"So after the tiring walk, he is about to starve to death and 35 pesos is all that he got for his budget for lunch until he found a place to eat and saw the empanada of Batac City!"
Heading to Ilocos and hungy of empanada? My next question would be, what part of Ilocos? Well, Ilocos Sur and Norte is the home of the famous Ilocano empanada and I must say that every city and some key towns in these two provinces have their own versions.
The traveling gutom landed in Batac City, Ilocos Norte without having any breakfast so he is ultra-gutom and he still managed to have a walking tour to Batac City with empty stomach.
Ilocos Norte empanada is known for their "orange" color and in Batac City, they are evident.
And since he is damn poor that he can not afford expensive foods, he endured the hunger while touring Batac City on foot. Tired and exhausted, he only has 35pesos for his food budget today and he was able to find his cheap food in Batac City. The traveling gutom of course also needs to eat to have a strength to his hungry traveling career (for no renumeration, LOL!).
So after the tiring walk, he is about to starve to death and 35 pesos is all that he got for his budget for lunch until he found a place to eat and saw the empanada of Batac City!
He is not expecting too much from this building because it looks like a "common" place to eat and it is not for luxury so he smiled to a point that his smile reaches his ears because he hates expensive restaurants with expensive menu. So seeing a not-so-expensive-looking setting is a heaven-delight for this ultra-hungry poor eater.
Surprisingly, this won't be enough because he has a voracious appetite but it was magical how this 35-peso-empanada of Batac satisfied his hungry tummy considering the tiring moment he had without breakfast and the alay-lakad or walk for a cause since he also has no penny to commute every now and then.
The Batac Riverside Empanadaan
Well if you happen to be in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, you can try to eat empanada at Batac Riverside Empanadaan and it is located just southward the facade of Batac Parish Church. It says riverside but the river was so dry. Anyway, Palagutom survived the challenge!
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
_______________________________________________________________________
Gutom Location:
Batac Riverside Empanadaan
Batac City, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Mission Status:
Mission Accomplished
Criteria:
Presentation: 10
Taste: 20
Innovation: 30
Price to Quality Ratio: 40
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100
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100
MY FOOD SCORE: 57/100
< 50: Needs improvement
50-60: Average (It is easy to find everywhere/It is Common)
60-70: Above Average (Not your ordinary food)
70-80: Very Satisfactory (It is worth the prize)
90-95: More than Perfect (It is more than what you paid for)
95-100: Beyond compare! (Word can't explain the excellence)
nice! i also love batac-empanada!
ReplyDeleteso, how was the empanada? how do you find it, taste, texture, ingredients, the way it was prepared/cooked? and how can you compare it with, say, empanada-laoag, or with empanada-vigan?
@Roy, actually I will be having a separate post for the differences of Ilocos empanadas but anyhow, Vigan empanada is unque for it's garlicky taste and it is crispy, like a huge taco chips and of course the Vigan Longganisa inside makes it so special. As of Batac and Laoag (ilocos Norte) including the version of Sinait in Ilocos Sur, they have "thicker" covering and it is not as crispy as of Vigan's. And they prefer monggo (balatong) compared to Vigan's version which is cabbage. There is also an empanada in Sta Maria, Ilocos Sur but never tried it for a review.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, they are all delicious but it would depend to the preference of the eater.
I'm curious if the filling is the same as the empanadas with potato, green peas and raisins...
ReplyDeleteI never knew that Ilocos are known for their empanada, i know of garlic, sukang paombong and special longanisa (my friend used to give us as pasalubong)...and i love empanadas, so next time I see my friend I'll ask for their empanadas...
ReplyDeleteShai-shai, Nope, there are many versions of empanada in Ilocos and commonly they contain monggo, cabbage, or papaya but never potato and raisins. The contents depend upon where it was made because as I have said, there are many version.
ReplyDeleteLongganisa is the common content of all the versions.
YUUKI, yup, especially in Vigan, people and tourists are crazy about the Vigan Empanada.
ReplyDeleteNever been to Batac yet. But I love Ilocos Empanada! :)
ReplyDeleteRAIN, You can try empanada in MOA, there is a store there called Vigan Empanada whould you wish to try without going to Ilocos.
ReplyDeleteI love eating empanadas, I'm quite picky though 'cause my dad can whip up the best meat pies in town. But these empanadas from Ilocos Norte are nothing like I've ever seen before, I'm intrigued by their orange color :) Will definitely try these when I visit Batac. I'll also be checking Vigan Empanada at MOA really soon! :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was Ilocos, I had a taste of this. It was different from the regular empanada in Manila. I also find this Baguio and in Mercato Centrale. Probably sates a lot of taste buds that's why it's becoming popular. I am amused how they make empanadang Ilocos in Mercato. You can watch them while they do it. :)
ReplyDelete-KC Canlas
Sumi Go, Yay Go taste it and let me know how does it tastes! Please blog about it!
ReplyDeleteKC Canlas, Where is Mercato by the way, maybe some empanada makers in Manila are mere imiations, if I have to taste it, I will know if the maker is a genuine Ilocano or not, haha.
ReplyDeleteI've tasted my first empanada in Vigan, and boy, I have never forgotten how good it tasted! I bought empanada in restaurants here in Manila and they're not the same! Want to go back to Vigan just to eat one again!
ReplyDeleteMy partner is from Ilocos and I am wondering when to visit this beautiful place. I will definitely locate this resto once I'll get the chance to be in Ilocos Norte. :P
ReplyDelete- sionee
Guess I won't be eating there then ... ordinary naman pala e.
ReplyDeleteAw,35 pesos.It is good that there is empanada that fits your budget.RThe orange color reminds me of tokneneng.Me too is curious about the taste of it.
ReplyDeleteGreat savings! With such a meager budget of Php35. your tummy is greatly satisfied and has more than enough. Great budgeting. You know where to go when you're super hungry. What a good instinct!
ReplyDeleteI super love empanada. I remember when I was in grade school, I used to buy empanada from Tiyay Aida. I wonder if she's still alive (and still selling empanada).
ReplyDeletei always hear that empanada in ilocos is good so i included that in my iti. =) will post my review after my trip.
ReplyDeleteWow, kakaibang empananada! ngayon din lang ako nakakakita ng yellow orange ba yan na empanada.
ReplyDeleteBut one thing...if it's a specialty of the town then it's worth a try!
Thanks for visiting wahmo.info!
Regards,
Nancy
namiss ko ang pagkain ng empanada. This is one of the reasons why i visited ilocos norte. Nakakagutom tuloy ed
ReplyDeleteI've tried Ilocos empanada before super yummy with suka :)
ReplyDeleteHi! You forgot the pioneer Empanada maker... It's in Glory's... just beside that Glomy's. =)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous | Oh whoah! Oh yes, I thought the banner was mispelled! haha. And yes, it is Glory's! Thanks!
ReplyDelete