When In Ilocos: Cafe Uno

I know that this is long overdue but allow me to share our last stop in our Vigan trip earlier last month. This is a continuation of my previous post and is post 4 of 4.

Tim and I very carefully planned our last day in Vigan, something we should have done also for the past couple of days that we were there LOL but I guess we loved the spontaneity of everything and felt the thrill of adventure. It's not the smartest thing to do if you're on a budget, but I must admit, Tim and I really did splurge financially on this four-day trip. But come on, it's the honeymoon we never had. LOL

So on our last day, we first had brunch at Cafe Uno. To be honest, I was running out of ideas on where to take Tim to eat in Vigan as the streets are already filled with very commercial franchises, so thank God for Google and TripAdvisor, I found out about Cafe Uno-- which is not easy to find as it's not located along with other famous places in Calle Crisologo, it's actually situated, if I'm not mistaken, three streets away from Calle Crisologo itself. It's not too far and is actually very easy to access through a tricycle ride. It's also quite a popular place because of Uno Grille-- another tourist dining place, right in front of Cafe Uno.

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Cafe Uno is pretty quaint and cozy but what got me really interested was that there were some vintage coffee machines on display. LOL I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff, and although the dining space was pretty cramped, I thought it was fairly fancy and comfortable.

Tim and I ordered Okilas Dinardaraan which is basically a bowl of dinuguan and big strips of chicharon. Talk about sinful! and that was just the first dish. LOL We didn't order much as we have tried practically everything I wanted Tim to try but we did order some classic chicken tinola, which was thicker than what we're normally used to but definitely better in flavor. We also got a platter of Bagnet cause Tim won't eat without it and lastly, an overwhelming platter of Bagoong Rice. Their servings are definitely good for three to four people and although it was quite pricey (we paid a total of 900+ including desserts) it was worth every penny. 

We barely finished our meal, but again, everything was worth it. We planned to buy some pasalubong that afternoon, but since we finished lunch quite early we stayed at the cafe front of Cafe Uno, had coffee and some carrot cake for me and a slice of Dulce de Leche cheese cake for Tim. That was where I finished and posted my second When in Baguio post. 

Later that hour, we were picked up by Mang Eddie, our tricycle service/tour guide and he took us to one of the most famous Bagnet makers in Vigan. We bought around 8kgs of Bagnet which costs around 380/kg. Now, before you go on judging us by the amount of heart-attack-in-a-wrap, those were for people back home who wanted Bagnet. LOL I honestly don't like Bagnet that much, and I know that's a terrible thing to say but just because I'm fat and I love to eat doesn't mean I'll eat tons of Bagnet. I mean, yeah it was so good seeing the crispy skin melting as you poke a fork to it but it's also extra oily and that doesn't sit well in my tummy. haha! 

After the oil-fest, we went to the town market to buy some chichacorn and other stuff before heading back to Calle Crisologo to shop for the items for my pasalubong giveaway last month. All of that done by 3:30 pm and by the time we've arrived to our transient it was almost work time for me.

As I said, Tim and I carefully planned our day so during my break at 7 pm that evening we quickly loaded our things to Mang Eddie's tricycle and we headed for the bus station. The most exciting part for me was that I worked there cause we didn't want to miss the 10pm bus, but although our bus was supposed to arrive at around 10-ish, a deluxe bus was suddenly available at around 9:20 something, so while I was still talking to one of my clients, I secured our seats and Tim loaded our luggage in the bus's compartment.

I had my last client call on the bus, it was a good thing that two of my clients canceled that evening otherwise I would have had a hard time for the rest of the trip, cause mind you texting on a moving bus is okay, but having your laptop propped open is not the same thing. haha!

Nonetheless, that particular last bit of our Ilocos experience is truly unforgettable. I've never hurried so much in my entire life. I even got a complain for having an unstable connection but to be honest, I wouldn't have changed a thing about that moment. It was something that Tim and I will surely remember for a really long time and we're so glad to be sharing it with all of you.

Thank you guys for taking the time to read my posts here and for actively engaging in my social media posts as well. I have more posts from last month coming up, and more giveaways to come.

Will you participate in the next giveaway? Let me know in the comments below! ^_^