Food Review: Marites Homestay and Restaurant in Pagudpud

Where to eat in Pagudpud?  

A budget friendly restaurant in Pagudpud that serves authentic Ilocano food and other Filipino dishes.

Marites Homestay and Restaurant

What better way to experience a local destination is also to experience the taste of its authentic local dishes.  We were fortunate enough when we stayed in Marites Homestay because we didn’t have to worry about where to eat and what to eat, as Marites Homestay and Restaurant serve a variety of dish offerings on their menu.

From the time we checked-in until our checkout, we were served grandly with their kind service and generous servings of food, that each platter of food could serve up to three persons for a budget friendly cost.

Food

Our first taste of their menu was when we were served with a heavy snack, Pancit canton for me and my daughter’s friend and Pancit bihon for my daughter.  Although I was not that hungry, I managed to finish eating the serving on my plate because I love the taste, it has the taste of Pinoy Pancit Canton that I like, the tasty soy sauce that lingers on my taste buds and the variety of vegetables mixed with the noodles. 

Dinner

With dim light and cool fresh air in the dining area, our dinner was served hot, fresh from the cooking area as I can see smoke coming from the food even when the light is dim.  We were served with a plate of mountain full of rice, Sinigang na Isda, Inihaw na Pusit, Buttered shrimp, Chopped Fried Pork, Pinakbet and fresh Water Melon for dessert.

Sinigang na Isda

The fish kinda look new to me which they call in Ilocano Tirtir, the fish meat is white and soft.  Instead of Sampaloc which we are used to sour our Sinigang, they use Calamansi.

Inihaw na Pusit

The squid is perfectly grilled with its meat soft and chewy inside.

  

Buttered Shrimp

We three say in unison that this was our favorite menu in our dinner.  The sweet and spicy taste is oh so delectable to the taste, we didn’t leave any single shrimp uneaten on our platter, except of course its shells. 

Fried Pork

The breading is thin and crispy and the taste is good enough, there’s no need to dip in the catsup to taste, but the fatty portion is bigger than the lean meat that’s why we consumed half of the serving.

Pinakbet

If you haven’t tried Ilocano Pakbet, this is it, this is the authentic Ilocano Pakbet with sautéed eggplant, okra, bitter gourd, tomatoes and fermented fish or anchovy sauce that brings out the salty taste.

 

Longsilog

Breakfast

The next morning we were served with a healthy Pinoy breakfast, a platter with complete meal, rice, longanisa, steamed vegetable, fresh vegetable and Sukang Iloco with fresh garlic for dipping. What I like about their longanisa is it’s salty and spicy taste which really match the tangy flavor of Sukang Iloco.

Lunch

It was our farewell meal in Pagudpud and we really ensured that we will gonna eat plenty to endure the long travel back to Manila. We had Inihaw na Isda, again I’m not familiar with this fish which they call Sungayan.  To complement this dry dish, we had Dinengdeng, it also has fermented fish sauce as base just like Pakbet, but the vegetables in this dish are different.  It can be mixed with camote and malungay vegetables. Our bonus meal is the Pork Sisig, served hot on the metal plate with fresh egg on top.

Those are some of Ilocano dishes Marites Homestay & Restaurant offers they also have Poqui Poqui, Dinakdakan to name a few.  If you are in Pagudpud for a beach getaway, do visit them in Blue Lagoon, Pagudpud and try one of their Ilocano dishes.

You can check out their facebook page for more information on their newest menu. 

 

For room reservation you may contact Mr. Walter Ubasa – Marketing Manager at 0909 950 4417

Marites Homestay and Restaurant

Blue Lagoon, Balaoi, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

Facebook page : www.facebook.com/Marites-Homestay-and-Restaurant-Blue-Lagoon-Pagudpud

Website : https://mariteshomestaybluelagoon.wordpress.com/

Lucban Quezon's famous Longaniza and Pancit

Longsilog at Buddy's Restaurant in Lucban

Lucban Longanisa and Pancit Habhab are the famous local food in Lucban, Quezon, that’s why when we visited Lucban in February we did not pass the chance to taste these foods where they originally has been renowned. 

After we paid a visit to the town’s church, St. Labrador Parish we started our quest for where to eat the best and authentic Lucban Longanisa and Pancit Habhab in town.  We had no idea where it could be and we bet that the best person to ask are the locals, which we did.  The first person we asked was a passerby outside the church, the second was a stall vendor and the third was a lady store owner.  They all gave us a similar answer - Buddy’s Restaurant located along the Lucban Highway.

24-Hour Sports Club and Bar

Mayweather and Pacquiao event

I was lucky to have been invited last Sunday, May 3, at Sparks Club Sports bar, located at the 2nd floor of Guilly’s Island restaurant in Tomas Morato, Quezon City to watch the live Pay Per View of Mayweather and Pacquiao Battle for Greatness fight, and not only that, it comes with a free buffet breakfast. Who wouldn’t refuse such an offer? It’s a rare opportunity so I grabbed the chance immediately when they sent me an invite. Although I had to wake up early last Sunday to make it to the call time, an extra effort for me is a gesture to reciprocate their generosity.


It was my first time to visit the place, but I did not have a hard time locating their establishment near the intersection of Tomas Morato and Eugenio Lopez Drive. I was greeted by Ms. Mikaela at the entrance door and led me to the second floor with some other invitees who were already seated at the high bar chairs reserved exclusively for invited guests.

Dining

The room was dimly lighted and cool which makes cozy ambiance, a perfect atmosphere while sipping the cup of coffee offered to me by their crew. The room is equipped with 5 large televisions mounted on the wall strategically located so that a guest can have a view of the show on TV. The sound system is good also. Aside from high bar chairs they also have high back dining sofa, so if you wanted your conversation to be a little bit private you can opt to be seated there. I tried sitting on both and I prefer the high back sofa because I can slouch or lean to relax my back on the padded backrest.

heavy breakfast 

The breakfast buffet was offered when almost all the seats are occupied by invitees and guests. We lined up at the bar area where the sumptuous Filipino breakfast menu was being served. First on the array of food is an option of plain or fried rice, seconded by different egg menu – omelet and sunny side up egg, thirdly meat menu – Tocino, Longaniza, Beef Tapa, and Arozcaldo with hard boiled egg. Also included is the Pandesal.

Taco Bell's newest menu: Meaty Grillers

Taco Bell Gateway Mall Express Outlet

After the two events that I had attended, this time I tried attending a food tasting event, and it was a foodie meet-up organized by Zomato and Taco Bell wherein I am one of the lucky thirty bloggers who got invited to taste and review Taco Bell’s newest addition to their famous burritos – TACO BELL MEATY GRILLERS, it has layers of meat and other flavorful ingredients all wrapped in a tortilla and grilled which is good enough for lunch or dinner as it is heavy in the stomach.

Our Very Own Gourmet Food tours in Bologna

     I must say that although I knew that Bologna is an excellent holiday destination, I got a lot more than I expected. The food tour in particular was a complete delight. I had gone there with my husband and he too was very pleased with the experience. Our tour company had organized for us to the Bologna gourmet food tour that takes one day. It started pretty early in the morning – we had to be on the road from Bologna to Modena at 7.15 in the morning. We were going to see how Parmesan cheese is made and we were looking to buy some to take back home – I had read up on its production and learnt that the stuff we have back home is nothing compared to the real thing.