The Best Carinderia Eateries in Siargao
- Siargao is the best. You’ll see a lot, meet many people, and they’re all kind. And the food here is the best. - Siargao has a certain pull to it.
We know it's a surfing mecca filled with restaurants, bars, and an intoxicating island culture. But life on the island wasn't always that way. The locals here seem to have mastered the art of living mindfully and joyfully while pursuing their passions at the same time. We had the opportunity to meet some amazing people in Siargao who generously shared their stories. One of them is Longlong, a fisherman who harvests some of the freshest sea urchins in General Luna. - My nickname is Longlong.
My real name is Kobe. This is my livelihood, gathering sea urchins, called "tuyom" in Tagalog. Learning to swim is easy, but the process to earn money from the sea is difficult. For me, if I don’t catch sea urchins, I won’t go home yet. I’ll fish or gather octopus so I can bring something back to my family. We’re from Agusan, in La Paz.
It’s tough to make a living there, so we came here. (grunts) Let's go slowly. Then COVID happened, work stopped, and that's when I met my partner, and I really pushed myself to learn more about the sea. We often get sea urchins here, and sometimes further out, but there are fewer now because others also rely on them for their livelihood. You need to be resourceful in finding sea urchins.
Like our companions, they go where it’s allowed, but even for them, it's mostly luck, just like us. I use this for my feet so even if the current is strong, I don’t drift too far. And this is what I use to collect sea urchins; I made this. I also have a spare in case I lose this, for example. This is where you hold it at the back so you don’t get pricked. If you turn it over and hold it from there, that’s when you get pricked because the spikes are on top.
Hold it and then put it in. It’s big. What’s the hardest part of being at sea? Everything is hard, but after years of gathering, we got used to it and sometimes don’t even feel tired because we’re focused on getting home and buying rice and what the family needs. The locals really know that there’s plenty here. They tell us it’s all luck.
If that octopus is meant for you, then it’s yours. If you’re not blessed by God, there’s nothing you can do; that’s life at sea. You need to have other strategies at sea to be able to buy rice. Many people buy from us. We even have regular customers. We sell door to door. We sell for Php150 per glass.
Spicy vinegar. I really love it here, I can’t say anything negative. And it’s easy, I’m with my family when I come home.
Siargao is the best. You’ll see a lot, meet many people, and they’re all kind. And the food here— fish—is also fresh. The food in Siargao is really delicious. That’s where you can taste what fresh fish is like.
That’s what makes this place different. - Not far from General Luna, where Longlong harvests sea urchin, is Barangay Montserrat. Like most areas on the island, the place has been blessed with diverse marine resources, but harmful practices coupled with climate change have depleted most of them. Naturally, the livelihood of the locals has taken a hit and they had to find other sustainable sources of income. This is where the Center of Development of Indigenous Science and Technology, or SIKAT Inc.,
comes in. Partnering with the local government of Dapa and the European Union, the group has worked to revive the seaweed industry that once flourished in Barangay Montserrat in Dapa. They have provided training on climate adaptive practices for growing seaweed, supplied some residents' basic materials and continue to offer support till this day. It's a promising industry with many uses from restaurants and pharmaceutical purposes. These women are part of a self-help group led by Modesta who hope to improve their lives through seaweed farming.
- I am Modesta Boquilon Batistil. This is Narie Skolastika. May Bonghanoy. Marilyn Comeda. Marierose.
And Melody Manggabon. - We are here in the seaweed business. This is our livelihood here. When Typhoon Odette happened, everything was washed out. We managed to recover a bit because of our own savings. All of us in the group helped each other with savings until we completed our home projects.
- After the super typhoon Odette, many people shifted from farming to fishing. One viable livelihood option is seaweed farming since it doesn’t affect the fish population in the sea and provides quick income. - After Odette, we were given a seaweed project, provided with all the materials for seaweed farming, and we formed three groups under SIKAT. - SIKAT helps us because without SIKAT, there probably wouldn’t be any projects coming here. - SIKAT, or "Sentro para sa Ikauunlad ng Katutubong Agham at Teknolohiya Inc.," helps fisherfolk communities. In seaweed farming, it is supported by the European Union and focuses mainly on women.
It started with savings, mobilization, and how they could keep their own money and group funds. From there, we saw that it could be turned into a social enterprise as a group. - Before we plant here, we tie a soft tie in place. - Then we add seaweed seedlings. - Just place them here for easier planting.
After three months, it’s time for harvesting. We started well and sold in Hinatuan for Php110 per kilo. But now, we can’t manage because the price is only Php50 per kilo. The expenses are high.
- Our problem is we don’t have a continuous buyer. Now I said we shouldn’t plant for now, as it might go to waste because we already have over 20 sacks of dried seaweed. - While demand for seaweed has yet to take off, thankfully, there are people who promote it by using it in their creations just like the team at Roots.
Roots is a restaurant in General Luna, Siargao that serves global cuisine while showcasing heirloom ingredients found on the island. - One time, the group Roots sent a message on our Facebook page because they saw that seaweed farming was featured and that there’s a supply here. We want to connect the community to the market. We also want to expand their market, which would greatly help the women who care for and maintain the seaweed. - Indeed, there are many food concepts around the island, from your favorite inasal to vegan spots, and third wave coffee shops, but this being the Philippines, some carinderias have developed a legendary following from tourists and locals who work here.
One of these is TP Food House which serves home-cooked Filipino favorites that you'll keep coming back for. - We came here for vacation during the peak of Odette and experienced the typhoon. We weren’t deterred, so we came back and started TP Food House. When we were planning to establish something in Siargao, we couldn’t really decide because we didn’t know much about the local terms or anything. So I said, let’s just use our names, "Tata" being my husband’s nickname, and "Pinky" mine, hence "TP," Tata-Pinky Food House.
Our motivation as a couple was to survive. During the pandemic, we lost everything, so we came to Siargao. We were confident that our talent in cooking delicious food would help us, so we tried.
The bestseller is all beef dishes, especially the nilaga. That’s the one that’s always popular. It doesn’t even last until the afternoon.
By this morning, it was already sold out. Next are all the vegetable dishes, even plain ones. My secret is that I don’t skimp on ingredients.
I think of it as if we are the ones eating it. We’ve progressed a lot. By God’s grace, we prepare at least 15 dishes daily. During summer, it was up to 26 dishes.
It’s exhausting, sometimes cooking until 4 a.m., but it’s a blessing. It’s stressful but in a way that’s fulfilling, especially when customers thank us for a good meal. It feels great and makes the tiredness fade. It’s really a blessing to have ended up here. If someone asks where to eat, it’s TP's Food House because it’s like home-cooked meals.
- Like TP's, JM Carinderia is a roadside eatery that attracts all sorts of diners craving local comfort food at any time of the day. - JM Carinderia, Siargao. - Good morning, everyone! - In 2009, it was still small, but it gradually grew as more and more people came. - Not just tourists. Many Filipinos as well.
They like it because our dishes are affordable. They can eat for just Php50. One rice is Php20, and with half a serving of vegetables, it’s Php50.
- Plus, our service is good. We’re close to our customers so they come back, and we all bond here. - JM Carinderia in Siargao is open 24 hours. - We start at 5:30, and I finish at 9:00 a.m., then someone else comes in. - Because there’s a disco.
- There are a lot of people here at night. They party in front of the beach club at El Lobo. - They all come here to eat bulalo. - After partying, they eat bulalo.
They always come back for the torta, as well as the sinigang, Bicol express, and vegetarian dishes. They love the vegetarian dishes because they don’t contain chicken or pork, yet they’re still delicious. - Every day, we cook 30-40 dishes. - On holidays, there are even more people. We can run out of 40 dishes, so we cook more. - As we came to discover during our trip, your Siargao experience is never complete without a bite of freshly baked Pan de Surf, a bread shaped like a surfboard.
This local favorite has been made by the Baguinao family for over two decades. - Good morning, everyone! We’re here making Pan de Coco and Pan de Surf. This is our livelihood here in GL (General Luna). We’ve been making Pan de Coco and Pan de Surf for about 25 years.
Pan de Coco has a filling of coconut, while Pan de Surf is plain with no filling. That’s the difference between Pan de Surf and Pan de Coco. We start cooking around 7:00 a.m., then we grate the coconut. After grating the coconut, we squeeze it, and that becomes the filling for the pan de coco. Once squeezed, we measure the flour and mix in the gata.
The secret is adding the coconut milk because it makes the bread soft and gives it a coconut flavor. Then it goes into the oven. Many people buy our homemade Pan de Surf or Pan de Coco.
Of course, we’re happy because they like what we make. - Siargao seems like a microcosm of the world— you are constantly between global comforts, Filipino experiences, and the local culture. That diversity is what draws people from all over to come here. It all takes place on an idyllic island blessed with rushing waves, stretches of white sand and endless coconut trees. But the people really make the place.
2024-11-18 10:55
