It’s Valentine season and I found a good reason to check out a new restaurant called Victorino’s. What attracted me to the place was the fact that they serve Ilocano dishes and I am Ilocano.
Victorino’s looks like a house that was converted into a restaurant. It has the vibe of an ancestral home with furniture and accessories found in Vigan and even in other public markets of Ilocos.
Tables come in different shapes and contribute to the over-all theme of the place. What I did not like was the foam of its chairs. They need to make it fuller and softer.
I can’t remember if it’s part of the appetizer but my friend and I went straight to the most popular Ilocano dish, the Bagnet.
Honestly, it was one of the crunchiest Bagnet I have ever tasted. It came with a dipping sauce called KBL which stands for Kamatis, Bagoong and Lasona (tomatoes, fish sauce and onion). Price is Php 320.00 + 10% SC good for 2-3 persons.
Our second dish was the Rellenong Talong (Eggplant Omelet with ground pork). It tasted like the usual good ‘ol Rellenong Talong so I have nothing to say about it. Price is Php 195.00 + 10% SC good for 2-3 persons.
And for dessert, Apple Pie.
I don’t usually order dessert in a restaurant to save money. But I made an exception because cakes were baked by the famous Heny Sison. They have a huge selection of cakes from Cheesecake to Red Velvet. But I decided to go for their Apple Pie–just to taste something different as I always order Cheesecake to satisfy my cake cravings.
And I loved it! My friend did too except that the crust crumbled each time we took a dive for it. But I did not care. Taste is more important.
They were also selling garlic and I haven’t seen anything like this for a long time. This type makes any dish tastier and I love using it whenever I have time to cook and it’s available in the market.
This is what I call “Tira-Tira” and my friend gave me a strange look as if asking what kind of candy it is. I explained that it’s made of sugar formed like this. My aunt would always give me a huge container as a send off present after each vacation because she knows it’s my favorite. In reality, it’s sugar in a more solid form that you put in your drink to make it sweeter. One piece is good for one cup of drink, be it coffee or tea.
Our total bill amounted to Php 800.00 inclusive of rice and Coke Zero. If divided by two, it would amount to Php400.00 per head. Price is reasonable for me. But my friend was not so happy with what he paid for. Filipino food for him should not be as expensive as this. Well, that’s him! I will come back again if given the chance because I enjoyed my dining experience.
You can find Victorino’s at 11th Jamboree St.cor.Scout Rallos, Quezon City, Philippines. Visit their Facebook fan page for more information https://www.facebook.com/victorinosrestaurant.
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