3.5 stars: Off the beaten path in Los Banos you'll find this hidden gem. It's quite the drive but…read moreif you happen to be in the area, I'd give this place a go. The service is quite typical of the local scene, friendly, but somewhat inattentive. I'm not saying the service was bad, I'm just saying it's typical as most places you go, servers don't tend to stop by and check on you once the food has been served. First off, I noticed the prices were extremely reasonable. I imagine the same meal in Makati or BGC costing double or triple. For starters: the salad was quite good it was crisp, and mixed with other greens. The Parmesan on top was pleasant, a bit of a Caesar salad feel going on, although it was cheese from a shaker rather than grated, it was certainly manageable. The edible flowers were an awesome aesthetic touch! There's just something classy about having edible flowers on a plate of greens. The Sirloin Steak was also good, not extremely tender, but it wasn't dry or tough, I would say around average to above average as far as tenderness goes... Spices were on point, so the meat had a good flavor. I don't like sauces on my steaks so I opted to ask for it on the side. The sauce was a tangy sweet A1-ish type 'gravy' it was decent if you're in to that, but again, I'm not big on sauces when it comes to steaks. Overall, well balanced and we enjoyed it. Lamb Shoulder: The dish was very tendonous, not a whole lot of meat. I believe I may have read the menu wrong, I was expecting a lamb shank or maybe lamb chops, that's on me... my bad... my bad. Otherwise still, the meat was tasty and seasoned with herbs, and the best part, not overly gamey... That's the drawback on lamb for me on most occasions, it's usually really gamey. We did enjoy this as well. Besides the fact it was mostly tendon and not a whole lot of meat, it was still quite tasty. The fruit pavlova was pretty awesome!! I'm no expert when it comes to pavlova, but I can say this... It looked like it was going to stick to my teeth when i started in to it... But it was great! It kind of melted in your mouth as you ate it and though the texture might make you think otherwise... it didn't get stuck in my teeth!! The texture was perfect for me, I would imagine this is what a pavlova would have to taste like. It was layered and packed with sweet mangos throughout and dressed with kiwi and mango balls on top and despite all this fruit and cream... not crazy sweet... SUPER DUPER! Loved it. The portion sizes are quite large, I imagine 2 people could certainly share a dish. I do believe the temperature of the food should be hotter as well because the AC is kickin' in there and it sucks to have stuff just start solidifying on the plate as you're going through it... kinda makes it hard at the end when you have those last couple bites. Overall, I'll be back, looking forward to sitting at a table with less cold air blowing on my plate :) Stay Hungry my Friends! a La Cuisine!

One of my favorite restaurants in Los Baños. Faustina's is a charming restaurant just a few bunny…read morehops away from Raymundo Gate. It's small-ish and feels intimate, which is ideal for romantic dates and heart-to-hearts (and for people like me who would rather take a book out for a lunch date). You know that Gossip Girl quote "Always have, always will."? Well, that's exactly how I feel about Faustina's Silindro Ribs. I love it, I always have and I always will. It's char-grilled big-ass prime pork rib lathered with their special barbecue sauce-- hhnngg. If you're trying to eat healthy though, try their Fish of the Day. It's so good, you'll forget about the Murakami book you're reading!

Filipino plant based dishes, they did an awesome job making these dishes vegan. Highly recommend…read morethem!

Satya Graha is basically a vegetarian (or is it vegan? I never really cared enough to learn the…read moredifference) resto that serves organic, GMO-free, gluten-free international cuisine. Sorry to make you cringe, carnivores! It appears that Satya Graha's owners have made it their mission to feed only the healthiest stuff to their patrons and I like them for that. Honestly though, I thought it'd be awful and I couldn't wait to hate it, stomp my cloven hooves, and head to the nearest burger place. Imagine my surprise when I tasted their VegChon Kawali! I never knew veggie meat can taste that good! Of course, when the foodgasm abated, my brain promptly reminded me, "It's not really pork meat. Don't get attached." But hey, it's nice to deceive my taste buds every once in a while! Oh, and did I mention the place is chock-full of plants? It's like Eden, sans the snake! Cool, huh?

I don't understand why they're priced extremely high when the quality and quantity of their food…read moredoesn't match their price tag. I got a mango slushie for 150 and it tasted nothing but mango concentrate diluted in cold water. I could've bought a bottle of concentrate and I'd have several glasses of their so-called slushie. My youngest son got the Mac n Cheese and it doesn't taste nor does it look like one! It should've been named Mac n Tomato Sauce!! And the mac is barely al dente. My other kiddo got the chicken tenders and it seemed to be a hit for him. But for 3 pieces I could probably eat a full adult meal for it. Upon checkout at SEARCA Hotel, the front desk lady gave me a piece of paper for some sort of evaluation and Dalcielo is on there. I've given every other criteria a sweet rating but didn't realize Dalcielo is part of SEARCA. It's about the only one that got a poor rating from me. If this restaurant is part of SEARCA, they need to seriously think about how to improve the quality of their food to meet up with their price tag!

Being a UP student is not a walk in the park and more often than not, you'll find yourself chewing…read moreyour fingernails or pulling out your sexy-messy hair because of stress. I know I did during a six-hour physics exam not too long ago! Thankfully, a few bunny hops away from the campus is the Spanish-Italian restaurant Dal Cielo. Loosely translated, Dalcielo means heaven-sent. I guess this is why their desserts, especially the cream puffs, are divine! I swear, after stuffing my face with their tiramisu and uber-creamy sansrival, I was like, "Schrodinger who?!"

Kamayan sa Palaisdaan is one of my favorite restaurants in Lucban. My cousin and his family brought…read moreme here to try their Sinugnok na Isda, Pancit Lucban, Sizzling Sisig, Sinigang na Baboy, and Ensaladang Paku. Everything was delicious, especially the Sinugnok na Isda which was my favorite. The staff were friendly, and the ambiance was beautiful. I really enjoyed eating in the bahay kubo by the water. I will definitely come back here again.

Food is not tasty especially the Bulalo. No taste at all. They put garlic and no trace of unions…read more The grilled eggplant has no mixture just plain charcoal grilled. I dont recommend to tourists.

What an amazing spot!!! No notes whatsoever…read more My family', 13 total, spent 3 days in San Pablo City being pampered by my cousin who settled here after marrying into a family based in the city. Our stay concluded here with a lunch for our two families totaling 23 people. Our 12pm reservation was upstairs. We ended up taking over the whole space overlooking the view downstairs. My cousin Diana basically took care of everything. She ordered for all of us with exception of the teenagers who wanted to eat fried foods. Based on what came my way, the highlights were: Bistek tagalog - it left me wanting more rice Puso ng saging - hands down everyone's favorite. So much so we ordered one to go to bring to our family in Manila. We're from Bicol and have this dish regularly when we're there so finding it here after we had just left Bicol certainly was no coincidence Halo halo - best one I had. PERIODT We only ordered one which the kids ended up hogging to themselves since it was that good Turon - fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiire The kids had fish & chips which I was told was good. The ambience here is it. You're transported in time as soon as you walk in. It reminded me of places in Vigan. Even the decor had us staring. My sister wanted to buy one of the paintings, but we were told they weren't for sale. It rained for a few minutes shortly before we left. The garden area looked so breathtaking as it got poured on by so much water. We left full and thankful. The drive back to Manila was so chill. Most of us were knocked out from the best food coma. If you're in the area, this place is a must.

The food is delicious and ambiance is beautiful but the best part is the SERVICE! Wonderful servers!read more

This place is the best place to go if you are visiting Father Pio Shrine for over night and diner…read more Food is great and have a best ambience for families and friends.

A good place for get together with old friends. Good food like home, warm owners and excellent…read moreplace. They also have rooms for tourists who might be planning to go to Padre Pio in San Pedro, Sto Tomas Batangas. Please come and visit the place, but make sure to call the owner first as the restaurant is by reservation only except for breakfast.

Parking is a bit tricky. Since the restaurant front has very limited slanted slots, we drove…read morefurther down the road and took a few turns, parking while minding the one-side-only parking rule. Getting a table was easy and the branch was pretty packed passed 12 noon. Later on, most of the customers were seated at one side of the restaurant including us. Penne with Smoked Bangus & Truffle Oil was the most interesting of our orders for its uncommon pasta flavor. It smelled as good as it tasted and the truffle was fairly strong while the noodles were soft. Ripe Mango Shake was typically delicious but we had to follow-up on this after realizing a different table received theirs first. The same thing happened to our All Meat Pizza; after seeing them serve our neighboring table first, we knew we had to wait a second long wait again. A server apologized to us and asked us if we were willing to wait for a new one. Good thing we had more things to talk about while waiting. All Meat Pizza had a decently crunchy crust and the meats were just ham and ground beef that tasted like bolognese. Two-Meat Pizza would've been a less misleading and more satisfying name. The cheese was legit, though; that I can say with a smile. :) The reviews brought us to Bonitos and we can still head back since the servers were still apologetic and friendly. It was nice to have different food for a change.

Our first night in UPLB after leaving my Alma Mater in 2007 and my oh my, the developments are…read moreimpressive! Including this restaurant. Last I remember is that this area was just filled with weeds! We saw a lot of people inside so we decided to check it out. Menus as on their iPads (pretty impressive as well). Placing the order was a breeze and the food came fairly quick. The quality of their food is very good. And the quantity is pretty hefty (I'm surprised!). I will sure be coming back to check them out again when we get the chance to visit UPLB again. Hopefully, they'll stick around for a good many more years!

Fancy a dinner in the garden? This is exactly what Tresto offers, but with a bit of a twist. Take…read morethis, imagine a nice, cozy garden with stone paths and those dimly lit garden lights .... Then add in bass pumping music perfect for raves. A clash of opposing characteristics that so happened to have worked rather well! In line with that, the food is also an odd fusion that worked out quite well. On one hand, you have gastronomic offerings perfect for a night of drinking, and on the other, you have quirky concoctions which 5 year olds would be crying over! So, whether it's cheap beer you're looking for along with a good plate of sizzling sisig or fries, or it's a nice tall cold glass of Chocnut shake, Tresto will definitely be the place for you! The basic trick is timing though. Want a relaxing meal? Then come by the afternoons. But if you're looking to swallow a pint or two with some heartpumping beats to go with it? Then it's a night out in Tresto it is!

What I formerly, and have believed to be called as Bat Cave for over 4 years, Vat Cave is an…read moreinstitution in the dining scene of Los Baños. Established since way back when, Vat Cave is actually an old 2 storey home converted into a diner. Its popularity traversing through time, no Elbi student would've gone through their college years without having to eat in this little, can-do, diner. Vat Cave serves nothing but homecooked meals which would actually change everyday. But, what surely doesn't change though (and there's a good reason as to why) is their staple Lechong Kawali. These deep fried slabs of pure pork are in fact chopped right in front of you as you fall in line. With each heavy thud of the cleaver, I'd bet your mouth would be dripping along with it. Accompany this with Mang Tomas, every deep fried dish's partner in crime. Also, better run straight up stairs after you order - which is actually where the air conditioning is at - and savor every scrumptious bite of Vat Cave's lechon, and slowly discover why it has survived the test of time.

Mernel's Bakeshop has officially become one of our top-of-the-list stopovers whenever we would…read morevisit Los Baños for other notable things like Milka Krem's Chocolate Milk at UPLB. The cake is perfectly sweet, good with black coffee in my opinion, and the icing is the best so share those cake corners! I also noticed the cake is best when it's super cold, and the icing just gets better even when days go by.

This is my favorite cake shop! My family buys me a birthday cake every year since I've had this…read moresince my 1st birthday. I also buy this for their birthday if I had the budget to buy. The taste of the chocolate icing and chocolate-flavored cake is just amazing! I don't think I've had a taste of a cake that is better than Mer-Nel's!