The Bagnet requires  a longer process to prepare. Choice cuts from the pig (usually its side called three layers) are made into Bagnet. Sinublan or Kawa (a very large iron pot) is usually used to boil the meat.

The crispier the pork skin becomes, the harder to resist. That is the secret of the mouth-watering Bagnet- the crispy, crackling blistered skin! Yum!

Here are the Ingredients:

• 1 kilo pork meat (choice cut)
• 1 liter cooking oil
• 1/2 liter water
• Salt to taste
• Water

Let’s start cooking:

In a stock pot or large iron pot, bring water to a boil with added salt. Drop pork meat and boil until tender. Drain and hang dry, then set aside.

Submerged pork meat in brewing oil until bubbles begin to appear while its skin hardens and begins to pop.

Remove from the frying pot. Drain and dry in paper towel until completely cool.

Reheat cooking oil.  Repeat the process again- submerged pork meat in a very hot cooking oil for a while, strain, and sprinkle with cold water. Do this process several times until skin pops further.

Remove from fire and serve.

Cooking Tip:

To avoid mess as well as burns, cook in a low cooking area.

The Bagnet can last for a week before it gets spoiled when kept inside a refrigerator. When left in normal room conditions, one can have a repeat of the dish for at least three days. 

Specialties: Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Double Cheeseburger, McChicken, Fillet-O-Fish, Cheeseburger, Burger McDo, Chicken McDo, Nuggets, Crispy Chicken Fillet, Spaghetti, Barbeque Beef McDo, French Fries, Apple Pie, Caramel Sundae, Hot Fudge Sundae and McFlurry

Cuisine: American

Ambiance: Cozy, Cheerful, Resembles the old Spanish houses

Location: P. Burgos Corner Jacinto Streets, Vigan, Ilocos Norte, Philippines

Specialties: Max’s Fried Chicken, Kare-Kare, Pancit Canton, Crispy Pata, Fresh Lumpiang Ubod, Sinigang Baboy, Sinigang Hipon, Bicol ExpressMax’s Tapa, Max’s Tocino, Chicken Sisig

Cuisine: Filipino, Asian

Ambiance:  It has a Spanish-colonial period Ambiance because the restaurant is built with the resemblance of the old houses.

Location: The Heritage Village Mena Crisologo St., Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines

Cant’ get enough of Vigan Empanada? Here’s  a simple-to-follow steps in case you want to try cooking empanada at home.

Ingredients:

For Casing:

• 1 1/2 cup Rice Flour
• Orange food coloring (optional)
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1 tbsp. Oil (for greasing)
• Cooking oil (for frying)

For Filling:

• 1 Grated Green  Papaya (blanched & squeezed with salt to extract bitter taste)
• 4 pcs. Vigan Longganisa Sausage Chopped (remove from its casing)
• 1/2 Chopped Onion
• 1 Garlic Clove Finely Chopped
• 6 Eggs
• Salt
• Pepper

Cooking Instructions

For Casing

• 1) Mix ingredients in a bowl and knead dough lightly.
• 2) Take about a 2-3 tablespoons of dough and flatten with rolling pin.
• 3) Set aside while you make your filling. Before you make your filling preheat your deep fryer by adding the cooking oil and set aside.

For Filling

• 1) In another skillet pan saute garlic and onions in oil. Add Longganisa Sausage and season with salt and pepper. Put the cooked sausage in a  bowl and mix it a little to cool it down. Wait 2-3 minutes and mix in grated green papaya.
• 2) Spoon out 2-3 tablespoons of filling to flattened dough/wrapper and crack a piece of fresh egg. Seal the sides and deep fry in the preheated deep fryer.
• 3) Place Empanadas in a plate topped with plenty of paper towels to blot oil. Serve hot  in another clean platter and with sweet chili dip or garlic vinegar on the side.

And Voila!

Leila’s Cafe is a charming little coffee shop located between Grafika and Los Majitos. This coffe shop is named after Leila Aguilar-Singson. You’ll notice pictures of her at the walls of the Café.

 They mostly serve crepes, coffee, tea, sandwiches, and all day breakfast item as well as pasta, pastries, and fraps. One must-try in this Café is Graceland — banana, bacon, and peanut butter in a crepe! You’ll definitely love it!

This place is delightfully decorated with lovely piece of refurbished antiques in blue, white and black, with splashes of yellow. They have cubicles with comfortable sofas; interiors are quaint, quite lovely and cozy. There’s free WiFi, too!

Leila’s Café is located at Gen. Luna St., Brgy. 5, 2700 Vigan, Philippines.

There are actually two kinds of the Ilocos Empanada. One is the Vigan Empanada in Ilocos Sur and the other is the Batac or Laoag Empanada in Ilocos Norte. The latter is better known as “The Ilocos Empanada” in terms of appearance and popularity, being sold in all of Ilocos Norte and including some towns in Ilocos Sur.

• Vigan empanada’s crust is thinner and crunchier. While the crust of the Batac empanada is thicker and  is a bit harder to chew.
• The Vigan empanada has no coloring and is thus lighter in color. The crust of the Batac empanada is orange because of the food coloring (achuete)
•  In Vigan, many stalls remove the egg white (this practice maybe had something to do with building churches since egg white was an important building material at that time) while the Batac empanada uses the entire egg.
• The Vigan empanada uses the vinegar-seasoned longaniza of Vigan while Batac empanada uses the saltier Laoag longaniza.
• Most Vigan empanadas do not have bean sprouts, just the grated green papaya.
• The Vigan vinegar is very strong with an alcohol-like fermented taste. The Laoag vinegar is really sour and usually has siling labuyo added to it when served.
• In Vigan banana leaves are used to fold and seal the empanada. In Batac, they use plastic.

A great way to start your Vigan  trip is to dine in Kusina Felicitas . The ambiance is cozy and relaxing. And the food serves Vigan delicacies.

Kusina Felicitas has a low ceiling with original beams, marble flooring, 18th century brick walls adorned by an exuberance of folk art, dark wood tables and Spanish-style chairs and a long deli counter filled with pickled onions, sugarcane wine, honey and preserves of caramay (a tart fruit that looks like a small pumpkin), pineapple, kondol (white gourd melon), mangoes, langka (jackfruit), kamias (tree sorrel) and singkamas (jicama).

For breakfast they served the  garlic rice, egg and the famous Vigan longganisa-perfect with sukang Iloko.

For lunch why not have a samples of different viands. (clockwise starting at the top). Pinakbet, longaniza vigan, poqui-poqui, saluyot aramang, sabuganay, igado, pinakbet na sili. In the center is crispy bunog.

The real pinakbet for ilocanos is just shrinked veggies. Vegetables are cooked for 1 and a half hours. A pinakbet has talong (eggplant), ampalaya (bitter melon), kamatis (tomatoes), sitaw, bagoong (fish sauce). This one was served with bagnet. Poqui poqui is mashed eggplant with egg. The saluyot with aramang was slippery. Aramang (also called alamang) are tiny shrimps. Sabunganay is an ilocano name for puso ng saging. This was prepared like a salad. Igado is a dish made with lomo (pork tenderloin), pig’s heart, lapay (spleen), bato (kidney) and atay (liver) spiced with lots of ginger and garlic, and seasoned with patis (fermeneted fish sauce). Extra rice please!

Dessert in Kusina Felicitas:  turones di mani, kinalti na saba (sweetened), yema balls and balikutsa.   Divine!

Kusina Felicitas is located at Bonifacio St. cor. Quirino Blvd,,Vigan Philippines.

Every time Los Majitos opens up at night for their street dining the street of  General Luna comes alive . You will see that it is decorated with hanging lamps, and the tables are illuminated with candles. They serve the typical inihaw and some of the Ilocano specialties.It is located near the famous Calle Crisologo at Calle Gen. Luna St.,Vigan City, Ilocos, just near the Gordion Inn. You get a chance to enjoy your dinner with your whole family with a great ambiance given by the surroundings such as brick walls, old houses,street lights and cool breeze.

Nestled in the country’s most preserved historic city that dates back to the 15th century, Grandpa’s Inn flings you all the way back to the Spanish Era in the Philippines. A “classic” Ilocano ambiance like no other.

Discover new things beyond the usual at Grandpa’s with its very homey and warm interiors and antique decorations.

It’s used to be the residential Spanish house of the Donato Family that was converted into an Inn in 1979. It has now expanded to another heritage house of the Pilar Encarnacion-Tongson Family with three dormitory rooms and the restaurant Uno Grille.

Smell the aroma of a “good” coffee at Café Uno and relish real gastronomic Ilocandia treat at Kusina Felicitas under a cozy and quaint ambiance just like the Grandpa’s Inn itself.

They serve bagnet (crisp deep-fried pork), pakbet , poqui-poqui – an eggplant salad, dinengdeng – a vegetarian soup with bagoong (shrimp paste), fried bunog- (a local fish). It’s a must to try their breakfast menu!

Grandpa’s staffs are friendly and they provide efficient service.

Grandpa’s Inn is located at 1 Bonifacio St. cor. Quirino Blvd, Vigan, Luzon, Philippines

Heritage Resort of Caoayan is a five hectare family resort located in Caoayan, Ilocos Sur, just a kilometer away from the rich culture and historical City of Vigan.

Features:

-Accomodation with spacious air-conditioned cottages with cable TV

Family Room (Minimum of 4 pax )
Deluxe Room (Minimum of 3 pax )
Standard Room (2 pax)

- Restaurant and Bar

- Swimming Pools

- Laundry

- Tour Guide

- IDD / NDD Telephone

- Function Rooms (Seminars, Wedding and other Special Occasions)