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!

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?!"

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!

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?

Remember when we're students and had the age old dilemma of how we're going to save money while…read moresatiating our rather humungous appetites? Well, Big Belly's was God's response to that. This place is every student's best friend when it comes to affordable grub whose quantity stays true to its name. With servings enough to fill even the little pets living within your tummy, this little restaurant is something to avoid if you're trying to cut down on your curves - most especially those in your core area. What to try? I'd personally prefer the Mongolian Superbowl, a concoction that may have made Genghis Kahn's long passed stomach to rumble again. Partner that with some chicken wings and their iced tea, and that may already last you the entire day. So, if you'd like to get a feel of how Allan Richmond's days were like back when he was hosting Man Versus Food, eating at Big Belly's will probably be the best way to simulate that.

If you're looking to dine in seclusion, Joe's is the perfect place for you. Hidden in an inner…read morestreet within the Umali subdivision in Los Baños and whose entrance is equally as hidden by an engulfment of trees and plants, Joe's will definitely give you the privacy you're looking for, granted that you'd be able to find it in the first place. But, looking for Joe's though is definitely worth it. Built like a rustic little café with a menu overflowing with mouthwatering Italian cuisine along with nice brews and char-grilled slabs of steaks, a night in Joe's will surely be a treat. And here's another nice addition to it, Joe's can only accommodate a handful of people at a time (at about 10 or less in my count). That said, a night out with your significant other in this rustic little gem will surely make your night special - and the food hasn't even been served just yet!

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.

There's no better way to verify a dish's authenticity but through its chef. And with Phuong, you're…read morein for a genuine treat, as its chef (and also its server and cashier and everything else in between) is a Vietnamese local herself. Run by a nice, old Vietnamese lady, this little restaurant offers some of the meanest bowls of Pho within and beyond Laguna. First trying it after a long, night jog around campus on a cool, breezy night, the steaming hot bowl of Pho that I got from Phuong made me smile the only way a grandkid does after tasting his grandma's cooking again. Not only affordable (at 140 pesos per bowl) Phuong is just as generous as well. The only catch though, since there's only a single soul to run everything, it's suggested to allot a bit of time when dining here. More often than not, preparations can take from 20-30 minutes. But hey, it's all worth it! Besides the assurance of it being fresh, the taste and flavors in it are in fact worth the wait!

There truly are a ton of hidden gems in Los Baños and Ning's Thai is among the ones that are truly…read moreworth looking for. A bit tricky to spot, the only way to find Ning's Thai is through spotting its sign right along the Grove. Don't be alarmed if what you see next is a tiny alley, since if you do, then you're in the right place. Just walk through it and at the end of that is (thankfully) some open space and a nice cozy house waiting for you - and that house is in fact Ning's Thai! Dining in this home-turned-into-diner offers a unique experience, mainly in the sense that it actually feels like you're a guest in their home. What to try? I highly suggest their Pad Thai and Pad Kra Kao, or maybe their Bagoong rice as well. But, be sure to get a ton of water though, since besides the heat of the food, the place in itself is stuffy!