Driving Your Appetite Up North?

Driving up North of Manila is such a breeze, with the widened NLEX and newly built SCTEX. Some say the journey is more enjoyable than the destination - true or false?

Hint: sumptuous stop overs.

CHICKEN TINUPIG in Tarlac

For all the angst you'd like to throw against the tacsiyapo wall, you might as well skip the fresh fish dish and eat a whole chicken! Isdaan, a floating restaurant based in Gerona, Tarlac run by the Bakahan At Manukan chain of restaurants, has something to crow about - Chicken Tinupig. A fresh "palengke-45" chicken marinated in coconut milk and brushed with a thick soy-and-chilli-based marinade is roasted over charcoal, luring even the most oblivious customer to its wings. It is served covered with banana leaves, similar to the Rice Tinupig (Roasted Rice Cake) offered in the streets of Pangasinan.

This comes best with a tiny pot of rice steamed with pandan and a helping of Okra and Ampalaya sauteed in shrimp paste (bagoong).

PIZZA ILOKANA in La Union

White Grecian-inspired hotel rooms overlooking the pristine South China Sea make a fantastic getaway. Plunge into the inviting swimming pool of Thunderbird Resort and grab a bite of pizza after a few laps. The heat is on!

The thin-crust pizza is baked a la pugon style, with the burnt edges bearing that crusty contrast to the soft white crust, the oozing cheese, onions, and the best part - chunks of Vigan longganiza. Set aside your usual pepperoni & cheese pizza for the Ilokano inspired pizza.

Drink it up with a fresh watermelon shake then head back to the pool for another lap. It's a free-style summer!

CRISPY PATA BINAGOONGAN in Pangasinan

So you think Crispy Pata can give you a heart attack? Then get a by-pass after tasting this deadly but undeniably delicious Crispy Pata Binagoongan at Dagupena, rumored as former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's favorite restaurant in Pangasinan. Deep fried pork thigh, re-cooked in shrimp paste and chopped fresh native tomato makes one's heart skip a beat - out of sheer enjoyment and...fear of death. (For the less brave of heart, there is the usual plain deep-fried Crispy Pata.)

To offset your fear of death, order the pride of Pangasinan - Bangus. The grilled milkfish is certainly fresh - with flesh so soft and chewy, it almost melts in your mouth. This is a prescribed antidote to the Crispy Pata Binagoongan cardiac arrest.

Signed,

the Tongue Traveler