THE HUNT FOR FOOD AND ANCESTRAL HOUSES AT BALAYAN, BATANGAS
Lechon is a given while in Balayan, Batangas. However, a day after the Parada ng Lechon Festival, nothing has been left for public consumption. And so we made our own heritage and food trip via a chartered tricycle (at PhP150.00).
Honestly,
I had no insights of what Balayan, Batangas has to offer. And that, only then through this trip did I
realize that this heritage town unknown to many has a lot of secrets that needs
to be divulged.
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| IMMACULATE CONCEPTION PARISH CHURCH |
The
oldest chapel in Asia is in Balayan, Batangas.
In the early years, the town is said to be the cradle of Christianity
and the seat of civilization in the region.
Balayan was the first municipality in Southern Tagalog and the first
province in Southern Luzon. It has
become a Philippine province for 151 years (1581-1732).
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| THE CHURCH INTERIORS' |
The
Immaculate Conception Parish Church is one testament of cultural heritage. It sits in the town center and served as our
focal point in discovering the town. The
church is listed as a National Cultural Treasure as well since its construction
was supervised by Filipino seculars during the Spanish Colonial Period.
THE ANCESTRAL HOUSES
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| THE ANCESTRAL HOUSE OF LEO MARTINEZ |
As
we walked from the church towards the town’s rotunda, noticeable is the fact that commerce and religion combined
flourish. Banks, fast food chains in the
likes of McDonalds, Jollibee, convenience
stores and peddlers of varied merchandise is the imposing scenery. In a few distance from rotunda is the Balayan
Presidencia or the House of the President in the Spanish era, now known as
the Municipal Hall. Readings say that it
was in the year 1744 when the first house of tribunal (Casa Real) was
constructed in the exact location of the Municipal Hall. There was an ongoing construction when we
visited the municipal hall, thus, the façade won’t look much appealing.
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| ROTUNDA |
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| BALAYAN PRESIDENCIA WITH ONGOING CONSTRUCTION |
Across
the Balayan Presidencia is the Casa
Cacao Balayan also known as the Mariano Martinez Ancestral House. The
house painted in white sits at the corner and is owned by an affluent family
who succeeded in the cacao business.
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| MARIANO MARTINEZ ANCESTRAL HOUSE |
While
at the back ride of a tricycle, I took a few snap shots of the ancestral houses
aligned in the town of Balayan. One
house that would never fail to get the attention of every passerby is owned by
a clan of the Martinez. Commercial
spaces surround the said house with dangling electric wires yet the charm still
exudes.
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| ANOTHER MARTINEZ ANCESTRAL HOUSE AT THE TOWN CENTER |
It
seems that most of the functional and well-preserved ancestral houses in
Balayan, Batangas are from the Martinez clan.
One of the known ancestral houses is in fact owned by a Philippine actor
and now a politician, Leo Martinez.
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| THE RELAXING VIBE OF LEO MARTINEZ' ANCESTRAL HOUSE |
Across
the house of Leo Martinez is owned by the Solis clan, manned by a caretaker. It
is one of my favorite ancestral houses of Balayan. The canopy of trees that surround the
ancestral house emits a rejuvenating vibe that I can imagine myself peeking
through the windows of the second floor as I breathe fresh air.
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| SOLIS ANCESTRAL HOUSE |
In a
walking distance from the said houses is the famed Lopez mansion. Known as the La Casa Grande, this is one
ancestral house that marks every visitors’ list of what to see in Balayan. Adjoining the ancestral house of the Lopez
family is their rice and sugar fields.
Architecturally, it resembles a typical “Bahay na Bato” where the lower
ground floors’ exterior walls is made of adobe stone.
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| THE WINDOWS THROUGH TIME OF LA CASA GRANDE |
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| LOPEZ' ANCESTRAL HOUSE |
Most
of the ancestral houses have been abandoned by their owners as they migrate to
other places. Some of these houses have
been converted into commercial establishments and one in the form of an Italian
restaurant, the Chez Deo Ristorante Italiano.
There
were no ample streetlights as we locate Chez
Deo restaurant for our dinner.
Fortunately, with the less complicated road networks of Balayan,
Batangas, it is easy to locate one destination from another.
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| FOUR CHEESE ANYONE? |
Pizza
and pasta are default orders when in an Italian restaurant. The group shared over one of its bestseller
pizzas’- the four-cheese Quatro Formaggi decked with
parmesan, gorgonzola, mozzarella,
formaggio cremoso and the prosciutto Parma with mixed Italian cuts and
Parmesan cheese. I personally had
lasagna while my friends had pasta Arabiata
and the olive-oil based Cozze e Gamberoni with mussels and
prawns, garlic and white wine sauce.
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| MY DINNER - LASAGNA |
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| COZZE E GAMBERONI |
All
menu items are cooked and prepared daily to guarantee freshness. Service is excellent as well. They have an ongoing promo at that time where
if guests reach a particular amount for the bill, a free shirt shall be given. We did not reach the minimum but fortunately,
a shirt was given to us.
Before
we leave Balayan, Batangas, we were actually looking for lechon. But most of the
shops serving lechon were
closed. Our tricycle driver highly
recommended that we try Rebekah’s Lechon, claiming to serve the best lechon in Balayan, Batangas. Unfortunately, the shop was still closed for
business. Where did all the lechon go?
Across
Rebekah’s is the Agot’s Bar and
Restaurant. We settled at the said
restaurant for lunch and feast on Filipino favorites. Our dining table was graced by crispy pata and chopsuey. The crispy pata experience is even more
enhanced by its dipping sauce. But at
this restaurant, even without the need of the sauce, the crispy skin and
succulent meat suffices.
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| CRISPY PATA |
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| ONE OF THE FEW VEGETABLE DISH I EAT - CHOPSUEY |
Blueberry
cheesecake is aggressively marketed with signage all over the cozy restaurant. It comes with a very cheap price that we were
left with no recourse but to try the same.
I seldom eat cheesecakes as it tastes sour for me. But with the restaurant’s version, it has a level of sweetness that my palate can accept and I can’t even taste the sourness of the dessert. The leche
flan is also a must-try.
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| CREAMY LECHE FLAN |
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| BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE |
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| FOOD AND TRAVEL BUDDIES IN BALAYAN |
CHEZ DEO RISTORANTE ITALIANO
Fe
Street, Brgy. 12, 4213 Balayan, Batangas City
Contact:
(043) 211-6868
REBEKAH’S LECHON
Palikpikan
Street, Balayan, Batangas
Mobile:
09163571439
AGOT’S BAR AND RESTAURANT
168 Palikpikan
Street corner Paz St., Balayan, Batangas
Contact:
(043) 211-4306
Mobile:
0917-5058692 or 0917-8622096
Email:
info@agotscatering.com
1 comments
Oooh! We'll be visiting Batangas first week of September! We'll check out those ancestral homes. And looking at pictures of the food is making our stomachs grumble.
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