagnet Burgers. You heard correctly, burgers with bagnet. Simply put, it was delicious.

We were welcomed by Villie, the inn’s manager and staff of the inn. He gave a little background abut the inn and the cafe.

The sumptuous menu of the Metro Vigan Cafe are courtesy of Chef Raymond who has come up with his own take of Ilocandia cuisine.

We knew we were in for a couple of days that would have us tasting the various dishes on their menu and food tasting during the tour. It was to be more than we expected!

Metro Vigan Cafe has traditional and modern Ilocano dishes. They offer Asian Ilocandian cuisine at affordable prices and generous servings.

Feast your eyes on the dishes we were able to try.

Appetizers

Spring Roll Longganisa (Php128)

This was one of my favorites because I love spring rolls but the longganisa makes it even better. I wasn’t too keen on the sauce that came with it. For me the longganisa on its own was already delicious.

Poki Poki (P128)

I know it’s a funny sounding name but it’s actually a unique Ilocano dish. It’s very appealing and once served you have to mix it so that you can mix the scrambled egg and eggplant.

Sisig Crispy Bagnet (Php148)

The usual sisig has bits of a pig’s ears, face and liver. I’m not a a big fan of sisig but I did like this because it had my favorite bagnet. It’s also topped with mayo. Yum!

Soups

Sinanglao (Php188)

Similar to Nilaga in taste. It wasn’t one of the dishes that impressed me. The pork however was tender as it was in all their dishes.

Bulalo (Php288)

The beef was cooked to perfection and very rich in flavor. This was one of Oliver’s favorites. It’s also plentiful in vegetables.

Entree

Kare Kare Bagnet (Php258)

I love Kare Kare and this is alright but the sauce could have been less clumpy. It does make up for it though with the delicious bagnet. As you can tell bagnet is their secret ingredient.

Kalderetang Pato (Php228)

I love Kaldereta especially Oliver’s Kaldereta. For those of you that don’t know, pato is duck. Oliver found the dish a bit fishy in taste though.

Crispy Bagnet (P258)

This was my other favorite. I loooved this and practically finished it. I’m so thankful that I had my gallbladder removed so I can enjoy this.

Pinaputok na Tilapia (P158)

The tilapia was covered in tomates and steamed together and wrapped in banana leaves to seal in the juices.

Crispy Pata (P458)

I think anything fried is a plus for me. I also liked this but it’s not as good as the bagnet!

Metro Vigan Chicken (Whole Php388/ Half Php188)

Oliver and I liked the fried chicken. It was already good without the sauce.

Hito at Talong (P198)

I’m the kind of person that likes my food to look pretty and this… wasn’t. (Sorry!) However, I was there to try Ilocandia and I made sure to try everything. Oliver liked this dish. I found it alright but not one I would choose to eat again. (Hito is eel.)

Steamed Malaga (Php300)

This is a classic Ilocano fish that’s steamed with tomatoes, onion and ginger.

Vegetables

Pinakbet na Bagnet (Php198)

This was another of Oliver’s favorites and I have to say also one of my top choices. The bagnet and the squash and vegetables…was delicious!

Chopsuey (Php 168)

There was a bit of a twist to the Ilocano version of Chopsuey. The sauce is very starchy giving it that milky look and the vegetables were cooked just right.

Rice and Noodles

Metro Vigan Pancit Canton (Small Php98 / Medium Php168 / Large Php208 / Extra Large Php298)

This was also alright for me but it wasn’t particularly anything special.

Metro Vigan Fried Rice (Small Php98 / Medium Php168 / Large Php208)

I couldn’t help but keep getting more servings of this fried rice. I like fried rice in general and the chorizo was just yummy.

Dessert

The dessert offerings are simple and in keeping with the traditional dishes.

We were served watermelon of a different variety and buko pandan.

If you want to try something unique try the Ilocano Tinubong. An interesting mixture of glutinous flour, sugar, coconut milk, strips of coconut, cheese and margarine that’s inserted into a tube which is then cooked in ovens or over charcoal.

Watermelon

Buko Pandan (Php48)

Tinubong

Oliver recommends the Bulalo & Pinakbet Bagnet while I favor the Spring Roll Longganisa & Crispy Bagnet.

You’ll be sure to find a dish you like and enjoy the different Ilocano dishes that Metro Vigan cafe has to offer.

My fellow bloggers and the bounty of food!

Getting to Metro Vigan Inn:

Air - Domestic flights leave Manila daily for Laoag City in Ilocos Norte, which is an hour and a half away by land to Vigan. The city can be reached from Laoag City via local bus companies.
By Land - The 408 km stretch from Manila to Vigan City is a comfortable eight-hour ride along the scenic Manila-Ilocos Highway. Many air-conditioned buses ply the Manila-Vigan route regularly.
Getting Around - The best way to explore Vigan is on foot; the town center is small and compact, yet full of excitement.

Address: Bayubay Norte, San Vicente, Metro Vigan
Telephone: (077) 674-0448
Mobile: (0917) 824-3800 / (0917) 824-4800
Email: [email protected]

For more details abut Metro Vigan Inn visit their website and Facebook page.

by

When it comes to fast food the next best thing for me after burgers is pizza! Gooey cheese, tomato sauce, with all kinds of toppings!

Press Release

In a country where Pizzas and Pastas are in great demand, the well-known Pizza chain in US ventured their products here in the Philippines. Papa John’s Pizza was launched here in Manila in the year 2011 by our President and sole franchisee, Mr. Paul Soo

At Papa John’s many things guide us toward excellence, but nothing is as important as our commitment to quality. We pride ourselves in providing a menu that’s prepared with only the finest ingredients. From fresh vegetables to our never frozen, hand-tossed original dough and superior-quality tomato sauce, we strive to exceed your expectations. We even take special care to ensure all of our pizzas are made with zero trans fat. Combine our total commitment to quality with our superior ingredients, and the result is pure pizza excellence.

In an effort to get the word out about Papa Johns they’ve held several activities for the whole family to enjoy. Were you able to attend these?

The Grand Pizza Day

Papa John’s Pizza thought of unique and hassle – free ways on how to celebrate and make your kids pleased on their birthday! This Grand Pizza Party happened last August 2013 at SM Megamall, attended by over 2,000 parents and party lovers.

There are six party themes to choose from: sports, fashionista, animal friends, princess & pirates, circus and clowns and speedy cars. With a minimum purchase of P8, 000 they can get one of these amenities for FREE(face painting, balloon twisting or glitter henna tattoo).

The Premiere Night of Spiderman 2 in the Philippines

“I really love getting free stuff! Upon entering, Papa John’s gave us a bottle of water and a slice of Papa John’s pizza and a shirt from Papa John’s too. They had raffle inside too for selected participants and said that if you wear the shirt on a Thursday and you decide to eat at Papa John’s, the person who is wearing the shirt will get 50% off on his/her personal consumption.” From Brendz of the Grumpy Mommy Blog.

Papa John’s was honored to witness the Premiere Night of The Spiderman 2 at Greenbelt 3 last March 2014.

Promos!

Papa John’s Official Pizza of the PBA

One of the biggest projects of Papa John’s is to be part of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Papa John’s Pizza claimed the title as the “Official Pizza of the PBA”.

PBA sponsorship became partnership- Papa John’s is very active in joining PBA events such as: Corporate Social Responsibilities, pizza activities in every game day and support PBA in their major events.

Terrence Romeo, Dough Kramer, Simon Atkins, Rey Gueverra and Ryan Arana supported Papa John’s in promoting their several promos. These players bear evidence that Papa John’s has a high quality standard in serving their products.

Part of maximizing the exposure as the “Official Pizza of the PBA”, Papa John’s provided promo that suites to the taste of our customers. Presenting PBA Meal for 5 (P999) and Meal for 12 (P2499)! A complete food package from appetizers, pastas, side items to our specialty pizzas, a great promo for a BIGGER group in a LOWER price!

New Chicken Carbonara Pizza!

Papa John’s never stop in discovering sumptuous pizza flavor for our valued customers. For this quarter, we are proud to announce our new Pizza flavor presenting- The NEW Chicken Carbonara Pizza- Our pizza with crispy bacon in creamy carbonara sauce and a blend of Parmesan, Romano and Mozarella Cheese, topped with grilled chicken, onion, bacon and mushroom.

The new Chicken Carbonara Pizza comes with crispy bacon in creamy carbonara sauce and a blend of Parmesan, Romano, and Mozzarella Cheeese, topped with grilled chicken, onion bacon and mushroom at a party size price of P485!

You can never go wrong with a fun pizza party with Papa John’s Chicken Carbonara Pizza Group Meals for 4 and 6.

For Parties and other occasions, enjoy Chicken Carbonara Pizza Group Meal for 6 with:

Set A (P1039) - 1 Family Chicken Carbonara Pizza, 3 orders of Pasta (choice of Three Cheese Pasta, Hot Salad Pasta or Crab Meat Pasta), 6 regular sodas (1.5 liter for delivery)

Set B (P1199) - 1 Family Chicken Carbonara Pizza, 2 orders of Herbed Parmesan Breadsticks, 3 orders of Pasta (choice of Three Cheese Pasta, Hot Salad Pasta or Crab Meat Pasta), 6 regular sodas (1.5 liter for delivery)

Promo Valid until August 31, 2014
Valid for dine-in, take-out and delivery transactions
Available in all Papa John’s branches
Call 887-7272 for delivery

You can find Papa John’s Branches in the following areas:

1. Robinson’s Galleria
2. University Mall Taft, Manila
3. Grenhills, Annapolis
4. SM Megamall
5. Brickroad, Sta. Lucia
6. Tomas Morato
7. SM Fairview
8. SM North Edsa
9. Greenbelt 3
10. Jupiter
11. Waltermart, Sucat
12. Visayas Ave.
13. Ever, Recto
14. Bluebay Walk, Pasay
15. Shell Julia Vargas
16. Dona Soledad, Paranaque
17. Banawe Quezon, City

Visit Papa John’s website or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

by

I love food that sizzles. There was a time when sizzling plates were all the rage. Now we have places like Pepper Lunch that offer us a sizzling meal which we can enjoy while it’s piping hot.

I’d been wanting to use my Pepper Lunch voucher from Enjoy Philippines for some time now. The nearest branch was at Megamall and because Kianna and I were in the Ortigas area for my friend, Jenan’s bridal shower we decided to have an early lunch.

Upon entering you’re immediately assigned a table number which also reflects on your receipt.

My Enjoy Philippines voucher entitled me to a Buy One Get One Free Dish (Free dish of equal or lesser value. Limit to one free). We ordered the classic Beef Pepper Rice.

It’s served to you sizzling hot and the purpose of that is because you need to help it along by cooking the beef. All you really have to do is just keep turning it until it’s cooked.

After the beef has been cooked, mix it in with your rice and you’re ready to take on the Pepper Lunch challenge! That’s trying to eat it while it’s so hot. You might want to wait for it to cool down but it really is just too good to wait.

Want to get exclusive deals such as this?

Join Enjoy Philippines and get over Php300,000 worth of products and services.

Follow Pepper Lunch on Facebook or go to their website for more details.

by