Foodtrip Friday: Lipa Grill, Batangas

On the way home from Sariaya past herds of honking drivers making their way back to the city, the SIL caught sight of Lipa Grill in Antipolo del Norte, Lipa City. She previously read good reviews about this Batangas food joint, and so we hurriedly made our way inside.

Refreshing all-natural calamansi zest bursting in a glass of calamansi shake (P40 or so)

Made for casual dining, the ambience resembles other Pinoy canteens only that tables and chairs were made of wood, making the place look less tacky. There is a small stack of authentic Batangas pastries, delicacies and goods such as kapeng Barako, Batangas honey and broas for pasalubong near the counter.

Now on to the subject: the food.

We were quite disappointed about the overpriced menu considering how mediocre the food was (Good thing the tab wasn’t on us, hehe). Jigs and I ordered sizzling pork tenderloin tips (P275) and sizzling pork sisig (P210), which weren’t exactly sizzling when served. They were just warm. Warm, verging on near-cold and so average-tasting.

Sizzling pork sisig. At P210, the price didn’t do this dish justice.
I reckon my husband’s cousin’s Pampanga sisig is better by light years.

Even their bulalo, a dish that Batangas is famous for – offered nothing exemplary. This doesn’t even stand a chance against Leslie’s version.

My mom’s nilagang baka could beat this joint’s bulalo.

Sizzling pork tenderloin tips, a blockbuster according to the waiter.
Didn’t leave up to the promise though.

The worst was the camaron rebosado. Swathed in a pale, wrinkly, fried batter, the outer covering was cold and tough, while the inside was uncooked and squishy like old paste; the half-cooked flour lingers on the palate. Eeew. The shrimp was far from fresh. This was what I uncovered when I sliced it into half:

See the right inner portion of the camaron? That’s not a shadow.
That’s black, raw shrimp.

Covered in a sticky, sweet barbeque sauce, their baby back ribs is just average in flavor. The meat was soft, but not as nice and soft as in other restaurants where the meat easily separates from the bone when you fork a morsel. The serving is hefty though and could suffice for a group of three.

Good thing the little one only eats bananas for now.

I am reserving my praises for their crispy pata (395). While the serving was small, the crunchy skin tasted sooo good (close to Barrio Fiesta’s), and the meat was tender and juicy.

The lomi also hit homerun for us. At only P90, a huge bowl of this soulful, thick, gelatinous mixture of flat noodles, pork, mushrooms, liver and dark soup base proved that loming Batangas is one of the best in the country. Huge enough to satisfy 2 to 3 persons max, too.

Will we be coming back? Only if we’re craving loming Batangas and crispya pata. While in the Lipa area. Other than that, I’d rather spend my salary somewhere more worthwhile.