Five Food Stops From Calamba to Los Banos

Haven't been out much lately for food trip but here are some of the must try's once again which adds to my two other posts:

Foodtrip in UPLB
Foodtrip in UPLB 2

We go a bit further away from the campus to the next barangay and to the city of Calamba trying out different dishes some old and some new. Here's a short list of great sources of goodies we have visited so far (since the last post).

1. Casa Bulgogi (Korean Restaurant)

Location: Lopez Avenue, Los Banos. (walking distance from the UPLB gate beside Eat-sumo Teri House)
Korean food! Haven't tasted that for a while now. I really like their sweet, salty dishes which is why it was no surprise that I ordered their bulgogi  dish. Of course, a korean dish will not be complete without kimchi on the side. This restaurant opened only in August and we had a chance to eat during their opening promo period, meaning free iced tea and a complimentary korean hand-made cellphone accessory.

2. Satya Graha

Location: Siving Street , 1460 Lopez Street.

Still in Los Baños and also quite near the campus, this restaurant is not really easy to find. You have to take the road beside the Maquiling Elementary School and walk a bit inside until you reach a vacant lot. It is located at the left side of the dead-end road, opposite a carwash station. I, myself wasn't sure I took the right road until I saw a sign that says "Vegetarian."
True to their sign, they served vegetarian meat-looking dishes. Their famous vegchon was surprisingly tasty but their vegetarian barbecue was delicious. They were both very filling despite their non-meat content. This place is a perfect hide-away or a place for long, undisturbed conversations.

3. Anyummet

Location: Villa del Sol Compound, National Highway, Anos, Los Baños

In the next barangay from Batong Malake is the "Fried of Ilocos." Pronounced as "Anyamet" which is an Ilocano expression, this restaurant boasts of its authentic bagnet and longganisa. And they are not wrong. Their classic bagnet is cooked to crispy perfection. They also have a poqui-poqui (eggplant) version with bagnet and one of my fave dishes kare-kare bagnet. It is a few meters away from the Original Buko Pie pasalubong store. You can't miss it.. should I say, you MUST not miss it.

4.  Cakes by Kat

Location: 2nd Floor SM Calamba

This fourth one is not exactly a restaurant, it is a booth found on the 2nd floor but they sure have really good cakes.  I tried three kinds at once that I wasn't able to take a picture before digging in. I hijacked a photo from their Facebook account below. Their bestsellers are the cheesecakes but so far, I liked the black forest best. Plus, they also sell macaroons. (not the coconut ones in Goldilocks)

5. Christine's Baby Back Ribs

Also found in SM Calamba, they have really tasty baby back ribs not to mention affordable portions. For only P100, you can get a smaller portion of the baby back ribs although they also have a bigger portion at a higher price. The picture below is the smaller portion combo with apple pie.

Foodtrip in UPLB 2

The semester has just ended and finally got some time to write again. Here's another round of UPLB good eats in and out of the campus.

1. Dalcielo

Location: Beside Searca Dorm and Hotel inside UPLB Campus and in Lopez Avenue, beside Vanity Lounge, Los Banos

 In terms of flavor, Dalcielo has it spot on. Every food they serve have a distinct taste, all of them delicious! Their grilled fish was cooked to perfection with the right herbs especially with the vegetables. The crispy dinuguan was also very tasty, the first time I tasted dinuguan with chicharon. Binagoongang Liempo was amazing, tender and juicy covered with just the right amount of bagoong. The salmon had a bit of a tangy taste, but it was also very soft. It added a good mix to all of the salty viands we had. And don't ever leave without having dessert. Their pistachio sansrival is an instant favorite.  

2. Eat-sumo Terihaus

Location: Lopez Avenue, above Serendipitea.

Craving for some Japanese food, Eat-sumo has some to offer. I really like their salad mixture of cucumber, mango, apple and mayo. 

3. Faustina's (2)

I mentioned Faustina's in the first UPLB Foodtrip post, but I had to try some of their dishes again. And it didn't disappoint.

4. Cafe San Antonio

Location: Brgy. Maahas, Los Banos

It was one of the cafe's I have heard so much about. I wanted to try their famed coffee and unfortunately, it was too hot to get hot coffee so I tried their cold capuccino instead. I couldn't appreciate the coffee since I can taste better when hot without the ice. I still have lots to discover about their cuisine but their pasta wasn't so bad. 

5. University Cafeteria

Location: Beside UPLB Post office, behind the Phy-Sci building

It has a great location and they have everyday specials which they change everyday. I particularly like their salad dressing and their quesadillas are quite different. They even have adobo flavored quesadillas which I will have to try on my next visit.

6. Coffee Blends

Location: Lopez Avenue, Los Banos

This is a place to hangout at night since they open at 6pm and close at 12 midnight. They offer the usual hot and cold coffee and pasta too. They also have the cheapest cheesecake I have seen so far. 

That's only part two. There are new places to still discover and only less than a year to explore. :)

Foodtrip in UPLB

Now where to eat?
Restaurants and fastfood abound around UPLB. There is so many of them, you would not run out of choices. I've listed some places and food which I think are unique to Los Banos.

1. Mang Toto Chicken Bacolod Inasal

Location: Silangan Road (within UPLB campus, beside Landbank)
Who can resist grilled liempo and chicken thigh? They offer affordable meals ranging from Php45 to Php75. Its an open air seating area though but they have ceiling fans. Just pick a nice spot and a bit away from the grilling area. Unless you want to smell like grilled food. :)

2. Cafe La Bonne Vie

 (Update as of Sep 2015: replaced by Venice Italian Resto)

Location: Laguna Lopez Avenue, Brgy. Batong Malaki (walking distance from Centro Mall)
Very cozy place, perfect for a quiet reading or to taste their delicious pastries. I just love their apple walnut cupcake and their Fish Fillet with Sauteed Zucchini.

Update: March 24, 2015: I recently tried their Chicken Alexander. It came as a surprise (in a good way)as it was like Chicken a la King topped with mashed potato and cheese. Their baked blueberry cheese cake is a must try too.

Fish Fillet with Sauteed Zucchini

Chicken Alexander with free Raspberry Iced Tea

3. Cafe Maquiling

 (Update as of Sep 2015: replaced by Chelsea)

Location: Just across Cafe La Bonnie Vie
Good place for Karaoke. And they serve really good coffee. So far, this place tops my list of brewed coffee. Good ambiance for long conversations. It is located on the second floor so you get a street view and may get noisy on rush hour traffic.

	Cafe Maquiling's coffee tops my list

4. Bonitos

Location: Oregano St. cor Lopez Ave., Demarses Subd., (a few meters from UP gate)
Two words: Kalderetang Batangas! I just adore this one of their many specialties. There are still a lot to try in this restaurant.

Yum! Kaldereta!

5. Mer-Nel's cake

Location: Lopez Avenue, Batong Malaki (still walking distance from UP gate) and National Highway, Los Banos.
Los Banos will not be complete with this homegrown business which started from a small store and now has a three (or was it four?) storey building which has the bakery and the restaurant on the first floor. The upper floor are used to host wedding receptions and events. People line up to get a box of their sweet treat more so at their store in SM Calamba. I think their secret ingredient can be found in the frosting.

 

Mer-Nel's signature cake with sweet chocolate gooey frosting

6. Cocina (pronounced as Kusina)

Location: basement of SU Building, within UPLB campus
This is a regular hangout because of the proximity and coffee! The place is music-themed with an open stage for piano, guitar players and even singers. They even serve food and drinks in Minor or Major sizes. Love their pasta and their Honey barbecue chicken.

Music-themed cafe

7. Faustina's

Location: Ruby St, Los Baños, Laguna
Had a chance to dine here with a friend. I like their vegetable salad, pastries and pasta. I wasn't able to try everything of course but so far I liked everything I ordered here. Serving size is not for the ravenous though. After doing some googling on this place, I found out this is where the Boneless Lechon was served! Gosh, I saw this unique dish and how it was prepared in a show on TV previously not knowing I was only blocks away from it. It does not come cheap though because the minimum order is 5kg and worth Php2,800. Plus, you have to order 2 days before pick-up.

http://www.crispypataatkarekare.com/2013/11/28/faustinas-restaurant/

8. Herb Republic

Location: Lopez Avenue, Batong Malaki ( a bit further than Mer-Nel's cake)
Just as their name says, they do food with herbs. I was to order their rosemary chicken but it was not available then. So I ended up with garlic chicken which was very tasty. You can taste the herbs embedded in the tender chicken. Their mint watermelon was a real treat as well. They were pricey but was worth the money.
What I also liked about this place is they employ people with hearing disabilities. They have an instruction card with how to communicate with them thru sign language. See the pic below.

Communicate with sign language

Chicken with lots and lots of herbs

9. IRRI's Coffee Shop

Location: Near IRRI entrance beside the IRRI museum
I love their cheesecake, iced cappuccino and affogato. They even sell artisan chocolates. I tried one called the Dark Chocolate with Green Mango and Sea Salt. And it tasted just that... dark chocolate.. with green mango (bits)... and rock salt. Not sure if I liked that one thought but I did finish it.

Artisan Dark Chocolate

There are still a lot of places to visit and some I haven't had a chance to get a photo. So expect more food blogs to come. :)

Updated 9/20/2016:

PS
  Here's the other added blogs on food in los banos:
Foodtrip in UPLB 2Five Food Stops from Calamba to Los Banos