Enjoy unicorn fish while on a river cruise in Bolinao

The town of Bolinao is located in the western portion of the province of Pangasinan which juts out into the South China Sea. It is culturally notable for having its own language, Bolinao, distinguishing the population as an ethnolinguistic group separate from the Pangasinan and Ilocano peoples dominant in the province on northwestern Luzon Island.

For many people, Bolinao is known for its white-sand beaches and its most prominent heritage structure, the early 20th-century Cape Bolinao Lighthouse. Recently, the Balingasay River has been gaining attention, as one of the cleanest in the region with its emerald water and the coconut trees and palms thriving along its banks.

The river’s increasing popularity among tourists is boosted by a restaurant, the Sungayan Grill, which allows visitors to experience the riverine environment in an enjoyable way. Located near the mouth of the river in the barangay of Balingasay, where a marine sanctuary is located, the restaurant offers meals on rafts in the form of huts, which diners can enjoy while cruising the river.

The river dining cruises have recently become popular in the Philippines, pioneered by the Loboc River Cruise in Bohol and replicated in different areas. Sungayan Grill’s river cruise actually took inspiration from the Loboc River Cruise, which its owner, Greg Celeste, a former municipal councilor, experienced during a trip with the Philippine Councilors League.

“Sabi niya we have something that we can offer din po sa Bolinao, ‘yung Balingasay River nga din po. Sabi niya, mas malawak, mas maaliwalas ‘yung Balingasay River compared sa Loboc (He said we have something similar that we can offer here in Bolinao, the Balingasay River. He said that Balingasay River is wider compared to Loboc). And we tried na mag-produce ng (to produce) something like the Loboc River Cruise,” related Mika Celeste, daughter of Greg who serves as the restaurant’s manager.

“Nag-start po kami sa isang kubo lang po (We started with one hut). It could accommodate like 20 to 30 people lang. Dine-in lang po ‘yun. Hindi pa siya nag ku-cruise before. Isa lang ‘yun. And then we tried producing ‘yung isang maliit na nag-ku-cruise na po way back 2013. Nag-start po siya March 2013, and ‘yun po nag-produce kami ng isang maliit lang na nag ri-river-cruise (The raft was for dine-in only and not for cruising. It was the only one. And then we tried producing a small raft for cruising way back 2013. We started in March 2013, and we produced one raft for river cruising) that could accommodate 10 to 12.”

On the family’s riverside property, which is still used in cultivating milkfish in fishponds, the Sungayan Grill was established. It has grown over the years and it now operates 20 floating huts for cruising. The huts are made mostly of bamboo with nipa or coconut palm leaves for the roofs and can accommodate about 20 persons each. Aside from the cruising rafts, there are dining areas on land and a function hall. Mika said the whole property can accommodate 500 to 600 people.

The restaurant is visited by about 300 to 400 people daily, and more people come in during weekends and holidays, especially during the dry months of March, April and May. About 70 percent of diners are visitors from outside Pangasinan, while the rest are locals.

The restaurant employs a regular staff of about 50 to 60, including local fishermen, who sideline as operators of the boats that pull the floating huts to about a kilometer of the river.

The restaurant is named after a prized fish of the town, the blackspine unicorn fish, locally called sungayan, which means “horned” or “with horn.” The fish is known for its characteristics of having a horn-like protrusion on its forehead.

“Sungayan po inspired by our famous fish here in Bolinao, the sungayan fish. ‘Yun talaga ang famous fish namin dito. Nakukuha siya sa deep sea lang and hindi siya basta-basta nakukuha kasi ‘yung mga mangingisda natin, ano pa ‘yan, pinapana po nila…Unlike other fishes like bangus na nakukuha lang sa fish pond, sungayan is hard to catch talaga kaya medyo pricey (This is really a famous fish here. It can only be caught in the deep sea and it is not easily caught. The fisherman catches it by spearing. Unlike other fishes like the milkfish, which one can get from the fish pond, the unicorn fish is really hard to catch and is thus pricey),” Mika explained.

The grilled sungayan is another attraction of the restaurant, though it is not always available. The menu consists of fares popular in grill houses in the country such as grilled meats and seafood, different kinds of sinigang, kaldereta, kare-kare, lechon kawali, mangga’t bagoong, gambas, kilawin, etc. Popular among families and groups are the bilaos or trays laden with grilled sungayan (or grilled malaga or pampano, if sungayan is not available), grilled liempo (pork belly), calamares, steamed crabs or nilasing na hipon (shrimp cooked in beer), steamed shrimps, ensalada or salad of steamed local vegetables and slices of fruits.

In November 2023, they started offering buffet, which is a fixture in the Loboc River Cruise. But Sungayan Grill still maintains a more intimate and private arrangement, where diners can have their own huts and order the dishes they want.

Mika said Sungayan Grill is expanding. After opening three villas, they are developing other parts of the property into more dining areas.