We were headed to Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna one Saturday of June, but our restless feet led us to Tagaytay instead. We ended up having early dinner at Balay Dako, It’s easy to spot Balay Dako because it’s located along Emilio Aguinaldo Highway.
I’ve heard good reviews about this Filipino restaurant from other bloggers in the past and not wanting to be left behind, I wanted to try their food offerings, too. Balay Dako in Negrense means “big house.” It is a 3-story house resembling the ancestral home of Chef Antonio “Tony Boy” Escalante in Bacolod. Balay Dako is part of the Antonio’s Group of Restaurants, owned and operated by Chef Tony Boy.
The sky was somewhat dusky when we visited.
But we still managed to capture a breathtaking view of the Taal Volcano from our table.
A visit to Tagaytay won’t be complete without hot bulalo and fried tawilis. This Bulalo na Baka is actually good for 5 to 6 persons. As you can see, it was way too huge for the three of us to consume in one sitting. The solution? Take home what’s left of it. However, I think because of the long drive to our place in Ortigas and despite the fact that we put in the fridge immediately after we arrived home, the leftover bulalo was already spoiled when we reheated it for lunch the next day. Sigh!
The beef shanks look dark and toubh, but they’re actually tender. The soup was hot and flavorsome. We even asked for a soup refill for our take-home bulalo. Lol! I would have wanted more vegetables in my bulalo, however. There was a lot of chunk meat in our huge bowl but so few vegetables.
This Pritong Tawilis wasn’t as crispy as we expected it to be. It was actually soft when you bite into it, but it’s delectable nonetheless. Even our 11-year-old son enjoyed it but the bones (since it wasn’t crispy-fried) got in the way of an otherwise very pleasurable dining.
Our son loved this creamy but not-so-sweet Strawberry Sorbetes with real strawberry bits topped with crunchy pinipig (pounded and toasted immature rice grains). He actually wanted another scoop but we were in a hurry to go home. Lol!
Not to be outdone, the adults, well, that’s hubby and me, had our dessert, too. We ordered Turon con Langka at Saging. This is banana roll with jackfruit coated with brown sugar and sesame seeds. The sesame seeds added a nutty flavor to the crispy turon, which I found rather interesting.
It was a good first try at Balay Dako. I hope we can go back soon.
Balay Dako
Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway
4120 Tagaytay City
Cavite, Philippines
Telephone Nos.: (046) 413-4866; (046) 483-4847
Email: balaydakoevents@gmail.com
