Food at Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort

Aside from the good service and picturesque landscape, another thing I appreciated about Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort is the satisfactory food it prepares for guests. 

Breakfast is included in the room rate and we got to choose from a Japanese, American, or Filipino plate. Best value of the lot, we feel, is the Japanese meal of grilled fish, rice, and eggs as it includes a cup of miso soup.

Japanese 

American

Filipino 

When we arrived at Bluewater, we were hungry and tired so we ordered from room service. The pizza and burgers were good and filling while everybody loved the lechon kawali. We also made sure to try the famous banana bread recommended by friends but it was average at best. 

Pineapple & Ham Pizza 

Sumilon Burger

Lechon Kawali

Banana Bread

For dinner, we ate at The Pavilion which houses the restaurant of Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort and had a feast of mainly Filipino classics.  The succulent lechon kawali from room service was such a hit that we reordered it. If there's one dish to avoid, it's the grilled tanigue because it was overcooked and not fresh.

Shrimp & Papaya Salad

Grilled Tanigue

Grilled Squid

Lechon Kawali

Sinigang

Nasi Goreng

To those wondering, pricing of food is reasonable for an exclusive island resort. Be prepared to pay Manila rates.

Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort is located at Sumilon Island, Bancogon, Oslob, Cebu, Philippines. For more information, call (32) 318 3129 or 0917 631 7512. Email the resort at sumilon@bluewater.com.ph or click here for their website.

Christmas Dinner at Pepita's Kitchen

Last Christmas, my friends and I had a 12 course Hayop na Degustacion at Pepita's Kitchen.

Dedet dela Fuente, the woman behind Pepita's Kitchen, opened her home in Magallanes Village to host the private dinner.

Menu

I would have came to dinner early if I only knew that my favorite childhood snacks were ready for picking before service began.

Tray of Chocnut

Mixed Nuts

Dedet guided the degustacion experience expertly by explaining every dish that was served.

Let's get started...

Pepitas Magic Potion: Cotton Candy + Lambanog

Unique drink that made me all the more excited for the food to come! 

Tendon Chips with Dip

Tasted every bit like chicharon minus the guilt!

Hiplog

One of my favorite dishes! Perfectly cooked shrimp covered in salted egg and aligue sauce. Do us all a favor Dedet and bottle the sauce pls.

So good that it deserves a close-up!

Bone Marrow w/ Oxtail Marmalade and Special Salt of Chicharon

 Dedet said that some choose to eat the components of this dish separately while others prefer to mix the crushed chicharon and oxtail marmalade with the bone marrow. I, of course, chose the fat on fat on fat way of eating and absolutely loved it! The crushed chicharon gave the dish the needed texture while the slightly sweet marmalade was the perfect contrast to the richness of the bone marrow. 

Salad Surprise

Lettuce, homemade yogurt cheese, pureed cashews. The surprise? FIZZ CANDY! 

Sipit Sarap

The fat and juicy crab claw was lathered in coconut milk. I'm a sucker for anything that has coconut milk so this was another winner for me. 

Lucky You

A simple dish of cold noodles that had a clean refreshing taste. Wished that I could have drowned the noodles in the salted egg sauce of Hiplog!

Lambada

Tender lamb kaldereta which had the right amount of spice.

Cheers Palate Cleanse

A tamarind palate cleanser to prepare us for the star of the night. 

Spanish Lechon

Pepita's Kitchen offers several stuffed lechon variants but we chose the Spanish Lechon. We had to pay premium for this stuffing.

Dedet's daughter was an expert pig carver!

Our Spanish lechon had chorizo and aligue rice.

The best part of the lechon was the skin! It was so crispy that I could hear every delightful crunch in my mouth. The aligue rice and lechon itself could use more flavor though.

Cholesterol Sweeper

After all the rich dishes, we were given a shot of creamy oatmeal. I'm not sure if it helped in containing all the fatty food we ate but it certainly was the best oatmeal concoction I've eaten so far.

Pinoy Dessert

Dessert came in the form of Dedet's Pinoy take on the classic creme brulee. It was sweet and light which was the perfect way to cap the 12 course meal.

Bravo to Dedet dela Fuente for being a culinary genius. The dishes were all well-executed and thoughtfully prepared. For me, the true test of success when it comes to any dining experience is my willingness to go back. For Pepita's Kitchen, the answer is YES... in a heartbeat.

Degustacion at Pepita's Kitchen starts at 2,200php per pax. Minimum of 15pax. For inquiries, call 09178660662 or 425-4605. You can send an email at pepitaskitchen@gmail.com. Click here for more information.

Ilocos Diaries: Where to Eat in Laoag

We asked locals for recommendations on where to eat in Laoag and they either pointed us to La Preciosa or Saramsam.

We followed their advice and tried the two restaurants on separate nights. Do note that both restaurants are located on the same street.

La Preciosa is probably the finest restaurant in Laoag offering traditional Ilocano dishes. 

 

Wall of Fame

We dined at La Preciosa during our first night in Laoag so we ordered the most popular Ilocano dishes.

Ilocano Longganisa (155php)

Longganisa in Ilocos is more salty than sweet. Best paired with vinegar.

Bagnet with KBL (175php)

Looks like lechon kawali because it is lechon kawali! It just has crispier skin.

Crispy Dinardaraan (175php)

My favorite dish at La Preciosa and I don't even eat dinuguan. It didn't have the funky smell and taste I usually associate this dish with.

Puqui-Puqui (150php)

The name of the dish is actually more intriguing than what it actually is. It's just eggplant, tomatoes, and eggs.

Pinakbet w/ Sitcharon (160php)

We tried to balance our meal with vegetables but there's bagnet thrown in the mix. FAIL.

Sansrival 

Soggy and sad.

Saramsam Ylocano Restaurant, on the other hand, is a more casual restaurant where friends and families  can hangout.

It has an adjoining KTV room where every day is an open mic night.

We had dinner at Saramsam during our last night in Ilocos and we veered from ordering traditional Ilocano dishes. 

Saramsam Pasta (150php)

Pasta with shrimps, cilantro, mangoes, and peppers. A welcome break from all the fried food we ate the entire trip.

Longganisa Pizza (200php)

Regretted that we didn't order their famous dinuguan or pinakbet pizza. This wasn't bad but I wished for a more interesting  flavor profile.

Malunggay Ice Cream

A must-order in Saramsam which didn't disappoint. It's served with fresh calamansi which I squeezed to my cup. The combination of malunggay and calamansi surprisingly worked!!! 

Bluebery Flan

Sure pretty to look at.

The locals are right! When in Laoag, one can't go wrong eating at either La Preciosa or Saramsam. Both are dependable restaurants that offer good local dishes at very affordable prices.

La Preciosa is located at Rizal St., Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. For more information, call (77)7731162,(77)7732159 or click here. 
Saramsam Ylocano Restaurant is located at N. Corpuz Building, Rizal St. corner Hizon St.,Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. For more information call (077)7715825, 09175702110 or click here.