Am on a road trip to Lipa City to accompany my balikbayan auntie & her family. I don’t know if it was my dour mood brought about by the pressure of looking after my three hyperactive kids sans the nanny, but I found Lipa City unexciting. Until we went to dinner tonight and my jaded senses were suddenly awakened with a sampling of the best-tasting bulalo soup this side of Luzon, not to mention the yummiest grilled spareribs and freshest, most perfectly – roasted tilapia stuffed with generous amounts of onions, tomatoes and chilies.
If you notice I am talking in superlatives already but I just have to endorse Hapag Filipino which is perhaps one of the oldest restaurants in Lipa. Nothing compares to the experience of scouring our countryside for great foodie finds and Hapag Filipino is it. I heard it’s well-known for supplying the best maliputo hereabouts and if you’re can afford it, the owner Nene Caubalejo recommends trying their unforgettable sinigang na maliputo. She’s also proud of the fact that they use only pure beef shanks, not cara beef, for their bulalo. Hapag Filipino’s interiors look so 70’s and need a makeover but nothing can be complained of their specialties which can only be dished out with down-home cooking flair by a seasoned, masterful cook (actually the owner’s cousin). Our four-course meal in Hapag cost us only P1,400, inclusive of drinks. On the other hand, the euphoric effect brought about by experiencing this four-course meal was priceless. Definitely, death by bulalo!!!
We had our lunch at Jollibee Lipa which was in front of this great-looking mall called Big Ben (complete with a replica of the clock). My Chicago-raised niece and nephew Janelle and Justine had a blast eating in Jollibee for the first time. Their Americanized tastebuds considered it “awesome.”
This was our group picture taken just outside Robinson’s Mall in Lipa. Shown are my auntie Jinky, nieces, nephew and my three angels (To all our relatives in America….hellur 😛 !!!)
We were booked in this good hotel which had a nice pool, karaoke rooms and 24-hour internet. We stayed in a family room and the pastel walls were vedy nice, don’t you think?
Tomorrow: shooting the rapids in Pagsanjan:)
You’ve got a beautiful family, Ajay. Your son looks tired. 🙂
Yeah, Irene is right. He’s yawning. He’s so cute. The twins are adorable! Sana magka-twins din ako. May technique ba ‘yan?
nice pix and your kids look sooo cute!
the hotel room looks relaxing.
miss ko na ang bulalo…:D
Haaah, Ajay, when I was still in Las Pinas, we used to drive to Lipa just to eat bulalo.
Last time, I came home ,that was the first that I asked my friend that we could eat.
I can eat Filipino food here, dinuguan, pakbet, kare-kare but I have never been to a restaurant where they can cook bulalo like in Lipa and Tagaytay.
Hiii peeps… am back in the groove.
Subukan mong kumain ng kambal na saging Toe, hahaha. am the only one in our immediate family to have twins though my cousin has a pair also. It’s so hard carrying them when I was preggy and am just so glad they’re all-healthy and normal now;)
As for my son, he has low attention span unless it’s cable TV and video games:lol: he doesn’t even like to have his picture taken…
Cathy and Ghee , the best ang bulalo dun sa Lipa. It was made by an old family cook who must have known the secret to such good soup. I still have to try a good one in Tagaytay though..
i love the title of your entry, mare! brought me back to that time when my blood pressure shot up to 160/120 triggered by bulalo! but as you can see, i’m still alive. aaahhh yes. thank you, calcibloc. (switches to commercial ad mode) when i order bulalo or alimango, i always bring (pulls out calcibloc)…calcibloc. (cheesy jingle) for your blood pressure and stroke worries, order calcibloc. never eat out without it. (flashes smile)
oooooh, i loooooove bulalo! i think i can still get away with eating lots and lots of it. i think. but i’ll stock myself with that calcibloc, just in case.
hahaha, good plug Jerome.
Honestly, it’s my first time to hear about Calcibloc. It should also be good for my other indulgences – lechon, crispy pata and inihaw/piniritong limepo:lol:
Mmmmm bulalo. One of my favorites. Hanggang tagaytay lang ang naaabot ko though. Do you know of any good bulalo places there?
That hotel room looks so cute! What hotel is this?
tons, meron kaming kinakainan sa tagaytay. unfortunately, i don’t know the name of the restaurant nor the street name. basta, dun siya malapit sa may market na, malapit sa intersection.
sarap bulalo! i was just looking at a pack last sat nung namalengke kami kaya lng all buto as in tinalupan ng laman. need to buy beef pa para samahan yung bulalo. nakakapagsisi d ko binili nakita ko kac yan…. 🙂
Or if you are in the makati area, you can check out Kansi – an ilongo bulalo resto.
http://redsimba.blogspot.com/2008/01/from-iloilo-city-to-makati-city-patpats.html
Hi,
The hotel in Lipa city looks good!
We are planning to go to Lipa mid December, may I know the name of the hotel and where to find it?
Thanks
October 22, 2010
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