Folk Food. Fearful Fun.

When I learned that my Mom-in-law was going to celebrate her birthday at Balaw-Balaw in Angono, I reminded myself to munch on some Jollibee burger on the way there. If you haven't heard of Balaw-Balaw, you probably haven't been watching Andrew Zimmern's Bizaare Foods . The restaurant is famous for its exotic cuisine - Kamaru (crickets), Cow’s Balls Soup, Palos (fresh water eel), Bibingkang Abnoy (aborted duck eggs), Adobong Baboy Ramo (wild boar), Bayawak (monitor lizard), Sawa (python), Tapang Usa (cured deer meat).

As usual, Noy and I were late despite the place not being too far from Ortigas, so the family had ordered and eaten when we got there. On the table:

Inadobong Uok (larva of coconut beetles) - I ate one piece. It tasted like isaw that has not been cooked properly, with an exoskeleton. The sauce is tasty. I personally think the dish would be more acceptable without the crunchy covering of the larvae.

Nilasing na Palaka (deep-fried frogs that have been marinated in wine) - When they said it tastes like chicken, they weren't lying. It's delicious and crunchy. Had it been served in smaller pieces I would have munched away. Notice that only three frogs were left for us? It must be good.

Ulo ng Lechon - This one is sadly forgettable.

The other items were Pesang Dalag (mudfish in light soup), Beef Caldereta (Filipino stew), Ginataang Itik (duckling in coconut milk), and Laing (taro leaves in coconut milk). I felt bad there wasn't enough left to take photos of. I don't eat dalag, but the soup was really good. The vegetables in the soup were delicious as well, and that made me full already - rice, soup and vegetables. No Jollibee! The caldereta was not good at all, the itik was too rich, the laing was okay.

Which leads me to conclude that people come to Balaw-Balaw for the experience - more for the art and the house itself and not so much for the food that's supposed to satisfy the everyday hunger. The tall ancestral house is packed with artwork by its owner, Perdigon Vocalan, a painter and a sculptor.


One will see various religious art, paintings of people that look so real they seem to come out of the canvas, murals, really old household items and furniture that give an initial creepy hint, but later just take the breath away.


The stairs are stringent yet vulnerable-looking, and as one is led down the hall to the second floor, it almost felt like a vacuum sealed within the era of Spanish reign.


It's the ultimate venue for a horror thriller scene. It was dark, the sun-rays that filter through the multicolored capiz windows provide the only illumination.


A personal favorite is the sunken dining area adorned with huge jars. I could imagine it being a cocoon of sumptuous comfort food for the dwellers during its heyday.


If it tickles your fancy just a wee bit, or if you're looking for a quick change of dining scenery, give Balaw-Balaw a visit. Whatever your experience unfolds for you, I only have one word - feast. It's what it'll provide for your stomach and your senses.