Vigan City, Ilocos Sur
06 March 2010
A trip to my paternal hometown of Bacnotan in La Union would often mean me traveling to my favorite place, Vigan City, before taking the bus home. During the first few visits here, I would always eat the Vigan empanada and okoy, but as time passed, I started getting used to its taste that I decided to not eat it for a while, just so my palates would miss it. On my last travel to Vigan, I stopped by the Vigan Empanadaan, just to have some heavy snacks while waiting for dusk to come.
Located at the side part of the Burgos Plaza, it was a place where different empanada stalls are located. There were some karinderia offering other foods, but the main products here would be the empanada and okoy.
Obviously, I had:
Vigan Empanada. Similar to the taco and calzone, this food is made from corn meal dough flattened and filled with veggies, egg yolk, and some bits of Vigan longganisa. This one was priced at P35, but there were regular (and small) ones about P5, but it would only have the veggies. All of the stalls in this empanadaan used shredded cabbage, julienned cabbage, and onions... but there are shops like Irene's (located near the Calle Crisologo) that uses grated young papaya. Personally, I prefer Irene's, but despite the many times I have been to Vigan, I still cannot recall the exact location of the store.
Anyway, when you eat here, they'd serve it on a plate and would give you a little bowl of spiced Ilocano vinegar. Best way to eat it? Crack the empanada open, pour some vinegar (be sure to add a little salt on the vinegar) and eat it. You can also hold it if you want to. :) Each table has two different containers, one had the salt, one had the spicier vinegar. Just mix your dip and enjoy the food.
Okoy. Nothing fancy about this, it tasted like any other okoy tasted, but I decided to have this as well upon seeing that big clawed shrimp (so cute). I took a picture of it from the rack first before I ordered it. Like the special empanada, this cost P35 as well.
Each stall have soft drinks and bottled water available if you want some, but since I love my empanada drowning in vinegar, I always go for the water - the free one. Come to think of it, a lot of people drink the free water (they will give you a glass and a pitcher of water), so why can't I?
I wasn't able to take a wider (and much beautiful) picture of the place, which gives me an idea of stopping by when I travel back there later this month. I will also give Irene's a visit just to make a comparison. If you want to eat "street style" empanada, come this place - it's much noisier, much alive place to eat at.
*** Jenn ***
I come from a family who loves cooking and eating. I never had any formal training in cooking and that I taught myself how to cook based on the handed down recipes, but I could say that I can cook good food. In 2008, I started documenting my food trips for my