As we arrived in Lily Pad, I immediately understood why it was called an origami house. It was designed by architect Jorge Yulo with Lighting Design by Shoko Matsumoto. As we parked the car directly in front of the house, I saw Barbara at the door waiting to welcome the entire family. I literally dragged the entire family on a Halloween Friday and drove for 2 hours to Calamba for this historical encounter — OAP meets Second Wind. (Second Wind is the title of Barbara’s STAR column formerly known as Lily Pad Lectures)
I was a bit nervous and I’m trying hard not to show it. I don’t think she knew who I was and I want it that way to have a very objective review about Lily Pad. I heard a lot about Barbara Gonzales because of her legendary J.Romero & Associates career and lately because of her creative writing classes. The moment I shook her hand, I knew she was welcoming us like her own personal guests visiting her artsy Calamba home and not as paying customers.
Lily Pad Index
Three Things I Love About Barbara Gonzalez’ Lily Pad.
1. Meeting The Barbara Gonzalez
2. The Art of Lily Pad
3. Lily Pad Home-Cooked Meal
Prescriptions for an Awesome Experience in Lily Pad
How to get to Lily Pad
Lily Pad is the newest, out-of-town, by-reservation only, intimate restaurant in Manila. They serve home-cooked meals by Barbara’s friend, Tina Tan for P1,000/ head with a minimum of 5 persons (preferably 10). On Saturdays, they serve Mediterranean with limited customization options and on Sundays, you can choose from the Filipino set menu. It is open lunch time only on weekends but you can reserve it for dinner and on a Friday depending on the arrangement. We were able to eat on a Friday because they were closed for the Nov. 1 weekend.
Is driving for 2 hours to Barbara’s Lily Pad in Calamba to eat a home-cooked meal from a passionate chef for P1,000/ head , really worth it?
Let me start with the Three Things I Love About Barbara Gonzalez’ Lily Pad.
1. Meeting The Barbara Gonzalez
The highlight of our trip was meeting Barbara. She welcomed us like her own personal guests. What I like about her is that she is very candid and direct to the point. I asked her about the story of Lily Pad and she told me that it was in the market for a while until her friend saw it and suggested to turn it into a “Sonya’s Garden” kind of place in Calamba. I bombarded her with questions about her stroke, her mother’s alzheimer’s disease, and about what she thinks about the advertising life. She answered all of them candidly, without any hesitation and without a hint of being politically correct about her answers.
I did not even feel an air of celebrity or snootiness during our conversations. She would serve us and often show us how to enjoy a particular dish like putting Bacalao on top of the slices of French bread. There were moments of silence and she would often break it by playing with Aidan. I can honestly feel the sincerity in making us feel at home.
She entertained my mom with stories of her paintings which were all about her mother’s Alzheimer’s disease with her butterfly signature. They also connected on Barbara’s stroke recovery story and how Ramon Tan’s Carica products were instrumental in her breakthrough recovery.
At the end of our Lily Pad lunch, my mom agreed to sponsor my tuition fee to Barbara’s Creative Writing Class (8 Saturdays) starting second week of January. (Yes!) Barbara also teaches Travel Writing in Sonya’s Garden this coming weekend.
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2. The Art of Lily Pad
I’m glad that Barbara pioneered the Dining with Style scene in Calamba. Could this be the start of another “Viaje del Sol” effect in the Calamba area? I certainly hope so. Most of her paintings are hanged on the wall and she would quickly point out which ones are from the other artists she admire. You can visit the small gallery in the second floor. The theme is feminine with focus on images of beautiful women.
Her sold paintings are now displayed as post cards. They represent the Alzheimer’s world of her mother. It is better for Barbara to tell you the story behind each of the paintings. (I don’t want to spoil that experience for you)
The restroom can accommodate our entire family and it is as big as our one bedroom condo in Burgundy. I like the garden scene outside and how I wish I can have this restroom experience in our own home.
You are literally eating in the middle of the pond. You can feed the coi’s and go around the garden while waiting for lunch to be served. The entire dining room has a matrix of rectangular glass views of the garden. The steel rectangular frames were made to have a wood-like illusion.
The house was named after the lilies that grow abundantly around the house.
Please specify to eat in this heirloom circular table which could easily seat 8 people comfortably and 10 people max.
For Appetizers, Bacalao or Gambas. The only thing I remember about Bacalao was how oily it was. I would suggest to go with the gambas instead not unless you really like Bacalao.
Crispy Dried Beef. In the original Lily Pad brochure, you have an option of Baked Clams or Chili Relleno. I’m glad she served this crispy dried beef with vinegar instead. It was so crispy that the dried beef shatters every time you take a bite like a pure meat chicharon. I kept on going back to take a piece, dip it in vinegar and munch on it as I go explore the different art pieces in Lily Pad.
The main lunch is served buffet style and the entire family agreed that the servings are worth more than the P1,000/ head that we paid for.
Arugula with Pesto Tomatoes. The arugula looked tired (maybe it travelled all the way from Manila).
Grilled Taningue. We were so thankful about the huge proportions of Tanigue (or is it spelled Tangigue?). However, thick slices really doesn’t work for this kind of fish because the insides become dry. It becomes boring eating this fish after 2-3 spoonfuls. I do hope they can slice this a little bit thinner so that you can still get a juicy finish for this fish.
Duck for Oscars Farm. I like the crispy pata version of this Duck. I also like the entire story of where the duck comes from which is probably similar to appreciating the terroir of where a particular wine comes from. The plum sauce adds magic to this dish like what a good bagoong would do to a dull Kare-Kare.
Pasta with Mushroom Sauce. When we were counting the dishes on our way home to Manila, we realized that this pasta dish was added on top of what was promised in the buffet lunch. What a pleasant surprise because Aidan loves pasta. (BTW, I forgot to mention to Barbara that we have kids with us so I’m sure this was not added because of Aidan). The mushroom sauce was clean without any overpowering cream or other sauces.
Lengua. I’m glad she served Lengua instead of Mechado or Roast Beef. When I reserved, I did not specify my particular preference for any dish. I like it freestyle and I let them decide the best menu for us — usually. Most of OAP readers would know that Rache loves a good lengua — soft, juicy, tasty and oily. For me, my only criteria for Lengua is that it does not evoke an image of a live cow’s tongue which is triggered when the meat becomes tough and dry when you chew it.
Rice. You have an option to specify to have the Clam Rice or the Jasmine Rice to go with your lunch buffet.
Apple Pie. One of the downsides of letting them serve what ever they like is that you regret that you should have specified to have the Pecan Pie instead of the Apple Pie. If you are a party of 10, they can serve the Pecan Pie and Apple Pie together. You also have an option of ordering the bread pudding.
For me, Apple Pie is enjoyed when it is served hot and ala mode (with a creamy ice cream on top).
Coconut Tea. They would serve Dalandan Juice, Softdrinks and the Carica Coconut Tea. You can bring wines for a P200 corkage fee. My intuition tells me not to trust their wine list.
Alternatively, Here is the Filipino Lunch Set
Appetizers: Crispy Shrimp or Tapa | Local Boquerones or Botarga
Lunch: Lato Salad | Crabs or Crispy Pata or Duck | Kare-Kare or Ginataang Pusit | Grilled Tanigue or Talakitok
Desserts: Glazed Banana or Kamote
Soda or Iced Herbal Tea | Coffee or Tea
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Prescriptions for an Awesome Experience in Lily Pad
There is no doubt for me that Lily Pad will be the IN place to dine-in this Christmas season. I would like to contribute to its success by giving suggestions on how the entire experience could truly be awesome. The place has a high potential and I’m already planning to include it in our Ultimate Laguna Food Tour in February.
Uniquely Barbara?
Aside from the dry Tangingue and the tired Arugula, we love our Lily Pad lunch and we actually thought that it was too much. There was an ongoing debate on whether P1,000 / head is something I would pay for a home-cooked meal. The debate erupted when we found out that Barbara was not the one who cooked it but it was her chef friend Tina Tan. (just a side debate, can anyone be called a chef if he/she did not graduate in any culinary school?)
The food did not have any of Barbara Gonzalez’ personality. You would go to Lily Pad because of the “Barbara Gonzalez” brand and I would have expected to eat some of her favorite dishes or favorite desserts. She candidly would tell the story about how tired she was eating the dishes.
To make the dining experience truly something that you would rave about, I would like to eat something uniquely Barbara. Is there any particular dish or dessert she would rave about? Is there any secret Calamba dish that she can serve? Is there any family heirloom recipe that can be served in Lily Pad?
Dining under the Stairs and Bathroom.
I was surprised to see the appetizers served under the stairs and directly in front of the restroom. These are two places that have negative energy and you don’t want to eat that kind of energy. It would have been more polite to serve it in the sala receiving area.
Drink-All-You-Can Fresh Dalandan Juice
It is an absolute No-No to run out of a delicious dalandan juice. We don’t drink softdrinks. I think we only have on average 2 glasses of Dalandan juice before it ran out just when we are about to start our lunch.
Kitchen Ambiance?
I don’t think that seeing the kitchen is cute. A divider to partially hide the kitchen would have been more appropriate. The maximum capacity of the dining area is 20 but I think it will be crowded already. The best experience would be to have the entire Lily Pad all for your group.
Makiling Greenheights Tour?
It would be lovely if you can tour around the houses and gardens in Makiling Greenheights. It would be nice if Barbara could rally the Makiling Greenheights community to make it a destination in itself rather than just Lily Pad. Maybe there is an awesome viewpoint of Mt. Makiling in the subdivision. A Makiling Greenheights ala Viaje del Sol map would be a good marketing tactic.
So going back to the question:
Is driving for 2 hours to Barbara’s Lily Pad in Calamba to eat a home-cooked meal from a passionate chef for P1,000/ head , really worth it?
Yes, I believe it is worth it and I’m going back to try the Filipino Menu with a barkada group. Thanks to Barbara for accommodating our Family for 3-hours lazy lunch. Now, I’m sure she would get back to me with constructive criticisms on my writing. I’m excited to attend her creative writing class in January.
Take SLEX, Calamba exit. (This is your LAST turnleaf exit in SLEX)
Go straight as if going to Calamba. (This is the left side of SLEX, the right side goes to Batangas)
On your right watch out for a sign that says ALTERNATE ROUTE TO LOS BANOS.
TURN FULLY RIGHT at intersection where you see a faded yellow sign advertising
SUNCREST LPG and LAONG-LAAN RESTAURANT with a lechon picture. (You won’t miss this sign)
TURN (First) LEFT at next road to dead end
TURN (First) RIGHT for a short time THEN
TURN (First) LEFT again at a corner store called A.V. BAUTISTA TRADING.
Now you are on the SHORTCUT to Los Banos.
(An easier way to give the directions would be to just follow the jeeps and majority of the private cars)
Directly across the first SHELL STATION is
sign saying BARANGAY LA MESA
and an ad for SAN MIGUEL PALE PILSEN.
TURN RIGHT into this road.
Follow the concrete road to the top. (This view of the road is on our way back to Manila. You should see this kind of scenery)
TURN RIGHT then TURN LEFT into the gated community.
You are in MAKILING GREENHEIGHTS.
You are on MARJORAM ROAD.
Go straight until you see a big white cement origami house on your left.That is LILY PAD.
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Barbara Gonzalez’ Lily Pad
Majoram Road, Makiling Greenheights
Calamba, Laguna
Telephone Numbers: +632 401-3558
Mobile: +63918-3624176 or +63917-8452902
Email: barbarac.gonzalez@gmail.com
Text and Photos by by Anton Diaz. Copyright 2008.
Blog: www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Mobile: +63917-LOVEOAP (5683627)
Email: anton@diaz.ph
P.S. I’m experimenting on a new blog post format which are long with navigation links instead of posts broken down into 3 blog post series. What do you think?
I wish I am home to go to places like this. Now I am homesick.
I think breaking up the posts is better. Posting them one day at a time would also be good for suspense reading…makes want to come back for more.
I prefer this format, because I like being able to read everything all in one go, on one page, without having to click to the next page. Especially if I’m going through the archives and looking for the post on a particular topic, it’s so much easier when it’s all in one post, rather than several. The navigation links is also a good idea, so one can skip to the specific part one wants to read. Good going, Anton! 🙂
Lily pad looks nothing but ordinary. The food is second rate and The Lily Pad is nothing fancy. She wanted to become the next Sonya’s Garden but failed miserably.
I read about Lily Pad in Barbara Gonzalez’s Second Wind column in Philippine Star last Sunday, or was it the Sunday before last? I was actually intrigued by the story behind it. I now know what to expect because of this review. Thanks for being so detailed. By the way, I like your suggestion of including some of Barbara’s favorite desserts/dishes at Lily Pad. That’s something to really look forward to.
i also prefer this new format. its easy to read and navigate. Thanks for all the new places to dine.
….to some viewers comments above here where? there’s nothing ‘ordinary’ in here except the basic human needs just look at the architecture of the house if you see that as common in america europe pacific africa down under do send our awesome planet site some of that foreign ‘ordinary streets’ in pictures o postcards maybe? lol what you’re seeing{focus}is the MINIMALIST style….thank you….
….if the kitchen is tidy & clean it is actually ADVISABLE if you want success near you{common restaurants-bistros settings here in united states europe too} coz to add some open styles kitchen is considered being ‘personnal’ a family oriented setting if countryside in themes also considered a straight forward ‘intimate’ ‘feel’ appeals to add that family enviroment feel effects to businesses lifestyles….when i dine it is what how i feel smell senses with what was around me not what the businesses wants me to feel even senses coz i have my own but sometimes i read viewers who wants to be ‘just’ different{biases]so i also ‘expected’ non countrysides classic dinings tropical tastes sometimes jet settings appeals avant garde tastes etc which are expected since planet earth is FULL of awesome people like some americans asians europeans africans hispanics down unders even some remote aborigenes etc. lol!….
to bubut…check out the houses in sta.rosa, tagaytay or better yet, alabang. tell me how many minimalist designed homes you can see. ive been to lily pad and im simply writing about my OWN assessment of the place. if i dont like it, what’s it to you?
to bubut…check out the houses in sta.rosa, tagaytay or better yet, alabang. tell me how many minimalist designed homes you can see.ive been to lily pad and im simply writing about my OWN assessment of the place. im not satisfied w/ what i saw. i reckon its not worth the trouble – traveling all the way to calamba, laguna to see something that is for me – run of the mill. i also dont think that the food is worth paying P1,000 / plate. if i dont like the place, what’s it to you?
….tagaytay sta rosa alabang are not at all ordinary it was not my intention to offend anyone
we just happened to ‘differ’ in the meaning of the word ‘ordinary’ which i thought in volumes in values in individual designs in concrete-spaces it has to be more than the majority{maximum} of things or anything that is way less than maximum {majorities}since philippines has more informal settlers more non architectural design homes more than empty lots{spaces without trees}more than water spaces{islands spaces-coastal areas}with less gated communities than the numbers of informal settlers{squatters}and i do respect i do acknowledge your wishes in not liking somethings & really glad you’re sticking to your own tastes opinions values my point in commenting is only so maybe you & others can see some other ‘equations’ in opinions in values….so thank you….
to gmmahoney: since are very knowledgable about a myriad of things,you should start your own blog and write about the following subjects:
1.architechture 101
2.how to shove down your opinion on other people’s throats
or maybe you should just publish your own dictionary focusing on the description of the word ordinary and its “equations”
Maybe what Ace Jeon meant was Lily Pad is “ordinary” compared to Sonya’s Graden or Antonio’s
….lol!….architecture 101 i already did here just check everywhere lol! re: opinions….i am doing exactly what all of other viewers ‘like’ YOU are doing except awareness programs are more detailed{than some books}than some other viewers
i comment for fun for happiness but i understand that they’re are ‘vulnerable’ people that no matter how ‘civilized’ one’s explanation some still felt wounded just over difference of opinions if one will stick to wounded vanities{opinions}do you REALLY think bookstores authors should stop writings stop selling books of different opinions observations and analysis just trying to make senses coz of one’s ‘off’ responds….how do the world supposed to learn ‘cultures’ o civilizations kung hindi pwedeng mag explore ng mga iba ibang educational o non personnal opinions o analysis kasi lagi na lang ‘baka’ ayaw nung iba o baka may masasaktan that word BAKA was one of the main reason why philippines was a third world country no one was willing to explore the deeps{depth}that is now{some adventurous filipinos} not long ago being explored under lady pres. gm arroyo’s time & pprograms nationwide….re: sonya’s garden it is a beautiful place the opposite of minimalist in gardening landscaping na medyo clutter spread all what you have STYLE which i do too in my own except smaller coz i am a poor one….meaning minimalist is not a CLUTTER STYLE do not mean it is ‘really’ ORDINARY…. but just a different style which is the opposite of the clutter style which is spread all what you have
that are beautiful valuables make senses or MAYBE NOT….writing books i leave to professional writers editors essayists i only write RAW MATERIALS in my own way my own style called NON CONVENTIONAL[imperfect english grammars}in strict privacy of my small space at home lol!….oohhh also just imagine if all opinions different than yours ACCORDING to you should blog o write published their own dictionaries their own definitions just MEANT showing the world that we should WASTE THROW ALL WHAT WE’VE GOT COZ YOU guys{others}opinions are different than mine{not a sport or vanities maybe?}lol!….
architecture 101….second lessons….lol!: minimalist designs could mean simple but quality basic needs in designs materials practical multi purposes of all corners spaces that produces makes PRAGMATIC BUT QUALITY ONLY architectural senses TO come up with the finest best most effective beautiful valuable SIMPLIEST form in designs like most modern scandinavian japanese simple clean straight forward practical but extremely quality in architectural styles in buildings homes offices quite the opposite of the ELABORATE but quality victorian english french italian styles both italians & the french are modest when it comes to flower PRINTS that makes them in a way minimalists than english victorian but rich in elaborate european curves called baroque etc. etc. but all uses elaborate woodworks in panellings crown roofs wall-ceilings even corner mouldings the overwhelmimg used of pain staking STAINED some COLORED windows doors{glass-frames}printed cloth-paper walls almost never ending flower garden leaf prints paintings almost everywhere except italian french designs has less prints overall but more gilded than english victorians that uses mostly darker woods[some best groupings of toothpick like designs in coffee tables]while french uses mostly lighter brownish–reddish curved woods….from there{english victorian flower garden prints-french & italian gilded{metallic]-baroque european styles}you can picture how the minimalist scandinavians or japanese designs differ from lol!….
no offense to WORLD’S BEST CULINARIES FAMOUS HEADQUARTERS in europe’s lausanne switzerland where majorities of world’s highest paid food CHEFS originated from coz i might add a CULINARY 101 class here but filipinos styles lol! meaning any world food CHEFS should give-extend more informations even correct me in what i can offer here in OAP site and PLEASE DO CORRECT ME if i reach any HALLUCINATION STAGES O LEVELS of insanity lol! is a happy teacher-professors a bad idea in teaching professions? i personally would prefer to have a blasts in my school experiences coz it keeps me awake keeps me wanting to listen to know more i remember falling asleep wanting to go home instead in some of my boring cold overly unemotional strict teachers professors good looking or not lol
kindergarten department..do you really think you’re the only one who wants to have a blasts in life wow me too lol! i am thinking if YOU do not mind me others to add local filipino styles classes for fun coz i was thinking of adding an ASTRONOMY 101 but american-european scientists might go wild on me{drug or arrest me}lol!..so i am contemplating but not intimidated so maybe NOT..but looking at this thought provoking quality architectural home-foodie design but has a minimalist countyside interiors causing me to lend more filipinos some of my hidden talents that can produces incomes in millions of pesos maybe dollars just like what gmmahoney’s DETAILED & thought provoking{interesting}ideas plans wishes that if materialized are truly an extra wealths for those willing filipinos NORMALLY clients people interested buy hire pay these kinds of informations knowledges ideas or they buy books planners strategists or offices that do exactly the same thing what sister gmmahoney speaks about but hey why let strangers sneak into your house computers just to know what you have for the day so they can sell apply materialized your private ideas from the privacy of your spaces homes.. designs that are dedicated to-for your old childhood closest friends best friends teenage life associations but just taken stolen by NON DESERVING strangers lol..
so gmmahoney is right in using public bloggings in writing her personnal ideas-opinions-wishes-wimps it is nice to hope wish that philippines some filipinos should at least benefits learned best easiest tips how to help better the world or filipinos everyday life changing attitudes towards dinings or livings in general sense lol
just remember places like these like those in tagaytay las pinas alabang urban metropolitan manilas do not pay below minimum wage in services rendered UNLIKE rural areas or those extremely mountainous rugged terrain villages towns but beautiful wonderful filipinos so remote that their FULL DAY WAGES are still sometimes under $ 2,00 {two-2 u.s. dollars} for a full day works coz no one bothers to regulate them {labor costs} meaning with that lowest amount of salaries to pay it helps businesses to afford to bring down products-items costs inexpensive even cheaper even lower so it is easy to have an even more luxurious lifestyles in remote areas coz $ 2,00 u.s. dollars for a full day works-wages-salaries for some remote areas is sad but huge is sad but big unbelievable but true just seek in those remote areas & you shall find that AFFORDABLE paradise sanctuaries heaven we to enjoy lol
Hi Anton,
May I have the details for the writing classes in January? Thanks!
are you freaking kidding me? you were the one who started becoming defensive about lili pad when i said the place is nothing but ordinary! you even asked me to post freaking pictures because my opinion of lily pad differed from yours!!! and now here you are talking about how people should be able to express theselves freely without others denunciating them!!! you are contradicting yourself! why do you keep on writing the abbreviation – lol? do you find yourself funny? i am laughing AT you in disdain! architechture 101 second lesson – you bring the LOLS – BIG TIME!!!!!
are you freaking kidding me? you were the one who started becoming defensive about lili pad when i said the place is nothing but ordinary! you even asked me to post freaking pictures because my opinion of lily pad differed from yours!!! and now here you are talking about how people should be able to express theselves freely without others denunciating them!!! you are contradicting yourself! why do you keep on writing the abbreviation – lol? do you find yourself funny? i am laughing AT you in disdain! architechture 101 second lesson – you bring the LOLS – BIG TIME!!!!!
ano bang pinagsasabi nyo kindergarten department, grandpa at spelling police? related ba yan sa article? magtagalog na nga lang kayo mali mali naman mga grammar nyo. di pa kayo gumagamit ng mga punctuation marks ang hirap tuloy basahin!
to gmmahoney and ace jeon: dun kayo sa labas mag-away wag dito.
gmmahoney: you call that architechture 101? youre already resorting to word salad! youre not even making any sense! dont pretend that you are knowledgable about something when you are infact a huge ignoramus!
are you freaking kidding me? you were the one who started becoming defensive about lili pad when i said the place is nothing but ordinary! you even asked me to post freaking pictures because my opinion of lily pad differed from yours!!! and now here you are talking about how people should be able to express theselves freely without others denunciating them!!! you are contradicting yourself! why do you keep on writing the abbreviation – lol? do you find yourself funny? i am laughing AT you in disdain! architechture 101 second lesson – you bring the LOLS – BIG TIME!!!!!
lol!
by the way some viewers here not need to be mean do not to be so harsh reasons why u.s. govt. are fond of using some filipinos as PAMATONG for their own white american crimes like for many decades white americans in highest powers in american government always criticize certain countries as if those countries are their enemies making them so mean & hateful calling them evil bad inhumane yet they borrow large huge gigantic sum of money to help uplift united states of america the media never thank asia continent for letting them borrow those huge amounts yet they attack these foreign countries who helped them but dragged these helpful they call inhumane to the ground….they go messing up filipinos who are instrumental in making philippines asia pprograms like the families of my friends who are very supportive of phils.pres.’s pprograms i cannot forgive those who interfere with my childhood friends & families to help pprograms a success..let me remind all presidents of united states government now also in the past gmmahoney was extremely supportive of them to all when the clinton’s white house was using gmmahoney to attract investors to invests more to notice more in america it made america even richer than ever using gmmahoney’s ideas to make america like a new country respectable admirable than ever before gmmahoney didnt thought of colors until white men came to her door threatened her it was those whitemen’s harrassments threats not gmmahoney’s wish that removed the blessings gmmahoney brought to u.s to all color americans so gmmahoney decided to stay humble live in humility by doing so she expects those few whitemen in u.s. govt. or anywhere to leave alone all her childhood friends and their families do not get involved in loosing their professions coz gmmahoney needs them needs all other non violent talented filipinos to help complete philippines asia world pprograms..for the good of everyone and the world it is not too much to asked considering gmmahoney has only few ‘wishes’ new present fresh social childhood activities-projects that needs to be returned to her deserving angels like old friends by those who have taken it away for themselves intended instead for her childhood friends part of gmmahoney’s wishes if bill clinton is gentleman enough he would help encourage-see the future new u.s. president will respect gmmahoney’s last wish in return gmmahoney will do the same so thank you for that
That was quick anton! I hope to go there soon with my friends or if I’m unable to get a group I’ll join your Ultimate Laguna Food tour in Feb. I took Barbara’s creative writing class in 2005. You’ll enjoy it.
I’ve had the privilege of joining Barbara’s writing class, and she’s such an awesome character! She oozes with so much warmth and sass. 🙂 This looks like a great destination ha! Thanks for sharing this.
isang tao lang ba ang nagsusulat ng comments from gmmahoney, spelling police at kindergarden department? pareho kasi ang writing style. mali-mali ang grammar at puro ka-BOBO-han ang pinagsasabi
wahaha tama ka jan jigs!:)
Hi Anton, I think one (or should I say 3?) of your commenters has multiple personality disorder…
now the world knows why filipinos CRAB mentalities{social organized crime syndicates} could be the main reasons why past majority filipinos are being KILLED O SOLD by their own filipino countrymen{illegal human traffickings-white slavery}coz of filipinos LOWLIFE MEAN characteristics a good example are viewers like inacio cha jigs who could be FINANCED by some ‘disturbed’ locals-foreigners to ‘spread’ havocs chaos scandals o just want to prove how shallow-mean spiritied-DISTURBED some philippines internet viewers to ‘strangers comments’ to bring down philippines economy if not the local philippines stock markets coz they sound more like internet bullies who’s interests is merely THRASHING BULLYING some of happy humurous fun filled viewers here in OAP so we also wonder who REALLY has personality disorder here lol lol!
shame shame shame we wonder who ‘really’ has personality disorder here those viewers who are having a lot of patience have clean fun filled comments or those{jigs cha inacio}who think they are normal{could be the true multi disorder}but all they do are ‘focusing’ bullying & personally attacking{social thugs] some strangers but decent viewers hhmmm so hard to ‘distinguised’ lol!
inacio cha jigs..this place is not bad looking at all..viewers will not mind your personnal display of crab mentalities as long as you can follow up your personnal attacked on some too happy non descrimanating oap viewers more crab mentalities so we can learned more from you guys coz my younger brothers & sisters didnt know how to start verbally attacking a happy fun loving strangers thanks but we want more coz the more devastating attacks can maybe disturbed the silent bad on my sisters brothers baby sitting is not really for me i do not know how to verbally attacked where some filipinos are famous for in slums also those in jails
nice place hopefully some mean spirited bastos na local filipinos in the area will not yell at my mother and call her names coz at age 52 she still wears lots of reds mini skirts and ruffle dresses it will be a concern to us if she will be targeted by some too personnal mean bastos na pinoys dyan na might call her another filipino whore istead of observing the beauty of nature & the food lol
Schizophrenia? Maybe… Definitely delusional. Writes what may be called the literary version of mumbling. Irrational, and can’t hold a proper flow of thought. Not only does she use different names, the “characters” she weaves in her head actually interact with each other and they even defend each other.
ano ba yan talagang isang tao lang (grandma, grandpa, pinoperohindibastos, kababayan, kindergartendepartment) ang nagcocomment dito! look at the timing kung kelan sila pinost! pagitan lang ng 10mins! my gosh!!!
grandma, grandpa, pinoperohindibastos, kababayan, gmmahoney, spelling police at kindergarden department – sira ba talaga ulo mo? you should not be allowed to comment on this site.
Hi Anton! You should try having a food trip in Los Banos. There’s a bunch of good restaurants and cafes here. Before we even had a weekend market inside the UPLB campus (that was during the holiday ’09, I think)it’s like a mini Mercato Centrale but with more activities and more concessionaire-buyer interaction.
What are the must try places in Los Banos ba?
Faustina’s tops my list (I’ll be blogging about this). It’s a cozy restaurant in Umali Subdivision and near Raymundo Gate in UPLB.Must try: Soy ginger chicken and WAFFLES! They make the fluffiest waffles! Second is Joe’s, an Italian restaurant in Umali Subdivision.It is behind the National HS of Los Banos (maybe not as ideal but it’s really different inside, very intimate and romantic; best for intimate dining). They serve authentic Italian dishes. Third is Kamayan sa Palaisdaan in Bae, Laguna, probably you’ve seen this going to San Pablo. It’s the town next to ElBi. Must try: their Crispy Pata! Crunchy in the outside and soft and juicy in the inside, the fat really melts in your mouth. Fourth is Arla (you can search them in Facebook for more info), it is along the National Hi-way in Brgy. Maahas.Great food, great place. Next is Ristretto, a cafe located inside Vega Center. Must try: frappes/coffee/cheesecake. It also has a great “chill” vibe. There’s also Cafe La Bonne Vie (along Lopez Ave.)I like them for their cupcakes. I think they’re the only cafe in Los Banos that sells different cupcakes. Must try: Kahlua cupcakes and carrot cupcakes. They also serve savoury pies.Then DalCielo (you can search them in Facebook), a restaurant located along Lopez Ave. Must try: Cream puffs (which they are very well known for), lemon squares, meatball spaghetti,and cream dory sandwich. They also have their version of Kanin Club’s crispy dinuguan but I won’t recommend it, it’s not crispy at all (well,the pieces on the TOP portion are crispy).
For some dairy products, (I advice you to bring a cooler/ice chest)Carabao Center sells the best pastillas! They are famous for their fresh carabao’s milk (easily runs out of stock)and chocolate milk, and kesong puti. They also sell a different sausages (a must try!)Another must try is their milk-o-gel. The other one that sells dairy products is Dtri, it’s just a few meters from the Carabao Center. Both are located inside the UPLB campus.
And I almost forgot, try Mer-Nel’s chocolate cake, the famous chocolate cake of Los Banos. Their main branch is also along Lopez Ave, just near the campus and another one, The Mer-Nel’s Place located in Maahas.
*Sorry for the long post.
Thanks for this tip! Magfood trip nga tayo one of these days. Maybe you can show us around 🙂 what do you think?
You’re welcome, Anton! I think that would be great! Let’s plan it. Hope we could find a common time. 🙂