Quick Getaway

Unleaded : P39.57 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 50.05 Php

Spent the weekend at Club Malarayat up in Lipa. It was an unplanned getaway so we ended up booking the only room available -- "The Premiere Room" -- which had a price tag to fit the name, but despite which no breakfast, no round of golf, not even a welcome drink was included. They even charged us P30 for pool towels (!) All in all, it was a pleasant enough stay. The facilities were working and the kids had a mighty grand time with the pool and the practice greens. All you can ask for really.

Lipeño food is always a highlight of any visit. It can be as adventurous as it is unique. Just ask anybody who's had a bowl of gotong Lipa (with chopped onions and rice on the side). Or lined up for hot bibingka, heavy but small at 3 inches across with the improbable name, "D' Lovers Line".

In this particular trip though, the best meal we had was common fare. Hapag Filipino along the road leading to Lipa town has always been the old reliable. We had sinigang na maliputo with the broth a savory contest between sourness and the flavor of fish. Inihaw na pusit, very fresh and cooked just enough to bring it beyond raw. Chicharon bulaklak, a house specialty that was clean-smelling, crisp but not burnt. To complement all these, an assembly of sawsawan was present (and actually served ahead of everything.) Bagoong na isda for the maliputo,
made from scratch by the owners. Sawsawan for the pusit, soy sauce-based but thick, sweet and laced with fresh onions and chilis. And plain vinegar with onion, salt and pepper for dunking the chicharon. It was the grown-ups who had a mighty grand time with this one, triglyceride and uric acid levels be damned.