Kundiman Cooking in Talisay Batangas

The long drive from Metro Manila to Club Balai Isabel in the lakeshore of Talisay, Batangas, offers quite a few surprises, the most delightful of which is the number of never-before-seen views of Taal Volcano. At certain spots of this route can be found clusters of bangkeros offering boat services to the volcano island. The asphalt-paved road is also sometimes blanketed by fallen orange-red petals of fire tree flowers. The unexpected color provides a bright spot amid an otherwise monotony of green.

An alternative way to Club Balai Isabel is through Tanauan along the way of which the Virgin of Manaoag Church awaits devotees.
Most travelers usually glimpse the Taal Volcano from the Tagaytay Ridge, so the Talisay route provides altogether different perspectives going down the mountain slope on the way to the lakeshore. As our Speedwagon made its fast descent, I got panoramic glimpses of the world’s smallest volcano. It was not, however, that minute and, for once, I noticed the cluster of smaller eruptors around it. But a big surprise hit me upon reaching the resort’s country club: I saw Taal Volcano at eye level and it lost its distinction from other seashore mountains.

Club Balai Isabel Resort Balisay Batangas

This ordinariness and the exception of Balai Isabel is a perfect combination. This provides its magic. The sulphur-rich environment charges the body’s energy. Endemic fishes like tawilis, biya and maliputo are abundant in the freshwater lake, delivered by local fishermen to the resort before the sun rises. It used to be a salt water formation where sharks used to roam freely hundreds of years ago. But when the volcano had a major eruption, it turned into fresh water, losing the sharks forever. Other fishes adapted. Its proximity allows one to reach the volcano island in less than an hour by mechanized boats from the resort. And there’s a secret way to the volcano’s crater that cuts the three-hour walk or horse ride to less than one hour.

Kundiman Cooking
Stomachs grumbling from the early morning trip without a stop at an SLEX food-and-comfort stopovers, we were served breakfast at Café Balai Isabel, the Club Balai Isabel. This hub point offers a panoramic view of the volcano island, an eternity pool and a fenced off area of the lake where the more adventurous types can go kayaking and pedal boating. We were served fried tawilis and fried daing na biya with achara, corned beef and longanisa with freshly brewed barako coffee.

The uniqueness of Café Balai Isabel is the absence of Continental or other ethnic cuisine. Although it gets its fair share of visitors of other nationalities, only the food prepared by the Café’s kitchen is served. The Pampangan chef has concocted a unique fusion of south-of-the-metro dishes, giving extraordinary character based on traditional food, with a few concessions. There are American all-time favorites like French toast, corned beef, sandwiches, soups, spaghetti, chicken wings and ice cream. For pizza or taco, resort-goers will either have to bring it or get them somewhere else.

We had a feast at lunch. ensaladang Manga is coarsely chopped raw mango that tastes tangy without the sourness. Binagoongang rice with topping is a finer version of the Thai specialty. Sizzling bangus is sisig made of freshly caught milkfish. pinalipad na tilapia is the fish with the meat sliced until the head, dipped in batter and deep-fried so that the slices curl up resembling wings. Bulalo, Tagaytay City’s much-loved bone marrow soup, has been turned into kalderetang bulalo. Pinakbet with lechon kawali is the boiled veggie galore flavored by bagoong topped by chunks of deep-fried porkloin. And for drink, there’s santol juice, which is an excellent thirst quencher without a hint of asim.

These are what I call kundiman dishes and drinks.
Kundiman cooking is the imaginative combination of two or more native dishes, a folk variation of fusion cooking. Kundiman, as you know, comes from the old Tagalog song form of the same name, which usually starts with “‘Kung di man…” For me kundiman cooking is made up of dishes without a real identity. As in the case of kalderetang bulalo, it’s neither kaldereta nor bulalo, but a combination of both. Just imagine the taste and flavor prospects. It’s not exactly limitless, but great enough to offer new possibilities.

Serene surroundings
Club Balai Isabel (named after the Malayan word for “house” and combined with the name of the owners’ only daughter) is a 7,000-square-meter residential resort by the Lake Taal with a 400-meter shoreline. It was developed by Techno-Asia Construction and Development, Inc. The simple, laidback life in Club Balai Isabel is reflected in the structures around the resort lighted by Mediterranean-style lamps. The indoors and outdoors blend into each other, creating a feeling of being close to nature even while inside the buildings.

A selection of property investments or room accommodations awaits: elegant hotel units, functional and cozy studio units with kitchen nooks, or spacious one-bedroom units with lofts. The open-plan reception area houses the resort’s office, business center, two meeting rooms, a lounge and the front desk. The clubhouse’s ground floor consists of a café, a gift shop and the function rooms Kasay-Kasay and Kasili Halls. The Batangueno Hall can accommodate 100 people and another 100 on its sprawling garden. Each function room is fitted with a white board and state-of-the-art communication system such as LCD projectors, 32-inch plasma television and wireless sound system. It has an obstacle course for team-building exercises and a chapel for the resort goers’ spiritual needs.

Club Balai Isabel Resort Talisay Batangas

Its Mobideep, being used as a diving and training facility in countries like Thailand and Singapore, is the country’s first floating swimming facility features five safe and secure swimming pool options. It allows one to swim in the Lake without being in the it’s water, making one feel like being in a yacht.

Future developments are a helipad, which will facilitate chartered helicopters from any destination in the country to Club Balai Isabel. A medi-spa complex will also be installed to develop the resort for medical tourism. A fishing area is currently under construction. As development continues, Club Balai Isabel will remain environment-friendly through the use of “green” Genset system, waste segregation and recycling, and the use of windmills and solar cells.