LONG RIDES ARE MEANT to prepare you for a much-awaited destination. So a companion and I were all psyched up when we boarded an FX (fare: P45) at Edsa Central on a weekend. The destination: Balaw Balaw Restaurant in Angono, Rizal, a little more than an hour's ride. It took ages before the vehicle filled up and we were on the road. Traffic was smooth. It was Saturday morning, after all. Most people would probably be staying in bed till lunch while we were going out of town for some good Filipino food.

Every 10 minutes we would check our watch and ask the driver, "Manong, malapit na po?" (Are we near?) The buildings were becoming scarcer as we drove farther away from the metro. We were seeing acres and acres of greens as we anticipated road signs telling us that we had finally reached Angono.

The driver's "Dito na po kayo" (Here's your stop) jolted us out of our reverie as it pulled over at the side of the Angono Highway. He gestured to the San Miguel sign to the left that said "Balaw Balaw, Folk Art, Folk Food." We had arrived. Finally.

Senses awakened
Balaw Balaw is a reference to a fermented shrimp paste mixed with rice gruel and angkak, an herb with a reddish coloring. The appetizer is an intrinsic part of Angono culture and never disappears from the dinner table, whether it is bottled or as a kare-kare siding.

The restaurant was put up by the late sculptor and painter Perdigon Vocalan as a meeting place for his artist friends. His paintings and carvings are showcased in the gallery behind the restaurant.

The place, however, is now known more for its exotic cuisine, which includes adobong itik, baboy ramo (which the restaurant has since stopped serving after getting a notice from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources), tapang usa (deer meat), frogs' legs, and adobong sawa (python).

Nothing exotic for us that Saturday, we gently told our attentive waiter, Eric. We ended up ordering kare-kare (P180+) and steamed tilapia with mayonnaise (P245).

Three musicians serenaded us with Rod Stewart's "Have I Told You Lately," which we thought a bit off since Balaw Balaw, after all, was a Filipino restaurant. "You can request for Filipino songs," we were prompted by one of the waiters. We said thank-you but that we wanted to eat in peace so we could better appreciate the kare-kare.

We wanted to try out the dessert but we were full (the kare-kare was served in a huge pot, and we would be eating its leftovers for days afterward).

The food did not disappoint, but we were more excited to check out the gallery, which houses the Higantes, papier mache giants that, when put together, are about 14 feet in height. They are the stars of the fluvial town fiesta each November 23, but during the rest of the year, they rest in Balaw Balaw for all to see.

Going past the Higantes lining the hallway, we walked up a narrow flight of stairs and found ourselves amidst Vocalan's wall-to-wall paintings. Vocalan considered National Artist Carlos "Botong" Francisco among his major influences, which shows in his images of Filipino women. Vocalan's wooden sculptures ("Amihan" and "Habagat" were noteworthy, as were the characters in the Last Supper) were displayed at the adjacent hall.

Further exploration found us at the workshop on the third floor where we came upon two artisans. One of them was quietly whittling wood for premiums (the restaurant has a pasalubong shop where wooden crafts such as keychains, pen holders, and letter openers were sold), while the other painted. We would have wanted to stay and watch, but the rest of the house beckoned. There was more exploring to do.

Balaw Balaw Restaurant and Art Gallery
16 Don Justo, Doña Justa Village
Angono, Rizal
Tel: +63 2 651 0110

Watch the slideshow.