Our vacation in Ilocos Province was indeed refreshing. As we were on our way to Manila, the group still craves its famous delicacies. It was nearing twelve high noon and while we were along Diversion Road in San Fernando we stumbled upon this cute restaurant Nipa Resto Grill with ”Bahay Kubo” style structure. And everyone was excited to hop out from the van and eat!

Nipa Resto Grill along Diversion Road

We were the first guests to arrive. I felt so homey as we stepped inside the resto.  All walls were made of bamboo rods. The big awning windows which were made also of bamboo rods gave enough light and some cooling effect. There were chandeliers made of abaca product and some from capiz shell. I almost removed my shoes to step on the bamboo slat floor.  Oh, it’s so nice to hang in here.

The waitress immediately approached us and asked where we should sit. We chose the long table near the center and sat comfortably on a soft sofa. We were given a menu and found out that Nipa Resto Grill offers a variety of Filipino dishes as well as Ilocano specialties. We were told that their best seller was “Insarabasab“, an Ilocano dish where the pork’s meat is grilled and spiced up with salt, pepper, vinegar, and slices of onion.

Since this was new to our taste buds, we ordered one plate of Insarabasab with Pinakbet, plain rice, and Inapuyang Manok. And for our drinks, Four seasons juice, and pineapple juice.

Froi and his family ordered Tinalupang Hito and Afritadang Chicken. While waiting for our food to be served, my kids, my hubby, and I went to the mini-stage. With Pao in the house, we had fun singing like a pro-rock band. hahaha!

not so live performance hahaha

And so here’s the food…

Pinakbet and Insarabasab

Inapuyang Manok was served on fire… 

Comment: Food was superb especially the Pinakbet. It was not salty like the ordinary one, amazingly it was partly sweet. For Insarabarab, the grilled pork and spices were definitely delectable. Our kids love its taste. We also tasted Tinalupang Hito, it was so crispy and delicious too.

They have fast and good service.

Special thanks to Cris and Leslie for their patience in answering my queries.

the satisfied customers

Later the resto was filled with noise because it was now packed with guests. It made me smile seeing happy faces of Korean families feasting on foods that define Filipinos.

It’s good that we got the best table, the best spot to chill. We were able to stretch our legs and relaxed our muscles. The homey native ambiance rejuvenated us from our three-day non-stop adventure.

They have a reasonable price, by the way. Definitely, we will go back here in our next North Luzon escapade.

 Contact Info:

• Address:  Purok 1, Mameltac, San Fernando City, La Union
• Contact No. – Paolo Remando – 09153942925
• Schedule on weekdays – 8 am to 9:00 pm / week-end – 8 am to 10:30 pm- Friday and Saturday with an acoustic band