On finding a good Ilocos Empanada

I don't know how many times I've been to Ilocos since Hubby and I got together but I can count how many times I've eaten an Ilocos empanada!  ZERO!!! Haha . . .We haven't eaten one in the many times we've been there!  I guess because we know that we always go there anyway plus I am not really a fan of this empanada because I didn't like it the first time I tried it . . .in Manila!  I know, I know, I should know better.  Of course I have to try it in its birth place!  

As they say, everybody deserves a second chance . . . including this empanada!  Haha!

After we checked in at Hotel Luna, we had some time to spare before attending the 7PM Sunday mass in St. Paul Cathedral in the Plaza.  We thought this is a good time to get some.

My sister told me that the two famous empanadas in Vigan are Irene's and CJ's.  Our Aunt though recommended Insiang's which she has personally tried and liked.  Now, if a local tells you that it is good, you have trust them because they know what they are talking about!

We walked along the streets of Vigan and we couldn't find it (because we got the wrong directions, haha).  We asked several locals but somehow they couldn't give us an answer (a bad sign? haha). We were even second guessing ourselves if we have the right name!  

But we (our tummies) didn't give up!

But thanks to Manong Kutsero, we found Insiang's!  

Yes, it exists! Haha

Literally, a roadside eatery.

There is a funny story about the picture below.  The table wasn't there when we got there.  They literally pulled out the table from somewhere (ala bunny out of the hat trick, haha) and just set it up for us when we told them we are going to "dine-in". 

Food adventure ba kamo?  haha

Since we were on a rush (because we are still going to attend Mass), we just ordered Empanada. They actually have different choices for Empanada (e.g. Special, Double, etc.) and they also have Okoy.

So here it is. . . Insiang's Empanada!  (aka the first Ilocos Empanada which I loved, haha)

Best when eaten hot and with Sukang Iloko!  I love how the crust is thin and crispy and not doughy.

I also like how the egg yolk came out runny.  I am not sure if this was meant to be runny or if it was just probably fried quickly than the rest but at any rate, this worked well for me!

I love that Insiang uses Papaya instead of Cabbage for Empanada.  They said there are times that they use Cabbage if there is no Papaya on hand.  

Side story: My sister got the chance to eat Empanada in Paoay (a place North of Ilocos) and she told me that they (at least the one that she tried) have an orange-colored crust which is thicker versus the empanada which we had in Vigan (down South) which we had.  One difference too is that the empanada from the North uses cabbage and togue as filling.

If there is one thing that Insiang's can improve on, we wish there was more meat (they use Vigan Longganisa) in it.  The longganisa they use is actually good.  We liked the Empanada so much that we ordered 50 pcs of Empanada to bring back home (to share with family and friends), haha! We also ordered longganisa from them.  We appreciate that they delivered everything to our hotel too.  

I have yet to try the other empanadas in Vigan but for now, I am happy to say that I enjoy eating the Ilocos Empanada now, thanks to Insiang's! (Agyamanak Manang Insiang!)

In case you are wondering about the Empanadas we brought back home, I have to say that they are really best when eaten hot and freshly cooked.  We re-heated them in a toaster and let them cool for a bit (so they will get crispy) and still enjoyed eating them the day after.

Do you have a favorite Ilocos Empanada?  Care to share?  😁

Insiang's

Calle Salcedo and V. De Los Reyes St.

near Gordion Hotel

Vigan City

One Night in Vigan - Revisiting Hotel Luna

Every time we go home to Philippines, we make sure we visit Hubby's Grandma (she is 93  years old) and Aunt in Ilocos Sur.  Due to time constraints, we were able to stay only for a night but we are glad to be able to have spent some time with his side of the family.  

We stayed at our favorite hotel in Vigan, Hotel Luna (which I blogged about here).   I am so happy to see that nothing has changed in their impeccable service.  Everyone. . . like EVERYONE (I swear) was so courteous and helpful.  

Business must have been good since the last time we came because the hotel has built an Annex which has 17 rooms.  I am just not sure if the main hotel takes care of reservations for both hotel or each property handles its own reservations.  If you do an online booking with third party vendors (e.g., Agoda, Expedia), the Annex is listed as Hotel Luna Annex.  By the way, they apply the Senior Citizen Discount only when the booking is made directly with the hotel.   

For Dinner, Hubby and I were able to go on a "date" because the kids (and my Aunt) had dinner at the room.  (Thanks to McDonald's! Haha)

If I wasn't too tired from the 6 hr trip (I drove!  Yep, moi!), a walk around the Plaza or in Calle Crisologo would have been nice but dinner in an air-conditioned place where you just have to take an elevator sounded more appealing to me that time, haha!  And I heard from my sister that the dinner buffet in Comedor (the hotel's restaurant) is good.  Unfortunately, there wasn't a buffet that night (I think buffet nights are only on weekends).

At any rate, we were happy with what we ordered.  By the way, the restaurant's ala carte menu has a wide array of choices.

We ordered Pinakbet Paella which was good.  It has Vigan longganisa, bagnet, salted eggs and veggies as toppings.  It was a meal in itself!  The only thing I was missing is the soccarat (sosyal name for "tutong", haha). 

And we also tried their Dinakdakan (an Ilocano dish which is similar to sisig).   I don't eat Dinakdakan because it usually has pig's brain mixed into it to make it creamy.   I enjoyed this version because it is like the standard sisig.

The hotel also has a good breakfast buffet, something I look forward to whenever we stay in this hotel, haha.

If you need a place to stay in Vigan, I highly recommend Hotel Luna for a comfortable stay, yummy food and excellent service from the staff! 

Hotel Luna

General Luna St., 

Vigan City, Ilocos Sur

Tel. No. +63 (77) 632 2222

For more details about Hotel Luna, please click here to go to their website.

Bangkok Adventure: Shopping and Pasalubong Mini-Guide

SHOPPING!!!!  It is probably a woman's favorite therapy (retail that is!) and cardio exercise, haha!

Bangkok is a good destination for shopping (and eating, such a perfect combination!).  It has a plethora of shopping places that won't break your budget, from malls to different kinds of markets. 

Here are some shopping places in Bangkok which we went to:

1) Siam Paragon Mall - If you plan to do some luxurious shopping (along the lines of Balenciaga and Chanel), this place is for you (not for us, haha!).  There are also popular clothing brands found in this mall like GAP, Zara and H & M.

We went to this mall was because we took the kids to Kidzania (where they had a LOT of fun!  If you have young kids who don't care about food and shopping, this is a good place for them to bring to).  I wasn't able to take lots of photos but here are some of those I took.

They have a food court at the Ground Floor (my favorite among all the food courts we've been to) and nice restaurants on the 4th level (pictured below) of the mall.

*The floor levels in this mall can be tricky because Ground Floor is different from the Main Floor and 1st Floor.   

I would love to come back to this mall to check out their Gourmet Market and for some food tripping!

Besides Kidzania, this mall also houses the Sealife Ocean World located at the Basement of the mall. 

By the way, fyi, there is another mall which is called SIAM CENTER.  Just in case you want to go to either of them, just be clear if it is Siam PARAGON or Siam CENTER.

For more details about Siam Paragon (and the mall directory), please visit their website.

2) Krung Thong Plaza

To my fellow plus-size women, REJOICE!!! (Insert Handel's Hallelujah song here)

If you think Bangkok is just for slender women, HA!  Those days are overrrrr! Haha!

I think majority of the stalls here in this mall cater to plus-size women.  I like that there is a wide variety of  choices for dresses, tops, pants, shorts, casual and lounge wear, etc. that are fashionable, modern and stylish.

To get a wholesale price, I suggest you buy at least 2 items (I think this will not be a problem, haha).  I got some tops which average around US$7).  Just to give you a heads up, no fitting is allowed.  But you know what, some of the sellers have a good eye (and how I wish that they are friendlier, some are) because they know what size you are just by looking at you.

At the main entrance of the mall, you will see a stall which sells gold plated earrings (among many others) that are of good quality. 

Khun Pramote, the owner, super nice guy!

You can say that this is my favorite mall because looking clothes for my size is not a problem!  Haha!

Krung Thong Plaza

(across Platinum Mall)

813/8, Petchaburi Rd, Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok

3) Platinum Mall

Platinum Mall is one of the more popular shopping places in Bangkok.  By the way, there is a bridgeway connecting Krung Thong to Platinum Mall.  

We got some shawls from this very nice Thai lady who was one of the nicest people we have met in our trip.  She gave us a discount because she said we were her lucky customers.  She was happy because after we came, there were like 4 or 5 customers that came in after us, haha, such a sweet lady.

I found these accessories that have initials in them in one of the stalls.

We also got some Thai souvenirs in one of the shops.

4)MBK Center

MBK is another popular shopping mall in Bangkok.  Personally, I like this better than Platinum Mall. 

There is also another department (Tokyu) store attached to MBK Center.  

For Thai souvenirs and crafts, this is a good place to go to because they have more shops (all together in one floor) which sell different kinds of things compared to Platinum.

I got some throw pillow covers and tissue box covers from here.

MBK Center

Phayathai Rd, Pathum Wan, Khet Pathum Wan, 

Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10330, Thailand

5) Big C Supercenter

I know some people who don't like grocery shopping, but for me, I looovve it!  I can just go around and browse the aisles and check out stuff.  So whenever I travel and visit a place, I love going to the its supermarket because it is a good place  to buy local goods like food, snacks, etc.  And in Bangkok, Big C (one of the biggest supermarket chains in Bangkok) is the place to go to.

Eyes open wide . . .

Heart palpitates. . . 

My happy place! Haha!

So we brought home a luggage (or two?) full of goodies!

We also bought Thai flavored instant noodles (I know instant noodles are bad but we just have to try, haha) and different Thai dish mixes and sauces.

Beside Thai arts and crafts souvenirs, the supermarket is a good place to do some pasalubong shopping.

Oh by the way, you have to buy Nestea's Thai Milk Tea Powder because it is good!  I am not fond of Thai Milk tea in general but I like Nestea's because it has a milder herbal taste.  If you want to have a taste before buying it, there are some food courts that sell this as a drink.

You can also get a VAT refund in the supermarket but you need to bring your passport to do so.  

Big C Supercenter

(opposite Central World)

97/11 Rajdamri Rd. Lumpini, Pathumwan

Bangkok 

6) Pantip Plaza 

This is known as Bangkok's IT Shopping mall.  I haven't been to this mall and I just got these pictures from hubby who checked out the place.

Pantip Plaza

604/3. Ratchathewi, Bangkok

6)Suvarnbhumi Internationl Airport 

For last minute shopping, you can find different things at the airport.  You will see shops like the one pictured below that sell Thai snacks and food.   We even bought Sticky Rice Mango to bring back home, haha!

More shopping choices . . . 

In this post's title, I wrote "Mini Guide" because this is not an extensive guide to the different shopping areas in the city.  These are just the places we have been to and believe me, we have only been to a few (and we didn't even get the chance to fully explore each place!).  

There are just so many things to do, so many shopping places to conquer! Haha!

There is definitely a lot more to cover. . . which we will. . . in the future!

My dear Bangkok, I will see you again! 

Patchawaran's - Thai Food Trip in Pampanga

I am taking a break from writing my Bangkok Adventure posts (there are two more coming up!) but I am here to give you another one . . . and it is about Thai food! (Thai pa rin talaga! Haha)

Since we didn't get enough Thai food in Bangkok, we got our fill and ate to our heart's' content back home in  . . . Pampanga! 

My sister heard about this Thai restaurant in Angeles City from her friends and told me about it. According to the waitress who took care of us, the restaurant has been operating for six years now.  It was previously known as Chiangmai Restaurant.  I am just not sure if the change in name meant change in ownership.  One thing is for sure though, they serve good, authentic Thai food because it is owned by a Thai lady who personally cooks all the dishes being served.   

The restaurant (a bungalow house) is located in a residential area.  The place doesn't have a parking area (it is street parking) so this can be a problem especially when it is peak time.  I am glad we went for a late lunch.  You know the place has made quite an impression when you see someone bring a group of Korean tourists there after a game of golf.  

So through this post, I want to bring you too to . . .  Patcharawan's Thai Restaurant!

Facade of the restaurant

This is the dining area when you enter the red gate, it is the al fresco part of the restaurant.

We were seated in the air conditioned area.

The restaurant's menu has more than enough good choices.  You get to choose what meat you want for the Thai dishes.  The menu even has International dishes (Singaporean, Malaysian and Mexican!  I know, I wasn't expecting the Mexican part, haha).

We came with a good appetite and ordered the following:

1) Shrimp and Squid Salad - it was refreshing, loved the dressing and the succulent shrimps!  And big too I must say.  I wish the squid were more tender though.

2) Fried Rice with Chicken - when we go out, we have to order Fried rice for the kids.  I also wanted to order Bagoong Rice but it wasn't available that day.

3) Grilled Chicken Satay - LOVE it!  The chicken was tender and the satay sauce was good!

4) Phad See Lew (pronounced as Pad See You) - I wish we ordered Phad Thai instead, haha!  This is actually me and hubby's favorite Thai Noodle dish so I am already expecting this particular taste which (sadly) we didn't get in this dish.  I found it dry too.

5) Chicken Stir Fry with Basil - another winner!  

And of course, we had to try one of their curries so we ordered. . . 

6) Chiangmai Curry - This curry dish tastes like peanut-ty and has a hint of sweetness, similar to the satay sauce. 

And you know what the BEST part about this meal?!!!  The price!  Our total bill (food plus plain rice and drinks) came out to Php1,300 only (around US$26)!   

For the quality and quantity of food you get and the price you pay, this place is a winner!

If there is one thing I would suggest is for them to have more wait staff ( or probably we came in after lunch time so the others are on break?)  But I have to say that the staff were nice and they were trying their best to manage all the tables.

So if ever you are in Angeles City and are craving for some Thai food, this is a good place to go to!

Happy Food Tripping!

(Oh my gosh, writing this post made me hungry, seriously. I want some Thai food now, haha! )

Patcharawan's Thai Restaurant

26B Malabanias Road

Angeles City

Mobile No. (63) 9205310378

FB Page (not sure if this is their official page)