Saramsam Ylocano Restaurant and Bar ranked first in TripAdvisor's 31 Must Try Restaurants in Laoag.  I knew it because I did my research prior to our Ilocos trip and I made certain that our itinerary won't only include visiting their must see places, but trying their most popular restaurants as well.

Good thing this well-known dining place happened to be the in-house restaurant of Balay Da Blas, where the complimentary breakfast for the pensionne house's guests is served.  So every day, we get the opportunity to enjoy eating our first meal of the day in a place with an absolutely classy ambiance for FREE!

I personally love the interiors of this restaurant -- vintage, classic, and charming.  Stepping into Saramsam restaurant would definitely make you feel like you've travelled back in time.  Its beautiful antique decors and furniture pieces exude an air of timeless elegance perfect for the historic province of Ilocos.

Breakfast is usually served between 6am to 9am.  If you are staying as a guest in Balay da Blas, like us, expect a staff to come knocking at your door every night to take your orders in advance for the next day's breakfast.

Although Saramsam restaurant offers a number of different cuisines, the complimentary breakfast that they dish out is usually the typical Filipino almusal, more popularly known as the '-silog' meals.  It primarily consists a viand, fried rice or 'sinangag', and egg or 'itlog', which can be cooked either hard boiled, scrambled, or sunny side up, depending on your preference.

If you are a 'balik-bayan', I'm pretty sure that just like me, you also missed this type of food for breakfast!  

Daing na Bangus, fried rice, and egg.  I am not really a fan of Bangus or milkfish, but if it's boneless like this, then I suppose, it's a different story.  

Their breakfast also comes with unlimited brewed coffee, which is probably one of the things my family loved about this restaurant -- because all of them happened to be caffeine lovers!  

Unfortunately, I can't have coffee (unless it's decaffeinated) because I'm still nursing my 23 month old son, Rafa.  Thus I had to order hot chocolate instead, which costs around PHP 40 - 45 per cup (I can't remember exactly, pardon my poor memory).  It's quite expensive, in my opinion, since it tasted just like the ordinary/ instant chocolate powder.  Gratefully, the staff decided to give the hot choco as a complementary drink for Rafa, we were able to save a few hundreds to add to our budget for the 'pasalubongs'.

Saramsam Restaurant's Filipino breakfast meal isn't gourmet and may appear to be very ordinary.  Nonetheless, to me, it tastes good enough to satisfy my palate and my hungry tummy!  Would I recommend this place to anyone who will be visiting Ilocos?  Definitely!  If you are the type of person who knows how to appreciate the timeless beauty of anything classic, then this is the best place for you!  Come and visit Saramsam Ylocano Restaurant and Bar to experience and understand what the hype is all about!

For more information about this restaurant, visit their website at http://www.balaydablas-laoag.com/saramsam.html