Sungayan Grill Restaurant Review ~ Bolinao Pangasinan

The long drive from Manila to Bolinao for my son's birthday weekend at Puerto del Sol Beach Resort left us tired and hungry.  We initially thought of heading to the resort directly for lunch, but fortunately saw the Sungayan Grill Restaurant and Floating Restaurant.

I knew I have seen this restaurant's good reviews in Trip Advisor and decided to make the stop.

The restaurant is about 2 minutes walk from the parking area via floating walkway.

The restaurant was named after the "sungayan" unicorn fish. As the name suggests, the restaurant specialized in seafoods dishes.

There were many guests when we visited.  We came it right smack  lunch time on a Saturday.  It was good though that we got there first, ahead of the bigger groups.  

We were seated comfortably right next to live acoustics.

Our order a small (good for 4) bilao worth P750, already inclusive of rice and a pitcher of ice tea.

Food is fresh and delicious.  I especially loved the perfectly grilled squid and the fresh vegetables dipped in Bolinao bagoong. 

Our plates were embarrassingly "spic and span" clean.   Good thing I was on "see food" diet.

We also got buko (P35)

~ My husband saw the buko on the menu list and just can't say no (#bukoaddict).

After lunch, we crossed to Sungayan's coffee shop  "Kapihan ni Zian"right across the main dining hall. 

Coffee was fine, but lacking the kick of Batangas' Kapeng Barako. There was only limited choices of desserts to pair off with your drink.  

Appended below is the full menu of Sungayan Grill Restaurant.

For questions and inquires, please like them on facebook

Sungayan Grill FB

Call 0912 353 4433

@bolinaosungayangrill

Wondering where to stay in Bolinao, check here our accommodation in Bolinao: Puerto Del Sol Beach Resort  

Matutina's Seafood House and Restaurant (the real deal)!

If you are looking for an authentic Filipino dining experience in Pangasinan, I suggest a stop over at Matutina's

(skip the annexes and head to the original branch; we were at  Matutina's Annex I branch last time and we were a bit disappointed).

 

The main branch is beautiful. It's ceiling is adorned with exquisite capiz tile chandeliers. 

 

The restaurant has an outdoor seating next to a small but lovely garden and an indoor air-conditioned room for those who would like to escape the summer heat.

We wanted to keep our orders simple (since I over ordered in our initial visit - for sharing orders are quite big and we were not very hungry, and decided on their breakfast viands).

From L-R, T-B we ordered (a) 2 sets boneless bangus; (b) turon (with generous portions of  saging and langka); (c) complimentary bukayo sweets; and (d) 2 sets longsilog  (not in picture is our pitcher or brewed tea and coffee

Our orders were all spot on.  I especially enjoyed the boneless bangus and turon (yummy). Ambiance is way, way better here than at the annex. Staff here were very amiable and attentive as well.

 

We will definitely drop by the Original Matutina's again in our North Luzon adventure!

 

Matutina's (chow stop over)

Dubbed as one of the best restaurants up North of Luzon is Matutina's Seafood Haus & Restaurant in Pangasinan. 

 

I have read very good reviews about this place and the curious cat in me just had to give in and taste first hand what this restaurant has to offer.

 

 

We were on our way back to Manila from  our San Fabian beach frolicking and decided to drop by the well reviewed Matutina's Seafood Haus.  

 

The Matutina's branch we visited is the one located at Barangay Tulong, Urdaneta, which they call Annex I. 

We passed by a much bigger branch in Urdaneta City a few kilometers from their Annex I.   

 

Annex I is a bit cramped. Not sure if the summer heat was just too hot for their air-condition to handle.  We were just 2-3 groups at the waiting table and we were already feeling uncomfortable. 

 

I am glad we reached the restaurant a little early for lunch, since as soon as we finished ordering flocks of hungry guests arrived. 

 

We were offered complimentary "pastillas" as we waited for our order.  Which was a good thing, since it took a while for our orders to arrive.

 

For our group of 5 adults and 2 kids, we ordered:

•  two pieces grilled bangus
• tortang talaba
• ensaladang talong, okra, kamatis
• their two kare-kare versions (beef and seafoods)
• rice and
• drinks

 

 

 

VERDICT: 

 

PRICE

For the price of a little over P1500, I find the servings generous (good for 3-4 pax).

We ended bringing some of our orders "to go".

 

FOOD

Food is reasonably cheap (additional hoorah for the free sweets), but was just okay for me.   There was nothing very special to rave about.

 

I liked their seafood kare-kare, but find the grilled bangus ordinary.   The tortang talaba was good too, but every time I take a bite, I was worried for my dear heart (hahaha).

 

AMBIANCE

I already mentioned that the place is small (at least for the Annex I) and was not very attractive (I felt like eating in a canteen). 

 

A scenic garden or play ground for kids to stretch fatigued muscles from the long travel (not to mention, take time off waiting for orders to come) would be a welcomed bonus.  

 

SERVICE

Service was on the slow side, but that was okay, we were not in a hurry. However, it would have been a more enjoyable experience if the attendants smile more and act as if they are enjoying what they were doing.