{"id":33576,"date":"2019-07-28T12:00:46","date_gmt":"2019-07-28T04:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/?p=33576"},"modified":"2019-09-02T12:01:47","modified_gmt":"2019-09-02T04:01:47","slug":"vunong-dinette-at-jessicas-place-in-basco-batanes-a-haven-of-authentic-ivatan-cuisine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/restaurant-type\/healthy-organic\/vunong-dinette-at-jessicas-place-in-basco-batanes-a-haven-of-authentic-ivatan-cuisine\/","title":{"rendered":"Vunong Dinette at Jessica&#8217;s Place in Basco, Batanes: A Haven of Authentic Ivatan Cuisine"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Vunong Dinette | Philippine Primer Eats\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SkFI3e8oJ2A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If there\u2019s one thing Philippine Primer would like you to take note of when visiting Batanes, it is that you do not leave the province without visiting <strong>Vunong Dinette at Jessica\u2019s Place<\/strong> in <strong>Basco<\/strong>!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33599\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette-at-Jessicas-Place_Batanes_Philippine-Primer003.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette-at-Jessicas-Place_Batanes_Philippine-Primer003.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette-at-Jessicas-Place_Batanes_Philippine-Primer003-290x193.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette-at-Jessicas-Place_Batanes_Philippine-Primer003-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>Vunong Dinette at Jessica&#8217;s Place is located at Brgy. Kayhuvokan in Basco!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vunong Dinette is a hidden gem along the quiet Taytay Road. Inside, at the end of a garden path, you will find Jessica\u2019s home on the left and a simple, sophisticated dining setting on the right, where her garage used to be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33592\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer009.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer009.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer009-290x193.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer009-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>What used to be a garage is now a sophisticated dining setting!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33593\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer010.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer010.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer010-290x193.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer010-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>A garden setting, complemented by wood accents,\u00a0gives Jessica&#8217;s Place a warm, welcoming vibe<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The business started when Dominic Castillejos, president of Batanes Travel &amp; Tours, requested Jessica to cater to his guests back in 2016. Since then, Jessica never stopped cooking for Batanes\u2019 guests.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is one of, if not, the only restaurant in Batanes serving authentic Ivatan cuisine, cooked in the original Ivatan way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They serve <em><strong>V<\/strong><\/em><\/span><strong><i>unong<\/i><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the Ivatan rice meal, wrapped in breadfruit leaves called <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">kabaya<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. It can be said that it is the Ivatan version of the Tagalog\u2019s <em>b<\/em><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">inalot<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or rice meal wrapped in banana leaves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33586\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer003.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer003.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer003-290x193.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer003-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>Basketful of vunong<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><em>Vunong<\/em>\u00a0came from the Ivatan term <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kapayvunong,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> which means the act of sharing food with people important to you, making it appropriate to share the <em>vunong<\/em> with your loved ones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When served, the <em>vunong<\/em> is a combination of two leaf packets\u2013one with their Ivatan staple food, <strong>turmeric rice<\/strong>\u2014yellow in color, rich to the taste, and sticky in texture\u2014and another where the viands are kept.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33598\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette-at-Jessicas-Place_Batanes_Philippine-Primer002.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette-at-Jessicas-Place_Batanes_Philippine-Primer002.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette-at-Jessicas-Place_Batanes_Philippine-Primer002-290x194.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette-at-Jessicas-Place_Batanes_Philippine-Primer002-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>The vunong is\u00a0comprised of two leaf packets wound together<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"533\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33600\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong_Batanes_Philippine-Primer001.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong_Batanes_Philippine-Primer001.jpg 533w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong_Batanes_Philippine-Primer001-145x218.jpg 145w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong_Batanes_Philippine-Primer001-400x600.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>A surprise awaits upon opening the vunong<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>uvud<\/strong> <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">is a soft, mild tasting treat\u2013great to pair with their savory <strong>Ivatan <\/strong><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>bistek<\/strong>, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">which resembles thinly cut tapas, and the <\/span><strong><i>lu\u00f1is<\/i><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> made with organic pork cooked in its own lard. In many ways, it is similar to <em>adobo<\/em> only that\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">lu\u00f1is <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">is fried until dry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Further, the leaf packet includes the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">tanige<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a type of mackerel,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">fried simply so as to give forth its fresh taste.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33595\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer012.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer012.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer012-290x193.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer012-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><em><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\">One leaf packet includes the\u00a0viand comprised of the uvud, Ivatan bistek, l<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>u\u00f1is, and tanige.<\/em><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This set meal <strong>(Php 300\/person)<\/strong> is also served with <strong>beef soup<\/strong> (usually <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nilagang Baka<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bulalo with <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">seaweed) or <strong>seafood soup<\/strong> (usually made of mackerel or tuna belly). <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Fern salad<\/strong>, on the other hand, is also served on the side to set your palate for\u00a0a hearty meal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33591\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer008.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer008.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer008-290x193.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer008-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>Bulalo\u00a0soup with seaweed<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33587\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer004.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer004.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer004-290x193.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer004-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>Fern Salad<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As if to keep your tummy busy, Jessica also serves <em><strong>Kilawen<\/strong> <\/em>(<em>Kinilaw <\/em>in other provinces) usually cooked in vinegar with a kick of spice, countered when you place it on top of the\u00a0<em>kamote\u00a0<\/em>or sweet potato\u2013a marriage of sweet, spicy, and sour that is unusually pleasing to the palate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33589\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer006.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer006.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer006-290x193.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Vunong-Dinette_Batanes_Philippine-Primer006-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>Kilawen and kamote (sweet potato)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Also try their\u00a0<\/span><strong><em>Maruya <\/em><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">or fritters, as well as fries to end your hearty meal!\u00a0Take note that instead of using banana and potatoes\u2014as the Tagalogs do\u2014the Ivatans use <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">kamote,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0making it a\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">dessert worth remembering.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Tip #1:<\/strong> It is best to eat Vunong bare-handed, so don\u2019t forget to wash your hands before eating! There are also utensils available if you are not comfortable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Tip #2:<\/strong> Vunong Dinette at Jessica\u2019s Place is strict on reservations, so be sure to call them at least a day before to give them time to prepare. While it is best to reserve, they also accept a few walk-ins of at least 10 guests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So call, e-mail, or text Vunong at Jessica\u2019s Place to sample authentic Ivatan cooking in its raw and simplest form!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>How to get here<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">By tricycle: From any of your hotel in Basco, you may\u00a0ask them to contact\u00a0BATODA (tricycle association) to pick you up and drop you off at Vunong Dinette. The minimum rate for tricycle is Php 60 per ride.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>Written by Chin Sanigan<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When visiting Batanes, one should not leave the province without visiting Vunong Dinette at Jessica\u2019s Place in Basco.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":33622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2931,4038,156],"tags":[3773,3774,3772,3778,3780,3779,3777,3775,3776],"class_list":["post-33576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philippines","category-batanes-restaurant-2019","category-healthy-organic","tag-basco","tag-basco-batanes","tag-batanes","tag-brgy-kayhuvokan","tag-ivatan","tag-ivatan-cuisine","tag-kapayvunong","tag-vunong-dinette","tag-vunong-dinette-at-jessicas-place"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33576"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33669,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33576\/revisions\/33669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}