Feasts, Events and Food Adventures


A Story of Friendship @ Isdaan Restaurant, Laguna (Part I)

     This was the first of the many get-togethers that we planned for Tirit, a high school classmate and one of my ‘besties’. She was on a school break teaching at the De La Salle University in Cancun, Mexico. Missing each other for such a long time, we gathered classmates from nearby towns for an early dinner at Isdaan, an Asian-Hollywood-Politics-inspired floating restaurant in Bay, Laguna. A family restaurant, Isdaan serves Filipino and other Asian dishes. Water is a constant where kiosks are constructed to add to the Asian theme. 

Friends-for-life outside Isdaan Restaurant, Bay, Laguna.
     We arrived before 4 pm on a weekday, so there were not too many guests at this time.  What happened to us was the usual chaos, cheery, and loud reunion, interspersed with updates about our life stories, past, present and future over loads of Filipino dishes. Over-all, it was a comforting mini-reunion, knowing that we will forever have each other as ex-classmates, now lifetime friends.   
Laughing at ourselves, we are instructing the waiter/photographer, to make sure that nobody looks bad (fat) in the photo.
 L-R: Junie, Tirit, Me, Linda, Mey and Jo Ann.
     First, we decided to bring Tirit around for her to inspect the area and take some pictures, while our two birthday celebrants, Junie and Linda, ordered for us.  
Move over, Mrs. Obama, Tirit (L) is claiming the President for herself, 
while I (R) am, demurely standing beside Mrs. O.
L-R: Jo Ann, Tirit, and Mey giving the dragons stiff competition.
     
Playing (L) and praying (R) with the Mermaids.

L: Gorilla in the background; R: View from the bridge where the gorilla is.


Blending in with the natives.
Guests enjoying the free boat ride.
Tired and stressed? Throw some plates and release the tension at Tacsiyapo.
     There were still many things to see, giant turtles and elephants, budhas of all colors and sizes, Batman, Mickey mouse, and many more. But it was getting late and we were getting hungry so we decided enough of goofing around; time for serious eating.


A Story of Friendship @ Isdaan Restaurant, Laguna (Part II)

     The Food. Since we were also celebrating two birthdays, we ordered pancit (noodles) for longer life: Pancit Isdaan (₱205.70) and Pancit Canton (₱205.70). The latter was supposed to be Canton con Lechon but I did not find the lechon so I renamed it as plain Pancit Canton.
L: Pancit Isdaan; R: Pancit Canton. 

     We also ordered Talagang Special Bibingka (₱116.60). This was expensive for a small portion. However, it was so soft, tasty and smoky. This tasted much better than the ordinary rice cakes around that you would forget the price at first bite. Make sure that you eat it while warm.
Talagang Special Bibingka. 

     Next, we ordered Chicken Lechon Tinupig (₱498). This is one of my favorite grilled dishes in Isdaan, not only because chicken is my comfort food, but because the chicken is tender, cooked evenly and the smoky flavor is not very strong. The marinade is not salty but just right. It comes with Mang Tomas, a sweet and spicy lechon dip that is commercially available in the market.
Chicken Lechon Tinupig.
     Next came Lumpia with Siling Haba (long, green chili). I was expecting this to be ‘hot’ but it was not. Besides, I think the filling was fish; I was expecting cheese and siling haba. So I was a bit disappointed with this lumpia. 
Lumpia with Siling Haba.

     We also ordered Ginataang Hipon Sipitsipitan sa Buho (₱334). We were quite intriqued about how this dish tasted. I discovered that it did not taste any different from the ordinary way of cooking shrimp with coconut milk. Maybe, this was not the easy way of cooking this (with bamboo) that made this expensive. 
Ginataang Hipon Sipitsipitan sa Buho.

     To assuage our guilt from eating too much fatty, salty and richly-flavored foods, we ordered Assorted Steamed Vegetables with Bagoong Balayan ( ₱234). This was best eaten with salted fish sauce, a traditional way of eating plainly cooked vegetables. But the salt in our menu was enriched more by this dish, and our guilty feelings stayed.
Assorted Steamed Vegetables with Bagoong Balayan. 

     Another dish that we ordered was Bankang Sisig (₱599). This was composed of pork and fish fried and cooked in hot plates placed on top of a wooden small boat. This was also a favorite of mine. Sisig is a an original Filipino dish concocted in Pampanga, a province in Northern Luzon.
Bankang Sisig being prepared by the staff.

     For our drinks, Tirit requested Buko Juice (coconut juice @ ₱204/pitcher). They came in transparent pitchers with fruit rinds and calachuchi flowers as decors. They were so refreshing because it was very humid and hot during that time. It was very nutritious, too.
Buko Juice.

     We also ordered Bagong Saing sa  Kaldero (₱105). This boiled rice was for sharing for two people. We ate to our hearts’ content. But we discovered that the dishes that we ordered were too much for us. Good thing because we asked the staff for plastic bags for ‘take-out’. 

The birthday and welcome feast with Bagong Saing sa  Kaldero.

     One feature of Isdaan Restaurant is to be serenaded with your favorite songs. Tirit dared the singers to sing a Spanish song. She was not disappointed. The singers sang ‘Besame Mucho’ which prompted Tirit to give them their ‘tip’.
Being serenaded with ‘Besame Mucho’.


     We spent more than ₱4,000 for our meal. But the price was little compared to the good food, laughter, stories, sights, and sounds that we shared. This was once again a testimony to our ever growing bond that only becomes stronger through the years. Tirit went back to Mexico, but we hope that we could see each other again for more bonding moments made more special by our love for Filipino food.
   
Enjoying Our Reunion Lunch @ Gerry’s Grill Tagaytay


     Our high school class had a reunion last January in Caliraya, Laguna. However, one classmate, Sonny, a ship captain was not able to make it on time. He came home hoping to be able to bond with us. The natural order of things was for him to sponsor a mini-reunion for Section Narra, Batch 1977, Pedro Guevarra Memorial High School (PGMHS). The venue was Tagaytay City, Cavite. It turned out to be an occasion filled with free t-shirt, tons of laughter, reminisces of high school pranks, and feasts on foods and natural scenic treasures.

PGMHS Narra’77 class outside Gerry’s Grill, Tagaytay.

     Having come from Paseo de Sta. Rosa to have snacks at Big 30 Pizza and Pasta restaurant, the group once again looked for a place to have lunch in Tagaytay. After all, due to terrible traffic, it took us about 1 ½ hours from Sta.Rosa to Tagaytay. We first tried Josephine’s but we were asked to wait as the queue was long and the place was full. We went looking for other restaurants. Luckily, Gerry’s Grill was not packed so we decided to eat there.
While waiting for our order to arrive, we took time to pose for a group photo
inside Gerry’s Grill, Tagaytay.
     Our orders. In no time at all, around 15 minutes, our orders arrived. This was quick compared to Big 30 Pizza and Pasta where we waited for more than 45 minutes. For starters, we had Chicharon (fried pork skin) priced at ₱245 and Crispy Pata (fried pig trotters or knuckles) at ₱485. These are Filipino favorites as they are crispy and crunchy with just the right amount of salt and seasonings. They are best dipped in vinegar or soy sauce and chili. 

L: Crunchy Chicharon; R: Crispy Pata.
     For our main meal, we ordered their Grilled Combo # 1 (₱1,300). This included Inihaw na Pusit (Grilled Squid), Pork Barbecue (8 pcs value sticks), Inihaw na Manok (Grilled Chicken), Chopsuey (Sautéed Mixed Vegetables), Plain Rice (1 platter) and 1 pitcher of Iced Tea.  The meats were tender and the vegetables were cooked just right, fresh and crispy and not very soft. The grilled foods are always best dipped in soy sauce with burning hot chili. 
   Grilled Combo # 1. Grilled Squid, Grilled Chicken and Chopsuey (some are not in the picture).
     We also ordered Sizzling Combo #2 (₱1,200). This included Sinigang na Baboy (Pork in Sour Soup), Pork Sisig (fried and chopped pig’s face),  Sizzling Bangus (Milk Fish) a la Pobre, Sizzling Garlic Mushroom Chicken, Plain Rice (1 platter) and 1 pitcher of Iced Tea. These are also Filipino favorites, very satisfying, but some are very high in fats and cholesterol like sisig and sinigang. 
Sizzling Combo #2. Sinigang na Baboy and Pork Sisig
 (some are not in the picture).
     Not long after, we went headlong into enjoying every morsel and later posing for photos when satiated. However, when we asked for our bill, it took them so long. We became impatient because, since we were in Tagaytay, we wanted to go to other popular places. The bill finally arrived (after 30 minutes) and off we went outside for a view of Taal Volcano. 
L: Classmates busy partaking of the feast; R: Mydas and kids smiling at the camera 
after finishing off their plates.
     Just outside Gerry’s Grill was a great view of Taal Volcano, the second most active volcano (next to Mount Mayon) in the Philippines. After the heavy meal, we went out to drink in the view of the pride of Batangas and took time to pose for souvenir photos.
Taal Volcano, a volcano inside Taal Lake.

Narra’77 with Taal Volcano on the background (not seen). 
     There were more places to explore in Tagaytay so we left this breathtaking scenery. Gerry’s Grill is found at the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Road, Tagaytay City, Cavite with telephone numbers (046) 483-5265, open from 11am to 12mn.

 Celebrating My Birthday @ Irish Lloyd’s Bistro: Here’s How

     I love birthdays! Specially, if there are people that I am able to celebrate the special day with. This year, my ex-high school classmate, now a ship captain, Sonny Pagtananan called me to discuss our reunion. He just arrived from a ‘tour-of-duty’ around the world, so he wanted to treat our high school classmates, section Narra, Batch ‘77 from Pedro Guevarra Memorial High School (PGMHS) to a mini-reunion. He set the date for a small meeting to plan for the mini-reunion. It happened to be on my birthday. So I cancelled my previous plan to celebrate with family to accommodate my classmates.

Birthday-cum-meeting with high school classmates, Narra, PGMHS Class’77.
L-R: Sonny, Ariel, Mey, Me and Arnel.

     There were five of us who made it to the meeting, Sonny, Ariel, Mey, Arnel and me. Surprisingly, they did not know that it was my birthday (or maybe they were just fooling me). Once I volunteered the information that it was my birthday, Sonny felt guilty and immediately shifted to celebration mode. We looked for a place to buy me a cake and picked a good place to have dinner. Arnel recommended their neighbor’s Ivy Classy Cake House. Sonny bought whatever was available but the place was too small for our big, large voices.  So, we ended up at Irish Lloyd’s Bistro in Pagsawitan, Sta. Cruz, Laguna because it was the most convenient at that late hour. We knew that it was going to be a ‘loud’ meeting so we opted to rent their videoke room, not to sing, but to seriously plan and celebrate.

What we ordered:
     For starters, we ordered two servings of fresh garden (vegetable) salads with two types of dressings: Caesar’s and vignarette. This was meant to cleanse our ‘ageing’ system from cholesterol and triglyceride that our age group is prone to. 
Caesar’s Salad and Garden Vegetable Salad with Vignarette.


     For our main dish, we ordered baby back rib barbecue because it was highly recommended by Arnel’s brother who was once a customer. It was a very good recommendation: the meat was tender and almost separated from the bone and the sauce had just the right mix of sweet, salty and tangy. It was very filling, specially, for carnivores. We thought that this was lean meat so we tossed our senior citizen diet to the wind!  
    Baby Back Rib Barbecue.


     We celebrated in style with the house wine. There was a lot of fun and laughter, usual for gatherings among us, even with normal alcohol levels. “Cheers to the birthday celebrant!”
Cheers to the birthday celebrant!


     I suggest coming to Irish Lloyd’s Bistro if it’s your birthday because they will gift you with a birthday ice cream with a caramelized greeting.
Ice cream topped with birthday candle.


     I had a good harvest of cakes and ice cream to celebrate my birthday (below); a good reason for diabetics to indulge on these sugar-filled desserts.
L-R: Different cake flavors bought at Ivy’s Cake House; Me, having fun with the dessert.


     It was a decidedly good birthday celebration where everybody gamely made my special day memorable. If you are in town, make your special day more memorable with good food and a comfortable place like Irish Lloyd’s Bistro. This old house converted into a restaurant offers special promos to make your eating adventure more special. They serve a variety of appetizers, rice meals, and pastas. This is found along the highway at P. Guevarra Extension, Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

Blowing my birthday candle.


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