Flavors of Ilocos: Breakfast at Hotel Luna's Comedor

The kitchens at Hotel Luna's Comedor are fired up for the day's breakfast service way before dawn, and the aroma of coffee, baked bread, and other dishes draws you in... 

...nothing like a good, comforting and hearty breakfast to start the day. At Hotel Luna's Comedor, the buffet set-up lets you sample a variety of dishes, featuring continental as well as local Ilocano flavors. The menu changes daily depending on what's fresh and available on the market, adding variety to the regular dishes. Pick a spot, grab a plate, and load up...

As you settle down, the friendly staff pour steaming hot coffee and the aroma just perks you up. Freshly brewed local coffee with Iloco Balikutsa, a candy-like sweetener made from all natural sugarcane molasses, something new and different. The hotel also offers white or brown sugar and artificial sweeteners, but you just have to try the local balikutsa.  Simply drop a piece or two and wait for it to dissolve in the steaming hot coffee. Sweet with a subtle nutty hint, your cup of coffee gets a local twist for another unique taste of Vigan flavors.

Start with a refreshing glass of Moringa Citrus Juice, made with malunggay leaves blended with lime, a healthy yet tasty beverage and another unique local flavor. Discovering new flavors makes breakfast even more special.

Then, it's time for a serious breakfast. and the first round begins...

A local Ensalada with with grilled eggplant, okra, chili, and steamed fresh camote tops or leaves drizzled with  Sukang Iloko and salty fish paste, topped with fresh tomatoes and salted egg paired with garlic fried rice and the traditional and famous Vigan Longaniza starts my day at Hotel Luna's Comedor. And bacon. Gotta have some bacon...

Vigan Longaniza is distinctly Ilocano, blending pork with the famed local sugar cane vinegar, or Sukang Iloko, with native garlic, both major local products of Vigan. The origins of Vigan Longaniza can be traced back to the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade, influenced by Spanish pork sausages. Usually fried in its own fat, the plump sausages bursts with the familiar garlic flavor and sharp hint of the sweet and acidic sugar cane vinegar that complements the rich pork stuffing. And Hotel Luna uses Vigan longaniza in a variety of dishes, including its popular Vigan Croquettes, mountain grown potatoes stuffed with Vigan longaniza (more on Hotel Luna's popular appetizer here at http://dude4food.blogspot.com/2014/08/flavors-of-ilocos-dinner-at-hotel-lunas.html). The distinct flavors of the Vigan longaniza are also used in another Ilocano specialty, the empanada, which can also trace its origins back to the galleon trade, and other dishes including pasta and paella.

Pair your Vigan longaniza with salted eggs and fresh tomatoes, or Sukang Iloko with loads of chili and garlic. Round two? Yes, please.

The wide breakfast selection includes pork, beef, chicken, and seafood dishes, including fresh salads, fruits, congee, cereals and bread. That day, the mains included Beef Tapa and crisp Chicken Fingers (L) and Paksiw na Dory and Egg Ampalaya on the right.

The next day, I go back for more traditional breakfast fare, with garlic fried rice, beef tapa, pork tocino, crispy danggit (dried smoked fish), and scrambled eggs with ampalaya (bitter gourd). And Vigan longaniza. Can't have an authentic Vigan breakfast without the famous Vigan longaniza.

By the pool area, Hotel Luna's Comedor has a waffle and egg station where you can enjoy waffles and eggs made fresh as you order. Waffles drizzled with maple syrup and topped with butter and two sunny-side up eggs, always a winning combo. And more bacon. At Hotel Luna's Comedor, you can enjoy both traditional local flavors as well as familiar and comforting breakfast favorites.  

Cap your breakfast with fresh melon and dragon fruit, and you're ready to explore and discover Vigan's historic charm with another stroll at Calle Crisologo just around the corner...

For more on Hotel Luna, check out my previous post here at http://dude4food.blogspot.com/2014/08/side-views-elegant-fusion-of-history.html. For more on Vigan's historic Calle Crisologo, go on a virtual stroll with me on this unique and lovingly preserved UNESCO World Heritage Site with my previous post here at http://dude4food.blogspot.com/2014/08/an-early-morning-stroll-at-historic.html.

Hotel Luna is located at V. De Los Reyes corner General Luna Street, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur or call +632-4945 for inquiries and reservations. You may also contact the Manila Sales Office located at 26 Tomas Morato Extension, Brgy. South Triangle, Quezon City or call +632-373-3333 local 201-204 or email sales.hotelluna@ahmgi.com/rsvn.hotelluna@ahmgi.com.

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