Probably the best way to know for sure that you’ve arrived at Barangay Davila, Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte is when you see numerous ihawan stalls along the highway. Davila’s first sitio that you pass by when you’re coming from the south is Dirique. Dirique is known for those stalls where locals sell freshly caught seafood (particularly grilled squid) to tourists traveling further north of the province.
This industry started as a result of the growth in the fishing industry of the locality. As the local fishermen started catching more fish, stalls selling them uncooked or grilled started popping up as well. Stopovers at Dirique have become a way of bypassing the higher prices of food and other goods in tourist destinations.
The usual lineup of grilled seafood consists of catfish (hito), squid (pusit), mackerel tuna (dumadara), blue marlin, and more. The squid, in particular, is seldom absent in these stalls as it is popular with tourists who are looking for a snack to bring on their way to the beach.
The grilled squid works well as a snack or eaten with rice. Sellers skewer these with barbeque sticks, so you can eat them fresh off the grill. You could also put them on a plate and pair them up with rice to make up a fulfilling meal.
You can buy one of these grilled squids at Jovy and Yolly’s Grill House & Restaurant. We first wash the fresh squids, and then remove its innards, beak, and cartilage. We later skewer them in barbeque sticks and then put them in the grill. Before this, others usually add sugar to the squid, but we don’t. For a decade now, we’ve not marinated our grilled squids to let its natural taste stand out. We serve them at our restaurant chopped, with various choices of dipping sauces like soy sauce, calamansi, vinegar, and spiced vinegar. That way, our customers can eat their grilled squid the way they like it.
Do you want to try our famous grilled squids? Visit our restaurant now!