A popular restaurant in Quezon is Kamayan sa Palaisdaan sa Tayabas, with sister restaurant in the town of Bay, Laguna, featuring floating restaurant where dining tables rest on bamboo rafts in the middle of a fish pond teeming with fishes.

The floating restaurant, just a few minutes away from Tayabas City proper on the road going to Lucban and Kamay ni Hesus, is a favorite stop-over for people passing by the area not just during the Pahiyas fiesta.

the floating bahay kubo as dining area of the popular Tayabas Restaurant

On his first time to set foot on the restaurant, resort and hotel compound, Tutubi ordered buko halo-halo for dessert after buying pasalubong and Quezon delicacies on Calle Budin plus a bilao of pancit hab-hab for his driver that he forgot to call during lunch but managed to find an eatery nearby.



With praises for Kamayan sa Palaisdaan sa Bay, Laguna, the halo-halo at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan sa Tayabas (Price: P80.00) sadly didn't deserve praise. It was too sugary and wanting in creaminess while the beans were not cooked right. Even the shaved ice of common halo-halo stands at the corner of most small towns can beat it. The malauhog buko, however, saved it from "eternal damnation" or rate it at par with the famous-ye-not-really-good Taleng's halo-halo of Pagsanjan, Laguna.

the buko halo-halo with malauhog buko

The pancit hab-hab, ordered by Tutubi for his driver due to instant recognition on the menu, was later deemed haram (forbidden) by his companion, who confessed that he's a Muslim convert, thus eating anything with pork (Pancit hab-hab is always topped with pork lechon) is not halal (permitted by Islam faith).



Another boo-boo that followed was when Tutubi missed the old brick Malagonlong Bridge due to the usual presence of unreliable and ignorant locals and his laziness to input the coordinates on his Garmin GPS navigator prior to the trip.

A so-so meryenda at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan and not finding a destination due to laziness nearly spoiled his day. Only his positive attitude, somewhat, saved the rest of his day!

---
disclaimer: note that the halo-halo does not represent all of Kamayan sa Palaisdaan's menu but don't blame Tutubi if you ordered the halo-halo and didn't like it too.

Labels: Quezon Restaurants

A day out for Tutubi is not complete sans the usual sidetrip to a new place, to explore interesting sights and visit refreshing spots to refresh his spirit. After a trip to a bank in Lucena City, just opposite Panciteria Granja and near Buddy's Restaurant, he went out to a place mentioned by his new acquaintance as a nice place jutting out of Pagbilao bay.

Hurrying to the place due to excite since it was still early in the afternoon, his effort to get there turned out alright with the sun-bathed sand near a beach though not really fit for swimming but just lounging at the huts on stilts.



first look at the restaurant houses on stilts with a long foot bridge



the foot bridge looks daunting from afar but actually sturdy when you get there


your order will be delivered using an "airplane" suspended on a cable, sort of a zipline delivery


below the huts on stilts are oysters grown by the restaurant for their own consumption making them the freshest there is for the customers



the largest hut is shaped like a ship ready to sail out to Pagbilao Bay, Tayabas Bay and beyond


you can admire the place from above the cliff with a view of Pagbilao bay, Pagbilao Power PLant, Pagbilao Grande Island and Patayan Island with visible white sand beaches from afar



A bottle of San Mig Lite (low calorie pale pilsen) costs P45.00 each, quite cheap for the ambiance of the place jutting out of Pagbilao



steamed capiz in oyster sauce complemented the cold san mig light. Cost is P165.00 good enough for the three of them



How would Tutubi review Silangang Nayon? It's Tutubi's first and only visit there and he ordered just a round of beer and the steamed capiz. The orders came fast, probably because there were only two groups of visitors there. Prices are ok, quite cheap actually for a place with nice ambiance. Tutubi intends to return to the place someday.

Silangang Nayon has hotel rooms available for overnight accomodations, something Tutubi intends to try someday since the place is really relaxing and probably use as a base to explore other interesting places in Pagbilao.

---

Silangang Nayon Park & Restaurant
Pagbilao, Quezon
For inquiries and reservations, you may call Telephone number +63.42.716.0077


How to get to Pagbilao, Quezon:

Commute to Pagbilao, Quezon: Board buses to Lucena City either via Lucena Lines, Jam Transit or Jac Liner (it's better to board one with Dalahican signboard for it passes by SM City Lucena). In Lucena, transfer to jeepneys going to Pagbilao.

Buses from Bicol (Daet, Naga and Legaspi, Albay, even Ro-ro buses to Leyte and Samar) all pass by Pagbilao town before Lucena)

Driving Directions to Pagbilao, Quezon:

From Makati, drive towards NLEX then exit at Batangas Exit to Maharlika Highway passing by Turbina, First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP), Star Toll. In Sto. Tomas, after passing Rose and Grace Restaurant (beside Jollibee) and Sto. Tomas Public Market, you'll encounter a fork on the road where you turn left going to San Pablo, Lucena and Bicol. Follow the highway that will lead you to Alaminos (Laguna), San Pablo City, then the Quezon towns of Tiaong, Cadelaria, Sariaya, then Lucena City. In Lucena, you need to choose left road when you see a fork (a right will lead you to Lucena City proper, even SM Lucena, but will lead you right back to the highway. After Lucena is the town of Pagbilao.

Silangang Nayon is on the road near 135 Kilometer marker with signs of Silangang Nayon and Pueblo Por La Playa on the roadside after a small bridge. It's about 6 kilometers from the highway.

Labels: Calabarzon, Quezon, Quezon Restaurants, Southern Tagalog

People say you've never been to a place if you've never seen the sights, imbibed the culture and ate the food of the place you visited. With this in mind on a recent visit to Lucena City, a highly-urbanized city in Quezon Province about 120 kilometers south of Manila, was highlighted by a sampling of the city's signature dish: the chami, the local version of pancit, the ubiquitous Filipino comfort food.

Armed with tips from fellow frugal food trippers, Tutubi hied off to Lucena City and searched for Granja Panciteria, Restaurant and Fastfood at the corner of Granja St and Leon Guinto, a corner away from Buddy's Lucena branch, and hastily ordered the famous dish wherein a festival, held every merry month of May to celebrate the thriving industry spawned by the dish, called Pasayahan sa Lucena.

sign of Granja Panciteria with telephone number displayed

chami, a single order for just P35, a small price to pay for a satisfying, filling meal with sinful chicharon

If nearby Lucban town is famous for the pancit habhab, sometimes called pancit Lucban, lomi in Batangas, then chami is it for Lucena.

Chami is made from locally made noodles cooked the usual pancit ways added with condiments and spices. Granja's version comes with chicharon toppings, a single serving, cost of P35, is too much for Tutubi who had just finished a hearty lunch.


How to get to Lucena City, Quezon:

Commute: Buses to Lucena City are available at Lucena Lines, N dela Rosa and Jac Liner with terminals on EDSA Cubao, Quezon City or Taft Avenue near corner Gil Puyat (LRT) in Pasay City. Travel time is about 3.5 hours to 5hrs depending on traffic.

Driving directions to Lucena City

From Makati, head towards SLEX and take Batangas exit (second to the last one of SLEX). Along the way you'll see Shell Turbina, Angel's Nest Drive-inn Hotel, Carmelray, Rose and Grace. Turn left tt the junction in Sto. Tomas and pass by Laguna town of Alaminos, the city of seven lakes in San Pablo then Quezon province starting with Tiaong (to the left after the boundary arch is the entrance of Villa Escudero, now called Hacienda Escudero), Candelaria, Sariaya. You will see another junction where you turn right (straight ahead leads to Tayabas) then finally Lucena City. Lucena is about 120 kms from Manila.

There are alternate routes via StarToll and Lipa and the route via Rizal and Laguna via the Manila East Road.

Labels: Calabarzon, Filipino Food, Lucena City, Quezon, Quezon Restaurants, Southern Tagalog