Part of our tour in Dakak-Dipolog-Dumaguete-Siquijor was finding the best souvenirs in the area.
Montano sardines and Zaragoza Bagoong from Dipolog
Dipolog city was dubbed as the Bottled Sardines Capital of the Philippines, partly because of these two giant brands of bottled goods popular in Dipolog.
We met some policemen in the bus terminal of Dipolog, who advised us what to buy on each store. We were tipped with this info: Sardines==Montano, Bagoong==Zaragoza. We were also informed that the sardines are cheaper on the main branch of Montano’s unlike those sold in malls. So our next stop was the subdivision where the owner has a store, right in their front yard.
I don’t have the exact address of the subdivision, but since tricycle is the only transportation (aside from private vehicle) available there, you can ask a tricycle driver to take you there. It’s quite popular in Dipolog, they know where it is.
Montaño’s Sardines
Initially, our plan was to buy the famous spanish sardines of the Montano’s, unfortunately, there were no stocks left. We opted to buy the bangus sardines which tasted much better than their regular spanish sardines.
I recommend getting the bangus sardines rather than the regular ones. But take both just to be sure. Cost of bangus sardines, is about 65 pesos.
During our trip, we also ran into an azucarera owner from Bacolod who told us how to cook the sardines. Here is the recipe for cooking the sardines…
Cooking Montaño’s Sardines
Ingredients:
garlic
onion
egg
Montano’s sardines
How to cook:
1. Saute garlic and onion in the pan.
2. Put in the sardines.
3. Break egg into pan and mix the egg with the sardines.
We bought 6 pieces each of the sardines. You have to pay for the box container in Montano, so we decided to get 1 dozen/per box and share it with each other.
Zaragoza’s Ginisang Bagoong
We didn’t go to the main store of Zaragoza in Dipolog. We visited the Tourist Information Office in Dipolog’s city hall, and to our luck, a few steps away from the city hall is a Zaragoza store. The store is quite unnoticeable, so keep your eye’s peeled for the name ‘Zaragoza‘ in the stores, better yet, ask the tourist information office the exact location of this store.
Zaragoza’s bagoong costs about 55 pesos for the smallest bottle, depending on your bargaining skills. It’s one of the best bagoong’s I’ve ever tasted. I’m still saving the one I bought up until now. 
Inside the store, they also sell sardines and other delicacies.
thanks for commenting sa blogsite ko about dun sa dipolog trip ko two years ago
and yan nga ung dalawang kilalang brand na masarap sa dipolog
haha thanks joyce! I’m adding you to my blogroll since your commenting on mine naman. You have an awesome photo gallery in multiply.
Thanks!
waahh, i’m craving for green mango and bagoong. i hope i’ll find zaragoza’s bagoong in SM mall tonight after i come home from work..
your should try the bagoong that I make. the best in mindanao. But i only cook it for our consumption only.
But if someone would want to market it, I am more than willing to must produce it. I bought a zaragoza and served it to guest together with the one i made on my own. Guess what? The bagoong i made was consumed first and the guest kept on asking for more, while the zaragosa was basically left untouch.
g00d evening,kmusta po? dami nagka gusto sa sardines nyo dito manila.kmuzta si june zamora
tagpila man ang inyong spanish sardines, din unsa man u address sa dipolog. dayon ang inyong contact number..ok thanks.