what: a unique all-filipino restaurant/art gallery, Balaw-Balaw specialty restaurant

where: along manila east road, angono, rizal

what to order: crispy fried frog legs, steamed tilapia (my vocabulary of fish species is limited so forgive me) with mayo and carrots, sinigang sa miso, green mango/tomato/onions mix (what’s that called again) w/ bagoong (this one is really good), and those other exotic sounding things on the menu. unfortunately yours truly is unadventurous in the food area so i leave the experimenting to you.

the food is priced pretty reasonably; i wasn’t the one who footed the bill so i leave that out. i still think it’s a pretty interesting getaway from all the hip and hype of manila’s restaurants.

masks with people’s signatures on them (you can buy one for hanging in the restaurant), a miniature higante from the province’s famous festival and the severed heads of the real ones used during the parades can all be seen there. beautifully and intricately carved statues, murals, and artwork are all on display at the 2nd and 3rd floors.

click on for map: