halfwhiteboy

The colors come alive as the afternoon sun hits the second floor of the cafe. Finally had the time to write this. Three weeks ago over the Independence Day long weekend Kwittiegirl and I drove down south to San Pablo City in Laguna. We originally intended to do an ambitious Viaje del Sol (Way of the Sun), a design-your-own-tour around several establishments in the provinces of Laguna, Quezon, and Batangas engaged in leisure products and services that promote Filipino hospitality, cuisine, crafts, the arts, and other facets of Philippine culture and traditions. We thought of visiting several towns in Laguna but ended up just holed up in San Pablo, spending the weekend relaxing and food-tripping at a very leisurely pace. People we've asked for recommendations often gave Casa San Pablo but I'm glad we played deaf and spent our first night at the lovely Sulyap Gallery Cafe .

Touches of color on Sabao's native-inspired walls, with a contrasting whimsical ceiling to boot. We got to try out newly-opened Sabao Filipino Soup Bar  last week. A sister restaurant of next-door neighbor  Bait''s Seafood Kitchen , Sabao has set its sights on Filipino cuisine, particularly on traditional soup-based dishes, or sabaw in Filipino. Now how was it? Let me answer that. Interiors and ambiance As with Bait's and practically all other establishments on the ground floor of Signa Designer Residences, this restaurant has a really high ceiling and with half of its perimeter surrounded by glass panels that afford it an airy and less restrictive feel. Sabao also has a nice, uneven accent wall that takes inspiration from traditional Filipino materials like sawali  (interwoven bamboo splits) and banig (woven mat). They didn't necessarily employ such materials, though, but instead used other implements to afford the same effect, or at least some sembla...