The Best Laoag FoodBEST LAOAG FOOD - EAT SOMETHING DIFFERENT The best food is in Ilocos Norte and they are proud of their unique cuisine. The Best Food is available in many great restaurants. The local garlic is wonderful, also the local vinegar called sukang iluko is renowned and some compared with really good quality Balsamic vinegar. THE TOP SIX LAOAG FOODS TO TRY 1. Bagnet (they pronounce this as bug-net and is an Ilocano version of lechon kawali These are pork squares that are boiled in a salty solution; then they are dried in the air; then they are deep fried twice until they become crisp and golden in color. 2. Pinakbet They pronounce this as pee-nak-beht and this a stew comprising long beans, eggplant, squash, tomatoes, bitter gourd and chilli peppers. It is like an Ilocano version of the French ratatouille 3. Longganisa They pronounce this as long-gan-nisa is a very strong tasting Ilocos sausage that is seasoned with local garlic. This is a little like Spanish Chorizo sausage. 4. Abrao They pronounce this as ab-row and this is a delicious vegetable dish cooked in a fish stock or broth. 5. Insarabsab They pronounce this as in-sarab-sab is this is grilled pig ears and the cheeks, and is the local Ilocano variation of sisig 6. Empanada They pronounce this as em-pa-nada This is the most popular street food in Ilocos Norte. It is made from grated papaya, eggs and longganisa wrapped in an orange colored rice dough and is the top snack merienda in Northern Luzon. Dont forget to try these other local Laoag food delicacies biscotcho crackers, cornicks crispy corn kernels, linga sesame seed, nd tupig sticky rice. Why not visit the local market for local cooking ingredients to chichacorn crunchy corn bits or my favorite sweet potato chips. The central market is the best place to buy pasalubongs. You also must try Ilocano delicacies such as dinakdakan which is grilled pig ear mixed with pig brain and mayonnaise, with onion and pepper to taste; also try igado which is pork meat and liver sautéd in vinegar and soy sauce, and of course bagnet which is deep fried pork belly best served with tomatoes and bagoong which is salted paste made from anchovies or shrimp and spring onion). MORE GREAT LAOAG FOOD TO TRY Some other great Laoag food treats are the local fruits all soaked in sukang iluko and they include my favorite which are green mango slices. Also there are the fruits karmay, singkamas, siniguelas, manibalang na papaya, green balayang bananas and even more local fruits. There are known locally as inartem, which means soaking. I call them drunken fruit. These go really great with a barbecued and fried pork, beef and chicken and even BBQ fish. The secret of Ilocano cuisine is its simplicity. Lkike French cuisine it uses simple inexpensive ingredients. It is the peoples food! An essential part of Ilocano cuisine are the bitter tasting dishes. This bitter taste is interwoven through grilled fish, meat stews and fresh garden salads. They are wonderfully balanced against sweet and sour and then salty. The use of sukang iluko really makes the difference. On of the signature dishes is pinakbet which is vegetable stew that is made from bitter melon, squash, eggplant and okra with crisp pork belly bagnet. Also try puqui-puqui which is made from eggplant, tomatoes and eggs. Another dish is baradibud which is a delicious vegetable stew. Also try a local dessert called bibingka.
DULANG FOOD FESTIVAL If you like Ilocano cooking then the Dulang dinner Food Festival is for you. Special local dishes are prepared and cooked using weird looking utensils with strange names such as strangely sounding—banag, silyasi and dalikan The very special Laoag dishes featured in Dulang are the Bagnet, which as we said is deep-fried super crunchy pork); Longganisa Ilocos which is preserved with natural spices and sugarcane vinegar; Dinakdakan which is a pig brain delicacy; Ilocano Dinuguan which is pork stewed in pigs blood); Diningding which is native vegetables in fish preserve and served with fresh grilled fish) and naturally Pinakbet. PINAKBET FESTIVAL As we all know Pinakbet is the Ilocano signature dish. Pinakbet is a spicy mix of local fresh vegetables, along with around a kilogram of liempo pork, ginger, and lastly a spoon full of bagoong or fish preserve from Ilocos Norte. The secret a smy sister-in-law says is not to overcook the vegetables. During the Pinakbet Festivals in Laoag City guests are able to go house to house and taste the various versions, every house recipe is different. You can taste the many different styles of Pinakbet from stewed; or dry; or in oil; or those that use using fish or shrimp preserves. The Pinakbet Festival is often part of the Dulang Food Festival. LAOAG FOOD - QUALITY RESTAURANTS The best three quality dining experiences are Saramsan, La Preciosa and Ravanden’s which are all located on J.P.Rizal Street. These places are worth visiting if you are want gourmet standard local dishes. Click here for the best LAOAG CITY QUALITY RESTAURANTS LAOAG FOOD - FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS There are many popular fast restaurants that cover everything from pizza, pasta, fried chicken and many local Ilocano favoritesClick here for the best LAOAG CITY FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS OTHER GREAT LAOAG CITY RESTAURANTS If you want a restaurant that is somewhere between fast and high quality gourmet then there are many great places to choose fromClick here for the best LAOAG CITY RESTAURANTS EAT SOMETHING IN PASUQUIN Not far way is Pasuquin with its famous sea salt. But there is more to Pasuquin than meets the eye.
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