Montano sardines and Zaragoza Bagoong from 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.