Food Trips | Batangas Bulalo @ Rose and Grace Restaurant

Batangas, one of the provinces in the Southern Tagalog Region; home of kapeng barako, Batangas lomi and of course, the famous Batangas bulalo.  Being one of the main producers of cattle in the country, Batangas is known for its bulalo, a classic Filipino dish consisting of beef shanks with bone marrow boiled and cooked slowly in a broth until the meat is tender.

Rose & Grace's Batangas Bulalo - PhP400.00 (w/ veggies); PhP370.00 (w/o veggies)

Last weekend, my friend and I had gone to a road-cum-food trip in Batangas.  Actually, we went there to visit the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Lipa City but part of our road trip of course, is to try and have a taste of the famous Batangas bulalo from one of the famous bulaluhan in Batangas, the Rose & Grace Restaurant in Sto. Tomas, Batangas.  We left Quezon City at around 11:30AM and reached Sto. Tomas at around 1PM.  It’s almost past lunch time but since 'twas a weekend, the restaurant is still full of customers; all tables are occupied except for one (reserved for us?! hehe!).

Rose & Grace Restaurant, Sto. Tomas, Batangas

I am a Batanguena (and I am proud to be one) but I’m not really fond of beef dishes.  However, we’re here to taste this very popular beef dish of Batangas, of course, we ordered one.  We also ordered crispy tawilis (a small freshwater fish which can only be found in the lake of Taal), fresh watermelon for dessert and samalamig (cantaloupe-flavored juice drink) for our drinks.  Not quite sure if I would enjoy the bulalo so I also ordered a stick of pork barbeque.

Rose & Grace's (not-so) Crispy Tawilis - PhP80.00 per order

An order of the hearty bulalo could serve  2-3 persons and, with the added vegetables (Rose & Grace's bulalo can also be ordered plain; that is, no added veggies) and the refillable broth, it really is enough for 3 persons.  Batangas bulalo is best served with a dip of soy sauce, calamansi and chili so we prepared one.  After around 10-15 minutes of waiting, our foods were served.  It's past 1PM, my friend and I were both starving so immediately, we "attacked" the bulalo until only the bone is left.

Rose & Grace's bulalo is so delicious; the soup is steaming hot, the vegetables not overcooked and the meat is so tender, it falls off the bones - literally! This is the best-tasting bulalo I've had, so far.  Even my friend who so loved beef dishes said that so far, this is the most delicious bulalo he ever tasted.  We enjoyed this dish so much we almost forgot the barbecue and the (not so) crispy tawilis . :-P

Be forewarned though, bulalo is very high in cholesterol so to those with hypertension, this dish is not for you.  But if you can't resist, eat in moderation and refrain from sucking the marrow (bulalo without the marrow? impossible, I'm sure hehe!).

did we enjoy Batangas bulalo? you be the judge...hehe!

 For this hearty meal, we only spent PhP780.00, very affordable right? ;)

This food trip is one of the best we had; we both enjoyed the food, a rare chance because we have different "likes" and "dislikes" when it comes to food.  Come visit Batangas and drop by at Rose & Grace Restaurant, one of the best, if not the best bulaluhan in Batangas. :)

Ala eh! Kasarap ga ng bulalo dine, sinsay muna kayo at ng are'y inyong malasahan!!! 

~ oo00oo ~

Rose and Grace Restaurant

Maharlika Highway

Sto. Tomas, Batangas

Date of Visit: March 11, 2012