Vigan eats: Chef Robby Goco whips up 12-course Ilocano degustation | ABS-CBN

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Vigan eats: Chef Robby Goco whips up 12-course Ilocano degustation

Jeeves de Veyra

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VIGAN, Ilocos Sur -- Casa Lourdes in Vigan seems to have two faces. It houses Vigan’s hip new hangout, Calle Brewery, on its first floor, while going up the grand staircase at the back lands guests into an elegant sala reminding one of simpler, and yet elegant times.

The classic interiors of Casa Lourdes. Jeeves de Veyra

The second floor is cultured, quiet, and feels like the perfect place to have tapas with wines.

It is in this space where chef Robby Goco lets diners have “A Taste of The North,” a special degustation featuring his interpretations of favorites from the Ilocos region.

It’s interesting how there have been few attempts to level up food from Northern Luzon. After all, Vigan empanada, bagnet, pinkabet, and other Ilocano favorites are unique and shouldn’t really be messed around with.

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But Goco seems to disagree.

“In the Philippines, the question is often, ‘How do we make it more affordable?’ In Japan, the questions are ‘how do we push it, how do we elevate?’’” Goco said, citing what the Japanese did with coffee, pizza, and pasta.

It is this desire to make things better that’s behind Goco's Ilocano degustation.

Right off the bat, this degustation isn’t for purists. Goco’s spin on the traditional Ilocano favorites are inventive and show sensitivity to today’s picky eaters. Some ingredients are replaced with unusual choices that somehow still provide similar flavors.

This 12-course meal was a culinary journey through the Ilocos Region. In line with the theme of an Ilocano food trip, the waitstaff regaled guests with an imaginary tour through Vigan in between courses. The storytelling skills of the Calle Brewery team certainly made this meal more memorable.

For the first course, Goco stuffs the traditional poqui-poqui mix of eggplant and tomato into bite-sized “cigars” paired with squash in a hummus shell. Jeeves de Veyra

From the panaderia comes Spanish bread stuffed with Spanish sardines and a garlic scone with a side of cornick salt butter and crushed pepper. Jeeves de Veyra

The Ilocano empanada is reinterpreted into an open face taco showing off rice chips, cabbage, quail egg, and chorizo bacon. The shell seems to be made of puffed rice chips giving a different sort of crunch. Jeeves de Veyra

This bagnet reminded me of Peking duck where the skin is separated from the meat. Pork is boiled and fried again. The skin is fried separately to make a crispy bit of chicharron. Bagoong is drizzled on the plate with confit pearl onion and tomato. Jeeves de Veyra

Many of the towns in Ilocos Sur adopt the 'One Town, One Product' principle. Calamay is the specialty of Candon. Splash a bit of basi vinegar before folding in the seafood, mussels and seaweed into this glutinous rice cake. Jeeves de Veyra

This is pinakbet prepared and plated like you’ve never seen it before. Okra seed and dried cherry tomatoes surround tamarind-glazed sea bass on squash puree and okra seeds to level up this humble dish. Jeeves de Veyra

Ilocos Sur red and yellow watermelons ice candy, topped with balsamic pearls and grated goat cheese make for a refreshing palette cleanser. Jeeves de Veyra

This is the best example of really upgrading a simple dish. Instead of using various pork innards in his lomo-lomo, Goco uses foie gras to top a piece of roasted pork tenderloin wrapped with bokchoy. Bacon consommé provides the saltiness this dish is known for. Jeeves de Veyra

Sapsaparuket is an Ilokano stew made with chicken blood. This version, which could have been plated by Jackson Pollock, has no blood in it and instead uses a beetroot sauce with olives that mimics that metallic flavor of blood. Jeeves de Veyra

This is a special surf and turf plate. A duo of 30-day and 60-day dry aged seared beef is paired with onion jam to get a rich version of imbaliktad, a Pangasinan version of bistek. The lobster is sourced from the Singson farms and is not included in the degustation, but can be ordered separately. Jeeves de Veyra

The candied calamansi sliver nicely complements the caramel sauce for the cassava cheesecake and vanilla ice cream. Jeeves de Veyra

Guests can pluck Coffee Truffles, Oatmeal Coconut Cookies, Lychee Jelly, or Ube Profiteroles from a roving tray. These are pleasantly rustic. A bite brought memories of buying similar treats in mom-and-pop provincial bakeries. Jeeves de Veyra

Casa Lourdes is located at 11 Calle Encarnacion, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur.

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