Pares Retiro ( Visayas Ave., QC )

Visayas avenue in Quezon City is home to many budget friendly restaurants, Pares Retiro is one of the most popular. We decided to give it a try and see what they have to offer.

A complementary soup was served while waiting for our food. It tasted like mussel or tahong soup.

We had the Sago't Gulaman for just 25 pesos. It is served with lots of sago or tapioca pearls. 

The Sisig Rice is topped with crunchy chicharon bits and egg and is served with garlic rice. It's a little bit bland but it comes in ample servings and you can just season it according to your preference with their easily available condiments. It costs 90 pesos per serving. 

The Goto with egg also comes in ample servings. It has a lot of meat in it. There's nothing fancy about it but you can season it to suit your taste with their condiments. A bowl costs 58 pesos.

The place is not air conditioned and is located beside the highway, but it's no big deal since they offer good food that is right on the budget. The service is also good. Another good thing is that they are open until the wee hours of the morning. The management seems to strive in continuously improving the service that they offer because a feedback form is given to customers while waiting for their bill. These maybe just some of the reasons why this place became popular and was able to open more than one branch. Pares Retiro should be one of your choices when looking for a place to dine in Visayas Avenue.

RATINGS: 

Food: 4/5

Cleanliness: 4/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Service: 5/5

Price: 5/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant

Cuisine: Filipino

Delivery: 

Operating Hours: M, T, W, Th, Su 7:00 am - 3:00 am

                                F, Sa 7:00 am - 6:59 am

Contact Number: 

Branches: 

-retiro

-visayas ave

-n domingo

-makati

-pasig

-marikina

Chichacorn (kornik) from Ilocos

One of the best selling pasalubong from Ilocos Norte is the chichacorn. It is basically corn kernels that are cooked until crunchy. 

There are various flavors to choose from, there's cheese, garlic, etc.

You can avail a pack of chichacorn for less than 50 pesos. They sell these just beside the Marcos Museum in Batac, Ilocos Norte. Some of the locals that we knew prefer those that are being sold in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. The difference in taste between the two is debatable. It could just be a matter of preference just like any product. 

Bagnet

Bagnet is the Ilocano version of lechon kawali or chicharon baboy. It is made by deep frying the pork belly until golden brown and crispy. The skin with all the fat is so crispy while the lean meat part is crispy but not dry. It can be eaten as it is or with rice. It can also be added into various dishes with vegetables. It is also a common ingredient of their infamous miki. They usually dip it into their own version of bagoong or sliced tomatoes.

Bagnet is usually sold at the market place in Batac, Ilocos Norte, where we are staying. The locals said that we need to go early to the market, because stocks usually runs out before lunch time. Market price is around 400 to 500 pesos per kilogram. It also has a long shelf life so you can bring some back to Manila if you want to. Just keep it refrigerated when you get home. It is already cooked when you purchase it, all you have to do is to deep fry it again before eating.

This delicacy is a must try whenever you go to Ilocos.

Batac Longganisa

The Batac Longganisa is made in Batac, Ilocos Norte. It is almost the same as the infamous Vigan Longganisa from Vigan, Ilocos Sur. It is garlicky and has a distinct tangy flavor.

 The market price is around 250 pesos per kilogram. It also has a long shelf life so you can purchase some, a few hours before you travel back to Manila. According to the locals, it would be better if you sun dry it for a few hours before packing it for your travel. It is also best if it is wrapped in a news paper or anything that can absorb moisture. This is one of the must try delicacies when you go to Ilocos Norte.

Batac Riverside Empanadaan

Any trip to Ilocos will never be complete without having a bowl of hot miki and freshly cooked empanada. After a long day of visiting various tourist spots, we headed to Riverside Empanadaan in Batac. 

Nothing beats the original miki from Ilocos. The noodles are thick and al dente and has a distinct flavor. The soup also has a distinct flavor made from chicken stock and spices. It is sprinkled with bagnet bits and served with hard boiled egg. You can only notice the difference once you've tried the miki that is made in Ilocos, and those that were made here in Manila. A bowl of special miki only costs less than 30 pesos.

Also from this place, you can see how they cook the infamous empanada. They have wide varieties of flavors to choose from. 

We had the special empanada. It has a whole Batac longganisa and egg, aside from the usual fillings. The jumbo special has both a jumbo hotdog and Batac longganisa. For hearty eaters, they have the double double version which has two pieces of longganisa and eggs. As always, nothing beats the original. The empanadas that were made here have a distinct flavor. It also has more egg and meat fillings. The price ranges at around 40 to 80 pesos depending on the flavor.

This place isn't air conditioned and it tends to be crowded most of the times even at night. You also have to wait in a long line and pay as you order, and sometimes wait for a few minutes for your orders to be served, but we are here for the food that only this place can offer. Surely, all of those things will be forgotten once you had a taste of their scrumptious miki and empanada.

RATINGS:

Food: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Price: 5/5


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining
Cuisine: Ilocano
Delivery:
Operating Hours: M - Su
Contact Number:
Branches: Batac, Ilocos Norte