We came to Taal Town in Batangas to revisit this heritage town and bring home some captures. But like in previous out-of-town trips, we had a hidden agenda: to eat something out of the ordinary. We prepared for the shoot but we weren’t able to research well in advance where it’s good to eat. Good thing the kind lady seller we brought some panucha from at the Basilica de San Martin de Tours went out of her way to show us Bistro Taal. It was just 5 or so minutes away from the Basilica and while it’s not really a bistro in the real sense of the word, we thought we had a hearty lunch alright.
Lagal[og] said: As Taal Lake is just nearby, I thought it would be nice to order Tawilis (Freshwater Sardines). Nothing fancy really, just deep fried to a crisp. But our group really liked it. It’s my absolute favorite fish and we were in luck as it’s fairly seasonal – not readily available during the rainy months. I was inspired to eschew the fork and spoon and eat kamayan-style (eat using the hands). Like canned sardines, you can eat this fish whole so it’s really no-fuss. With the lightly-spicy vinegar as sauce, I didn’t mind to get my hands smelly afterwards.
Ironwulf said: We were having a hard time choosing from their menu so following the suggestion of the waiter, we ordered their Bistro Platter that has samples of their dishes. The Grilled Squid was done well and easy to chew. The Pan-fried Liempo, large prawns and fish were all good. Just the way a good set of comfort food should be. The Ensaladang Taal with not so salty red eggs was a refreshing complement for the whole platter.
Lagal[og] said: I wasn’t feeling very well so a nice bowl of soup would be nice to go with the seafood. So we ordered Bulalo (Soup made with Bone Marrow). I mean, we’re in Batangas anyway and it wouldn’t feel complete if we didn’t have it. We’re glad we did as it was flavorful. The marrow wasn’t much but the broth was really tasty.
Taal Bistro
Calle A. delas Alas,
Poblacion, Taal, Batangas
Mukha ngang masarap yung tawilis lalo na siguro pag kinain with sinangag yan ano.
Di pa ako nakatikim ng bulalo, kalasa ba yan ng nilaga?
Sarap ng Photo Cache kasi you can eat the tawilis like regular sardines, heads, tails and all. The bulalo tastes a bit like nilaga but more flavorful because of the bone marrow 😀 As they say, deadly to the arteries but friendly to the tummy
trust me guys, if you’re looking for native taaleno cuisine, this is the place you’re looking for. I’ve been to a lot of restaurants in taal but so far, the food here is most exquisite. there are a lot of delicious food here and your food experience would not be complete if you haven’t tasted their house specialty, the “Bistro Chicken.” two thumbs up.. 🙂
I’ve been there several times, and I love their garlic chicken, sinigang na maliputo and bulalo. Nice shots by the way.
Had their kare kare earlier…made the mistake of ordering it for me, myself and I, even though the waitress warned me it would be good for 2-3 people. It really was! 🙂 Amazing service and food there.