Pinoy Life At Large

Yes, there is such a place. Along DRT Highway in Baliuag, Bulacan, is a dining place frequented by locals and tourists alike. Aside from the good food and cozy ambiance, the serving staff have a novelty of their own that keep customers coming back. The waiters are dressed as policemen, Meralco linemen, SWAT officers and paramedics, each with his own bag of tricks to keep you entertained and make you dig deeper into your pockets for more substantial gratuities at the end of your meal. For speedy service and entertainment, the good food becomes a bonus. I wouldn’t mind chucking a heavy chunk o’ change.

Admittedly, the place is not easy to find. It is along the highway to Nueva Ecija, which they now call the DRT Highway. It’s after Jollibee Pulilan and before the Tarcan bridge. If you cross Tarcan bridge, then you would have missed it. The photo above was taken facing south, to Manila. In any case, if you want to dine here, give them a call and they’ll give you better instructions. If you’re in the Bulacan area, just dial 673-4981from your Smart cell phone. From any other phone network, you need to dial 044-673-4981. By the way, look for Glenda when you call. I think she’s the manager.

There’s a lot of parking space when you get here. If you’re coming by public transport, all jeepney and bus drivers passing through this route know about this place. So it’s actually easier if you go by bus. From their Cubao stations, you can take any bus that goes to Cabanatuan (Baliuag Transit buses know this place by heart) and you can alight right in front of the restaurant. Going back to Manila is just as easy. Cross the street and board any bus that has “Manila” in its signboard.

The cooks are all uniformed as correctional inmates while the kitchen area is decorated like a jail. Probably because the cooks never go out to meet the diners so they’re very much “imprisoned” in the kitchen. I personally liked this idea.

Aside from the main dining hall, you can always have your food served in any of these individual huts for groups larger than eight people. Laugh and cajole to your heart’s delight without having to worry about disturbing other diners. I heard this place is so beautiful at night.

Meet the staff! They have a cop, who will make sure you have the right to remain silent when your mouth is full, a Baliuag transit bus ticket inspector, who’ll make sure they get your order right, a paramedics guy, who’ll serve your food with the utmost urgency and efficiency, and SWAT (actually the letters on his cap spelled “SWAK”), who will make sure the wait doesn’t keep appetite hostage. There are also waiters in sailor, seaman and MERALCO lineman uniforms. They’re funny, witty and very efficient. The cashier wears a girl scout uniform while the manager wear as public school teacher’s uniform. How can you go wrong with that?

The medium bulalo costs P275.00 (US$6.11) per order but is big enough for four hungry people. Most of their orders come in three sizes, regular (for two people), medium (for four people) and large (for six people). It is a restaurant to be visited by the whole family.

Aside from bulalo, they have several other dishes to enjoy. I think this place is perfect for the balikbayan (guests of relatives from abroad). Bring them here and have a great time.