From there, we proceeded to Ilog Maria, a honeybee farm that also produced toiletries and beauty products, all infused with honey. Noreen complained after using the facial scrub that she bought. She will have to travel to Tagaytay to buy more of it, because it works so well on her face. She has decided to stop using Aveeno, and switch to the Ilog Maria Honey Facial Scrub. I actually loved using the Spearmint Oatmeal soap they gave us as part of the freebies pack. With these alone, I will definitely go back to Tagaytay before I run out of the soap.

But because I’m a foodie, this post will talk about the wonderful lunch that we had. We had lunch at Bawai Vietnamese Kusina. It’s a very hidden restaurant and because of its location, not all are aware of this foodie gem.

The place was never meant to be a restaurant. Upon entering the place, I knew instantly that it was meant to be a cozy home for a closely-knit family. The decor is non-commercial, and this can be observed from the cutlery and tableware they used to serve the food; they only used the best as if they were serving house guests and not customers, which was exactly how we were treated. The name means “grandmother” in Vietnamese and the lady of the house is Vietnamese. She married a Filipino, which is why she is now a member of the Tatlonghari clan (yes, the name is so Pinoy).

For starters, we had Vietnamese spring rolls or Goi Cuon containing fresh noodles, shrimp, pork and veggies wrapped in Vietnamese rice paper (only P145.00 or US$3.50),

And a choice of either shrimp in sugar cane…

Or Vietnamese pork sausage (homemade!). This is what I got.

And I was so happy with what I got!

Then, we were served a noodle soup dish called Pho Bo. Pho means soup and Bo means beef. It’s flat noodles with thinly sliced beef cooked in hot beef broth topped with cilantro, spring onions, saw leaves and scallions. This is the best I have had thus far. The best. According to the menu, this big bowl only costs P195.00 (US$4.70).

The beef was so tender. So very, very tender. Of course, all of this goodness wouldn’t go down without some refreshing Pandan iced tea (P50.00 or US$1.20 per serving).

Yes, the bottom is kinda green so you have to mix it well before gulping it down. Lastly, dessert. Sadly, I don’t know what it’s called. All I know is that it’s not on the menu but you can order it. It tastes like our local kutchinta with some bean custard in the middle, and smothered with coconut cream and peanuts!

Like what you see? This is definitely better than dining at usual tourist traps (how many mushroom burgers can you eat in a lifetime?). So when you troop to Tagaytay, you may want to have lunch here. Or better yet, impress your date by bringing her here. The place is open for lunch and dinner, on weekends only and by reservation. You may call Bawai’s at 0920-9722924. It may be a bit of a hassle but believe me when I say, it’s all worth it.