For many times, Tagaytay has always been our place when we crave for our favorite comfort food, a bowl of hot Bulalo. But according to Adrian, he has once dined in with his family somewhere in Calamba where he has eaten one of the best Bulalo he has ever tasted. Because of his testimonial, in one of our food slash road trip slash 4th anniversary of 1, I've asked him to bring me to the said place.
Aviles Restaurant is located in a roadside in Calamba, Laguna; thus, it can easily be spotted. The place has the typical canteen ambiance, nothing sort of spectacular. However, since Adrian attested that Aviles Restaurant served the best Bulalo he has ever tasted, I had my expectations high after having tried Leslie's Restaurant and Pamana Restaurant, both of which I have already blogged about and are located in Tagaytay. After all, it has been proven that some of the best cuisines are not only compartmentalized to aesthetically-pleasant restaurants.
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| Aviles Restaurant (Adrian with his stolen shot photobomb. Hehe) |
As soon as we entered the humble restaurant, I could not imagine the number of people dining in there. There was actually a lot, let alone the fact that we came there on a weekday. I thought Adrian was indeed not exaggerated with his positive comment on this place.
There were two dining rooms - airconditioned and non-aircon room. We opted for the aircon room because it was hot outside (we would have dined al fresco had the place been in Tagaytay). We ordered what the restaurant has been famous for - Bulalo (it comes with the unlimited soup) and Tawilis combo, paired with a hot cup of rice and patis, calamansi, siling labuyo sawsawan. The restaurant also serves other dishes (meat and other vegetables dishes). The serving time was just right, we did not wait long for our orders to come.
As soon as our orders arrived, we could really smell how good the food smelled. It was mouthwatering-good. I have to also admit I admire the minimalist presentation that almost resembles that of a lutong-bahay meals. The Bulalo has a big, generous serving, similar to that of Tagaytay's version of Bulalo serving and it was served very simple - no petchay or beans, or corn it it, just chopped green onions (if I'm not mistaken). However, our Bulalo serving has no bone marrow in it. We later learned that diners have the option to specify whether they would want their Bulalo with or without the bone marrow. I think there are diners who are not just fond with the bone marrow. The Tawilis, on the other hand, looked very crispy and served in a stick.
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| Minimalist Bulalo and Tawilis combo |
When I had my first sip of the Bulalo, I instantly knew Adrian was right with his judgment. It was indeed very delicious. The taste alone would compensate our order's lack of bone marrow. In fact, you won't even need the bone marrow to make the Bulalo tastier. It was simply perfect the way it is. Pair it with a steaming hot rice and fish sauce with calamansi and hot chili, it was even more divine. The Tawilis was also great. It was fresh, tasty, crispy, and indeed a perfect match for the Bulalo. The refillable soup was an added plus. Originally, we ordered 2 cups of rice but ended up ordering 3 more. Before we even noticed it, the two of us have finished everything. Yes everything, even the entire Bulalo. There was no left-overs. It was a first time for us to finish everything. When we dine it at a bulalo restaurant in Tagaytay, we would usually have take-outs with us. It is just a more tangible proof that it was really that delicious.
After dining in at Aviles Restaurant, I knew it will never be the last and we were already planning on returning. Lastly, after the excellent dining experience, I can say that best things really come in small (and simple) packages.
Ratings:
Food - 5/5
Place - 3/5
Price - 5/5
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