The Best Isaw is in Surigao

And yes. I found it! The best isaw in the country. Thank goodness we were left by our boat on the first day of our trip. We needed to stay in Surigao City for the night with the hopes of finally reaching Siargao the next day. 


From the pier, we walked up to the public market and asked around on where to find a decent place to stay for the night. After scouting the whole area, we finally settled at Garcia's Hotel. A newly-renovated hotel at the heart of San Nicolas street (right across the Unicity department store). We got a standard, overnight, aircon room for 650 pesos. They have cheaper rooms for single and/or fan rooms.The room is basic and the toilet is clean. The only problem was that we could hear the noise from the nearby room. There were kids and they were like playing the whole time. But then we took a quick nap while the neighbors were having a children's party.

Garcia's Hotel

for 650 pesos it was expensive for me - do your research next time Carla. argh

We woke up after a few hours and decided to go out and check out what's happening in Surigao city. We checked out the city hall and the famous landmark of the city - the flag pole that commemorates the first flag raising event in the Mindanao area. Butuan and Cagayan de Oro are also claimants of the said "title". 

Moving on, we went into the park and as expected, the locals were flocking there doing their own stuff (it was a Saturday). There was an area where middle-aged men were playing chess. And it wasn't as if they're doing it for leisure, they were so competitive that they even have this timer thing. Cool eh? On the other end, there were women who were having their nails done by the "orange ladies". It was so cute to see that people go to parks (and not salons) for manicure and pedicure.

with timers on the side. pressure eh?

mani and pedi on the park by the "orange ladies" - galing!

Butuan and Cagayan de Oro are also claimants

We walked further to where the pier is. We heard that the grilled stuff there are great and shouldn't be missed. And what we saw was, again, people who were lounging on the benches overlooking the bay and some kids playing kite. It made us sit for a while and chill like the locals. It was so relaxing just to breathe fresh air and to see people who took time to be with their family in the bay area.

Just a few meters from the bay area, numerous food stalls were already starting to grill some barbecues. We found this restaurant named "Pierview" that serves affordable grilled items. What was remarkable was the Isaw (6 pesos) which was so clean and yummy. It was the best isaw I've tasted so far. The grilled liver (13 pesos) and chorizo (20 pesos) were also great according to J - tender and tasty.

ready to hit the grill

the best isaw to date

After an hour, we met up with Nath. She then treated us at Ocean Bounties seafood restaurant. We had some Grilled Squid (which we handpicked), Pansit Bam-e, rice (of course) and a Sizzling Saang (very famous shellfish in Surigao). All that for less than 500 pesos. After that, we went to Tavern Hotel's bar for a couple of beers. Different groups/bands played that night. A mix of almost every genre in music were played. We had so much time drinking and chatting that we ended up going home at around 1:00 a.m. It's not as if we just met a few hours ago eh?

Grilled Squid

Sizzling Saang

Pansit Bam-e

thanks Nath!

Yes we missed the last ferry boat to Siargao that day. But thank goodness 'coz we were able to experience how it is to be a Surigaonon by chilling at the park and the bay area. And also, we got to taste the best isaw ever. To top it all, we met Nath and the 6 hours of non-stop chitchatting seemed so bitin that I promised to bring her to the cheapest areas in Divisoria when she's in Manila. 

Check out Surigao City accommodations here