Pamulinawen Fiesta Resto “Sabado Nights”

Much to my regret, seafood is rare in Ilocos even if we are a coastal province. The thought of having someone cook your seafood exactly the way you want it excites me. After I posted Pamulinawen Fiesta Restaurant’s teaser about 2 weeks ago, I had serious cravings for plain grilled prawns. I expected just seafood, but when we went to their first Saturday paluto special last night, they also had enticing grill-ready rosemary lamb chops.

Through all the bustle, besides cooking for a big tour group, the staff managed to follow instructions fully. My prawns and lamb were beautiful. Wishing they’d stock up on mint jelly (for the lamb) as well.

[My buddies had steamed crabs with their lamb.]

Pamulinawen Fiesta Restaurant P. Gomez. St., Brgy. 15, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

At last, Paluto sa Pamulinawen

Yes! In the city, Laoag City. See you ~~this Saturday.~~ Update: It’s next week Saturday — October 15th.

Here’s more on Pamulinawen Fiesta Restaurant.

Pamulinawen Fiesta Restaurant P. Gomez. St., Brgy. 15, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

Laoag’s Pamulinawen Fiesta Resto

Early in the year, my balikbayan relatives visited Ilocos. I took them to Pamulinawen Fiesta Resto. I was confident they’d enjoy Pamulinawen’s good down-home cooking and Pinoy ambiance. I ordered what we regularly would get — Smoked Baby Back Ribs, Chicken A La Rainier and Sizzling Stuffed Squid. If I remember right I also got Kare-Kare and Szechuan Prawns. They loved the food, I can tell.

My friends and I also go there for hot pot aka shabu-shabu. It’s a Chinese thing — cooking balls in simmering stock. Oh, I mean different kinds of balls, meatballs, seafood balls and rolls and cakes, plus some veggies and noodles. A hot pot set for 4 to 6 persons would cost 800 pesos, and for 7 to 10 persons, 1200 pesos.

Our favorite Smoked Baby Back Ribs is amazingly only 95 pesos, and the honey barbecued Chicken A La Rainier, only 85 pesos, and that includes rice. I checked their menu and insarabasab (Ilocano-style grilled pork) is 80 pesos while dinengdeng or inabraw (Ilocano vegetable soup) is 50 pesos. Pinakbet with bagnet aka chicharon is 80 pesos. In addition, they offer classic Filipino fare like lechon kawali, sinigang, crispy pata and ensalada, and several Chinese dishes like steamed cream dory, chop suey and crab omelette. Good food at popular prices means we can FIESTA!