BALINSASAYAW -- a foodie haven at Silang, Cavite

The author, biyahera, with her college girlfriends(just before gorging their lunch)

Ang Muling Pagkikita--Where to Eat?

That morning my college girlfriends (blocmates) decided to meet for lunch, we came to the inevitable part when we are stumped with the question of where to dine. All we know is that we'd like to have it in Tagaytay, or somewhere near Tagaytay, so that there is still that feel of being in a weekend get-away. We haven't seen each other for a long time and we all seem to deserve the long afternoon break. Eden--our pretty and exceptional driver--was the first to suggest BALINSASAYAW, as per the recommendation of her "friend" :).


Balinsasayaw @ Silang, Cavite (pls. click pictures for larger view)

"Di ba sa Palawan yan?" was our instant reaction. Little did we know (or perhaps I know very little about Cavite hehe) that there really is a Balinsasayaw in Silang, Cavite situated just along the roadside of the national highway. Hence, we, five excited but also increasingly hungry girls, headed to Silang, Cavite in search of our target food trip location.


Let our forces combine...the girls, now all dolled up, are direction savvy in finding the place


One good thing about Cavite (particularly areas near Tagaytay) is that there is a wide choice of food-trip destinations for foodies eager to try new gastronomic experiences or to enjoy old-time favorites--or both! For many busy people in the Metro (my girlfriends, for instance), Cavite is also a wonderful escape for a quick weekend interlude--away from the busyness of the city, the congestion, the noise and heat of traffic and of course, away from the ubiquitous presence of workplace stressors, unless na lang the boss and clients are still constantly texting, di ba Eds? ;D

Ms.E, who's been so generous with her time and effort to drive us around :)

Besides the easy, relaxed ambiance that starkly contrasts the hectic bustle of Manila, the place also boasts of a cooler climate and of course, a view of the one-of-a-kind Taal Volcano during the drive on the way. It is only more or less an hour's drive away from the city depending of course on the driver's familiarity with the place. Our Eden is quite of a speed driver, although a careful one hehe...

Travel and Arrival

We didn't know where Balinsasayaw is; we didn't even know that it's in Silang. All the while we thought it's in Tagaytay, so we had to search for the place barehanded using only our women's intuition. Ehem, well the truth is, Kres and Eds tapped their boyfriends for instructions. I don't have that, so I just kept my mouth shut hehe. After several turns and U-turns we finally found Balinsasayaw (it was Reo who saw the signage), tucked quietly at one of the corners of Silang, Cavite. Hurray! Hungry as we were, we powdered first and retouched our lipstick/lipgloss before bravely meeting the world where the possibility of meeting cuties abound :)



Bukod sa masarap ang pagkain, maganda at mapresko pa dito...

The simple entrance of Balinsasayaw conceals the large area and the beautiful landscaping of the place. Our first step: search for a cozy kubo, one that is not too small nor too large for the five of us where we can have our bwelong girly-girly talks and walanghumpay na picture-an. Just like the Balinsasayaw in Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan, this one in Cavite is also comprised of individual bahay kubos (hut made from native materials and nipa or anahaw roofing).

Balinsasayaw, Puerte Prinsesa way back in '07

What is good in the latter, however, is that the kubos have screen doors and windows covered in screen to keep pesky mosquitoes and flies from ruining the guests' dining experience, and of course, for sanitation and health purposes, too.


Getting comfy at "our" bahay-kubo

The doors have screens...posing muna si Ms.G

On the way to our bahay-kubo

Our second step is to have our pictures taken of course! :) Anyways, picture-taking aside, we scoured the menu for our orders and in no time, came to agree on our final choice of Platter 2 (PHP 1495.00) and Patatim (PHP300+).

Platter No. 2 -- Perfect for our hearty appetite

Platter 2 is good for six persons and is composed of the following: cream of mushroom soup, ensaladang talong, grilled squid, chicken bbq, garlic shrimp, grilled tuna belly, 6 scoops of plain rice and a plate of mixed fruits.


Now there's chicken, squid, tuna belly, shrimps and eggplant

Patatim!

Needless to say, the platter was more than enough for us five of us. We indulged our appetites and dived in with gusto! The grilled sea foods and meat were tasty, especially when dipped in toyo-mansi-sili sawsawan. Also, the patatim was so delectable. I was literally speechless, choosing instead to simply enjoy the crunchy pata (pig's legs) covered generously in delicious sauce. The patatim's sauce tasted like that of chopseuy, only more delicious, and there are also chopseuy vegetables in it. Foods are served hot and with accompanying condiments of calamansi, soy sauce and siling labuyo, among others.


At least nagawa pang magpapicture bago kumain hehe



Ms.E,Ms.K,Ms.R & Ms.G, with their yummy drinks

Reo and Grace ordered the same special drink, the name of which I forgot but it's so delicious as it has icecream in it...I ordered some kind of a frizzy/flavored soda drink, the taste was just OK. Whereas Kresta and Eden--two like-minded people even in their choice of drinks--ordered sago-gulaman. The drinks cost around PHP65 to PHP80+ each.

Busog Na. Now What? Picture Naman.
After our scrumptious meal during which our stomachs were filled to their brim, we decided to enjoy the view some more and take pictures.This is what happens when each of us brings her own camera! :)



Ms. R (top) and Ms. G, striking a pose! Did I already say that we're picture addicts? :)


Eto pa...

Eto pa...

At ayan pa! So you believe me now? :)

I guess one flaw, albeit a minor one, of Balinsasayaw is its rather rudimentary toilette. Maybe it's for added "native" effect, but at least there should be a decent flush. Service by the personnel/staff was just average. This is quite understandable, I guess, because it kinda takes time to catch a waiter's attention since waiters are outside the kubo while guests are inside. At least waiters are willing to indulge the request of guests to have their pictures taken several times :)

Anyways, just before we left, we decided to check out some of the items at the souvenir shop near the exit. Eds ended up buying a bracelet, which she proudly flaunted in all her succeeding pictures hehe...And before we left, our minds were also pretty much made up that our next stop will be at the Bag of Beans for a taste of marvelous coffee! :) So please check out my next post.