“Bago City is known as the Rice Granary of Negros Occidental“
7 BAGONHON’S BEST KEPT TIDBITS: A LOCAL’S GUIDE WHEN IN BAGO CITY
There are so many things to do when in Bago City; from the highly popular word-of-mouth resort, (and refreshing to boot) Buenos Aires Mountain Spring Resort, to the taken-for-granted-as-normal best sea salt of Barangay Sampinit, as well as the fresh and mouthwatering, best tasting Abo fish of the Bago River; there are just so many things that only Bagonhons know and have always known that every tourist and would be visitor should know, for them to act like a pure blooded Bago City resident.
sea salt farm of Barangay Sampinit
Here are seven of the best-kept ones, starting from the low-key to the almost blatantly inviting places you should visit while in the City that is considered as the Home of Natural & Historical Destinations.
1.Ever get the feeling that there is just something missing from that cup of brewed coffee? Well, you will always get that feeling after tasting the best tasting brewed coffee I have ever had in my entire existence. I may not consider myself as the connoisseur of coffee, in fact, I may be far from it having only the 3-in-1 kind more often than not, but I have been to cafes and restos here and in a lot of the islands of the Philippines to say that I have had a lot to compare with. And the best goes to… that hot cup from a thermos jug, in a small nipa hut, at the foot of the bridge that will bring you to the Buenos Aires Mountain Spring Resort in Barangay Ilijan. All for the cost ten pesos (yes, 10.00), you’ll experience the best mixture of bitterness, sweetness and the heavenly jolt of caffeine in your veins. Made from freshly ground coffee beans that the locals produce, that is one perfect cup! Yum!
2. Bored and restless on a Sunday? Take that newly franchised air-conditioned Ceres bus and go to Barangay Ma-ao and spend the day shopping at the old fashioned Market Day. Not only will you have your choice of the local’s produce to pick from, but you get to have your taste of a variety of home cooked “kakanins” that the farm helps peddle to satisfy any of your discriminating tastes. Be in shorts and slippers, though, because this is not your everyday shopping experience. Be ready to get down and dirty with vegetables and fruits fresh from the tree, or even fresh from the ground. Market Day starts as early as 5 am until the afternoon hours.
3. There is just something very satisfying after eating a big bowl of batchoy. And you don’t even have to travel all the way to Iloilo to satisfy your hunger or even your craving for that steamy hot soup garnished with crispy chicharon, chopped green onions and yes, that helping of “utok”. Just hail a passing tricycle and asked to be brought to the “Batchoyan sa Quinto”. A popular destination for local college students and Bagonhon’s, the Batchoyan is a simple eatery that offers linaga and pata with rice, but their best offering is their take on the La Paz Batchoy. Take a sip of the hot soup, pair it with a bun and you’ll think you’re in the heart of Iloilo. Take my word for it, I’ve been there countless times.
4. Batchoy not really your thing, well, imagine a concoction of hot thick soup that literally coats your lips with the taste of Pata. Hungry yet? Then the Patahan sa Bantayan is where you need to go. Just a few meters from the Tourism Office of Bago City located at the Bantayan Park in Barangay Poblacion. The Patahan offers the best Pata in town. Melt in your mouth slices of beef pata in hot soup will push you to ask for another helping of rice. Owned by the Alvarez Family, the Patahan opens in the morning but the best time to get your dose of that most sought after soup is in the afternoon or at night when the meat is all soft and the soup so much thicker. No need to dress up ladies & gentlemen, this is one casual place to visit.
5. Have a taste for Chinese Dimsum? Hmmmm, we offer that in Bago as well. JKnP is a small carinderia near the Bago City Coliseum and they boast of sumptuous turo-turo lunch every day. My favorite though is their Siopao and Siomai. Prepared and cooked in the store everyday, even people from nearby Bacolod City come and even order take-out. That Siomai and Siopao just brings out the Chinese in me, as a television commercial says, manamit gid!
A farmer preparing the land for sugarcane planting. Sugarcane is also one of the top produce of Bago City
6. After all, those soups and heavy fare, let’s have a bit of dessert for your sweet tooth. Ever heard of Bucayo? That sugar and young coconut meat shreds that just brings you back images of the thriving sugar industry and the Negrense love for anything sweet? Well then, imagine no more. Tiyay Violy’s Bucayo is what you need. Using a recipe she has developed and perfected for decades, Tiyay Violy now ply’s her Bucayo to loyal customers that even bring these treats abroad. Look for her at Km. 22, San Gabriel Subdivision and you’ll taste what I mean. Yummy, sticky and oh so very sweet!
7. Mamang Batchong’s Sinamak is for the adventurous Bagonhon’s penchant to have a “sawsawan” for every viand. Made with pure and strong organic vinegar and usually homegrown red chilies, Mamang Batchong’s Sinamak will open up your appetite and wake up the flavors of those fried Bago River Abo to the extreme. Visit her at her home behind Nanding’s at Pinanuy-an, Brgy. Sampinit; she’ll even show you hand-sewn quilts that will make you reminisce of childhood and of course convince you to fill your hands with bottles of those sinamak.
bountiful rice harvest
Suddenly got my appetite after writing 7 of our best-kept tidbits, so I’ll leave you to these first few suggestions in order to be considered a local Bagonhon. But then again, I have more up my sleeves so I’m sure to get back to you and as everyone knows, we welcome everyone here in Bago City. But for now, keep these tidbits handy and be seeing you fellow or would be Bagonhon. Check these out and wait for my next post.
