The house that bangus built
Businessman Eric Montoya grew up appreciating his Lola Soling’s cooking of bangus (milkfish, the national fish) dishes, called betel in Pangasinan. That grandmother, Calixta Claveria Montoya, was the original Dagupeña in the family, Dagupan City being known for its savory bangus.
Inevitably, when Eric grew to be a man, he built House of Bangus by Mr. Dagupeño in 2022 at Old De Venecia, Calasiao, Pangasinan. His wife Katherine and he envisioned “creating a Filipino restaurant that highlights the versatility and rich flavors of Dagupan bangus,” he says. “We wanted to incorporate bangus into traditional Filipino dishes that are usually prepared with other meat staples.”
The Montoyas are filling up a need after noticing that despite the popularity of Dagupan bangus, “no restaurant in the province was promoting it in the way we envisioned—with unique innovations that could attract both locals and tourists. We wanted something like how Rico’s Lechon or House of Lechon has become a must-visit spot in Cebu. Our target market includes tourists visiting Dagupan and nearby destinations in Pangasinan, such as Manaoag and the many coastal resorts in the province.”
But the journey began much earlier. As a newly married couple, the Montoyas opened in 2016 a takeout-only concept called Mr. Dagupeño Inihaw na Boneless Bangus in Antipolo City, where they lived after their wedding.
Back then, their takeout stores mainly catered to people who did not have time to cook but wanted good food. The format was similar to Chooks-to-Go, Andok’s and other lechon manok brands. Over time, they expanded through franchising, opening more than 70 branches in various provinces across Luzon and some parts of Visayas.
Growing the brand
Montoya says, “House of Bangus Calasiao marked our first venture into a restaurant business model. Since franchising is our core expertise, we plan to expand House of Bangus through franchising as well. Last year, we opened House of Bangus Mabalacat in Pampanga, a franchise. We also received lease offers in major malls. This year, we are excited to actively seek potential franchisees and investors to grow the brand further.”
He continues, “When we started the business, I started coming up with my own recipes, experimenting with different approaches. Eventually, to enhance the taste, we enlisted the help of a chef friend to refine the dishes.“
Asked what is their unique edge over all other seaside bangus restos in Pangasinan, he answers, “Our edge is our commitment to showcase the Dagupan bangus as our main attraction. We are proud of our mostly first-in-the-market innovations.”
“When we launched our restaurant, it eventually inspired other Dagupan establishments to innovate their own bangus dishes. However, for a long time, most of them stuck to the usual grilled bangus and other traditional preparations. We are the only one that first offered Bangus Cordon Bleu (usually a chicken recipe), Crispy Bangus Sisig, Cheesy Baked Bangus, Bangus Kare-Kare, Bangus with Hickory Barbecue Salsa, Bangus and Seafood Cajun and a lot more.”
He is thankful that “people are recognizing our place to showcase our province’s most loved product. For two years, we have steadily built a reputation so that many locals think of us when they want tourist friends to experience Dagupan bangus in a unique way.”
The Montoyas don’t have a fish farm but instead source their bangus from suppliers who also run small-scale businesses like theirs. One of the main and longtime suppliers, Elisha Bay Dagupan Bangus, is a micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME), but it has a commissary approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Elisha Bay also has US and Japan FDA certifications so that they export their bangus to these countries.
Montoya stresses, “It has been our priority to partner with MSMEs from the communities of Dagupan.”
Asked where the savory taste of their bangus comes from, he attributes this mainly to “the good environment that the rivers of Dagupan provide for the bangus. It has been said that the combination of salt water and fresh river water (or what they call brackish water) is what gives Dagupan bangus that unique taste.”
A journalism graduate of the University of the Philippines Baguio, Montoya did not study cooking to better present the bangus. Instead, House of Bangus boasts of a dedicated research and development team spearheaded by him and chef friend Gino Lebardo of Taytay, Rizal.
“We experiment a lot. Some dishes we decide to add to the menu, some we decide to offer as seasonal items. We believe that this constant innovation keeps the customers always excited.”
