Empanada Nation
There is a saying that birds of the same feather flock together. I believe that this is true when it comes to one of my closest group of friends. Last February 17 I, Dasha and Krizia went on an adventure. Our friendship revolves around fashion, photography, movies and shoes. But most importantly, our friendship revolves around food. That said, let me now take you through what happened to us that day in photos! :)
Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Empanada Nation, it’s management or employees.
Dash and I accompanied Krizia to ABS-CBN (that girl will never run out of errands, I swear) because she had to make reservations for a noontime show when her parents come back sometime this summer. She was a month too late though, and so as not to waste our efforts Dash suggested that we eat at this Ilocos Empanada place. I have been to Ilocos (both Norte and Sur) several times in the past years but I have never tasted their empanada, until Dash introduced me to this Ilocos Empanada place along Tomas Morato. I promised myself that my first time won’t be the last, and I can safely say that I am hooked.
Now let me tell you about the adventure part. After ABS-CBN, we decided to walk because Dash said Empanada Nation (the empanada place) was just a stone’s throw away from ABS-CBN. Maybe that part was true, if you were in a vehicle that is (Dash took a cab the first time she ate there) So 20 to 30 minutes of walking under the intense afternoon heat later, we finally saw the shop’s sign. Yay!
Now, you don’t have to go to Ilocos to experience Ilocos!
Here are some photos of the interior of the restaurant. The place wasn’t air conditioned but there were ceiling fans. I wasn’t able to take photos of the outer part of the restaurant but they’re basically the same (except for the tables and chairs)
Here is a photo of their menu! Don’t you just love chalkboard menus? Anyway, I wasn’t really familiar with Ilocano cuisine, so I had Dash by my side constantly so I’d have someone to answer my questions (the staff were busy cooking haha)
Puqui-puqui (exactly) is a dish made from sautéed grilled eggplant with tomatoes, onions and egg. Adobong utong is the Ilocano version of adobong sitaw. I cannot recall what bagis was. Haha. Dash and I each ordered a bagnet meal along with their special empanada. Krizia got Igado and the ordinary empanada.
Igado - 80php
This was Krizia’s order. It’s made from pork tenderloin and pig innards (liver, kidney and heart) I tasted this one too and was reminded dearly of bopis.
Bagnet meal - 100php
This was my order! The bagnet meal came with salted egg, KBL (kamatis, bagoong, lasona) and fried rice. It was like eating liempo or lechong kawali Ilocano style! The pork was crispy and had just the right amount of saltiness. I would give it 5 out of 5 if only the bagnet wasn’t so oily. Overall, the meal was really filling. Not bad for your 100 bucks. :)
Can I just say, I love tomatoes! Also, I do not eat the yolk part in salted eggs. Haha!
Special empanada - 55php
This is their special empanada. Inside the crust is grated papaya, monggo, longganisa and egg. You can view a photo of what’s inside it here. The difference between this empanada and the ordinary one is that the ordinary one doesn’t have longganisa (it’s also called their vegan empanada) The serving is huge! I am not exaggerating. If this were to be placed beside the first empanada I tasted, I would choose this one hands down. My only real concern was again, the oil. I don’t want this post to sound disgusting but the oil was seeping out into the plate as the empanada cooled down. I had to blot mine before each bite. I actually made quite a big mess with the tissues, to be honest (haha sorry ate!) Oiliness aside, the meal (yes. I consider this a meal) was great. It was flavorful and filling. I am actually craving while typing this. So anyway, I only got to eat half and gave the other half to Dash. Dash’s empanada we gave to Ate Ana (she’s from Ilocos too! Yay!) as pasalubong.
Overall, it was a very pleasant experience. The staff were attentive and they attended to my questions as soon as they finished cooking. I just don’t know if this was because we were the only ones there, though. Haha! If ever my cravings get the better of me, we will surely come back. :)
And that’s it. Thank you to my bebes Krizia and Dasha! Here’s to more future food trips! And thank you for reading. :)
Empanada Nation is located at 26 Sgt. Esguerra Avenue, Baranggay South Triangle, Timog Quezon City. You can also find them on Facebook.
Source: charleneajose
