Whenever I travel up north, I usually have a budget of three thousand pesos and it would cover everything, regardless of how long my trip will be. Well, accommodation isn't a part of that budget as we do have a house in La Union and if I go on a side trip to Vigan, I would just travel there from La Union in the morning, spend all day at my favorite place, then travel back to Manila at night. This particular practice was something my sister and I did when we traveled together.
However, I found myself in a big budget problem when we reached Vigan and realized I only have enough money to pay for my bus fare back to Manila. I still have money for my lunch and dinner, but I had to budget really well. The bus will leave Vigan at 9:30pm, so before we went to the bus terminal, sister and I went to find a place to eat. There were a lot of changes along Calle Crisologo, and I was really thankful that there was Tummy Talk that serve food that was just right for my budget.
Special Miki
That afternoon, sister asked if we could go to the market so we could check the miki factory my sister got to read about in a magazine. Sadly, we weren't able to see it and even if we asked several vendors at the market, nobody could point us to that place that makes fresh miki. Checking the menu of Tummy Talk, seeing the miki made me want to try it, especially when I was told that this doesn't use the typical miki noodles bought at the market (the yellowish one that has a bitter taste).
The broth looked oily, but believe me, it wasn't. Very different from the mami I have tasted - this one's rich, very flavorful and enough to make me full until we reached Manila.
Sinanglao
A dish very high in cholesterol as this consist of cow's or carabao's internal... but sister chose this because it's been so long since she last ate this dish, and it was a "miracle" for this to be available at night. Normally, this dish is only available during breakfast, and if you're lucky, you might find a carinderia serving it for lunch. I thought this would be the same as Pinapaitan, but it wasn't... and now that I have tasted Sinanglao, I think I prefer this over the Pinapaitan.
I am not sure if Tummy Talk is still open 'til now (I hope it still is)... if I have the chance to travel there this October, I will try my best to travel to Vigan again.
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