The One-hundred-peso lunch for two at Kristina’s Carinderia

Was actually billed 101 pesos, but made tawar (haggled) the 1 peso. And a plate of rice was included.

Kristina’s Carinderia (facing the Jehovah’s Witnesses church on the western portion of Rizal St., and near the Iglesia ni Kristo) was Brandon’s find. Local senior citizens, families, office employees and policemen were fixed on their food when we arrived. You enter through a kitchen, (neat, btw) and point at your chosen items from among a see-through cabinet of noticeably freshly prepared viands.

Presko a baka (raw beef), also known as kilawen here, flavored with light papaitan, was delicious. The subtle use of seasonings such as sukang Iloko, salt, etc., let out the natural flavors of the main ingredients, like dinardaran was not overly sour, but rather naturally came out with that hint of sweetness (from the pig’s blood), and the katuday (katuray/corkwood flowers) salad was not too vinegary nor salty. I’m not sure, but I didn’t detect any use of MSG.

Yes, satisfying Ilocano food this cheap still exists.

Kristina’s Carinderia
Rizal St., Laoag City

© Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2016

The carinderia with no name

Location: Don S. Hernando Ave. (near K’s Bakeshop or the buko roll store), Laoag

Specialties: Salpicao, imbaliktad, beef curry, pares

Ambiance: Streetside, nondescript.

Prices: 50-60 PHP for beef viands, 10 PHP for fried rice. Bone marrow is free (if you ask).

Verdict: If you’re tired of budget food like tapsilog, this is the place to go. If you are budgeting for two, like you have less than 100 pesos to spend, go for salpicao but get one more rice. It’s cooked in margarine, but that’s good ‘coz it’s healthier. On the spicy side, it is tasty with lots of garlic. Pares is supposed to be the star, but is getting eclipsed by salpicao and imbaliktad, says Eki, the young owner. 17-year-old Genesis says bone marrow is anti aging (laughs), so he asked for bone marrow (straight from the fridge) and added it to his hot pares and waited a bit for the bone marrow to thaw. Pares tastes like a cross between corned beef and beef stew. Even better with bone marrow. I ditched rice when I started my Javita diet, but cheated to enjoy the food. Definitely going back again.

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2015

Discovering the cooking of Lidamero’s (Jamiroze)

I have to confess to you, dear readers, I’ve been a biased blogger all these years. Out of my loyalty to the late Nana Carmen Dawang of Dawang’s Place, a favorite carinderia in Ilocos, I turned a blind eye to the other uber popular Lidamero’s on the same side of the road.

I met Jasper Pacapac Dawang of the Dawang’s clan and serendipity made its way. There is always a right time for anything.

After meeting with him at Lidamero’s (I paid my own food, btw), I can slap my own face with my own lechon lard-laden hand. Lidamero’s, or Jamiroze now, is a class of its own.

The Lidamero’s turo-turo (point-point) counter is fillled with very Ilocano dishes like monggo a ginisa, presko a baka (beef kilawen), igado, nateng, dinardaraan with crispy bagbagis, lechon and so much more. Tinuno a paltat (grilled catfish) and sinanglao (or paksiw) are the other bestsellers.

Their not too oily sinanglao is a different version, a very good version with very tender, tasty chunky beef. “Napalukneng a justo,” without the aid of pressure cooker, you’ll just know if you love eating.

I never knew there’s an everyday lechon place in town. That’s a big regret. I like Lidamero’s way of presenting the lechon which is cooked by them. The skin’s color and texture made me drool at first sight. The homemade Ilocano liver sauce and spoonful of lasona stuffing from the very roast pig are wonderful additions.

SinanglaoPresko a baka.

Jasper’s mom, Milagros, a native of Abra province, is hands-on with the eatery. She’s there Mondays to Sundays. Dad Rommel is the Dawang. Their son says, “Lidamero’s is all about the merging of two worlds — the Abreño and Ilocano cultures. He adds, “We build good relations with our customers and try our best to be the best in Laoag.” Lidamero’s is located near the Laoag-San Nicolas boundary.

Grilled catfish.

I recommend Lidamero’s or Jamiroze for authentic Ilocano food. It’s been around for 19 years. You won’t be disappointed. I love their budget-friendly prices too.

Lidamero’s (Jamiroze Eatery) National Highway, Nangalisan-A, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2014