Home-made Noodles Behind Ilocos Norte’s Oldest Panciteria

Laoag City (PIA) – If pancit (noodles) gives long life as ancient Chinese creed suggests, then this pancit business owes its longevity to the very noodles that sustained its operation dating back to the 1950s.

Recognized by the community as the first panciteria in Laoag, the La Moda eatery has become part of every Ilocano gathering for more than six decades when it first introduced its signature pancit canton guisado.

Business owner Evelyn Gee said the secret to the recipe can be found in the home-made noodles which she credits to the family patriarch – a pure Chinese national from Canton, China.

Gee, 69, said she took over the family business which her late father-in-law started in 1953 and later run by the former’s sister-in-law.

She started managing the business in 1989 and renamed it as “New La Moda Panciteria” in its previous location near the Laoag City Market.

“My (late) husband didn’t want me to manage the business because at that time it was not going well. It was going bankrupt,” she said.

But for love of the business, Gee used her retirement pay from years of teaching and a small loan from relatives and revived the business.

Her children are now managing the noodle factory and the panciteria.

“I have the urge to maintain the legacy of my late father-in-law which is the taste of the La Moda Pancit which became very popular to all Ilocanos here and even abroad,” Gee said.

The crispy noodle which is made of wheat flour, egg and some secret ingredient, caught the palate of locals and those working abroad who don’t miss to have a taste of the home-made pancit whenever they go back to Ilocos.

“The noodle can be eaten uncooked since it is deep fried. It is healthy and has no preservative. Many people turn to it as ‘chicha food’ during conversations,” said Gee.

The restaurant’s best seller is the La Moda pancit canton guisado in bilao which comes in small, medium and large sizes.

The panciteria also offers a variety of Ilocano and Chinese dishes like Pork Shanghai, Bagnet, Pancit Bihon, Chapseuy, Crispy Fried Chicken and Misua noodle soup, among others.

“The noodle business brings our family a security and a legacy that my children, Ricky, Jovanny and Dino and even their children can be proud of as Ilocanos.” Gee said. (MCA/CDG, PIA-1, Ilocos Norte)