Calamba City had this month-long night market open to the public. I was really curious as to what it held so I invited two of my cousins to join my little trip. Beside the oldest church in town were dolly shops offering clothes and various trinkets.
Food stalls and more shops were located at the plaza. Although there was not much to see, we took a stroll around the area and bought isaw (grilled animal intestine), which, of course, was common street food in this country. It would be best eaten with spicy vinegar and sweet sauce. Some vendors also sell a fried version of it.
Calamba had this wonderful banga or earthen jar at the town plaza. Engraved around it were maps of the fifty-two (52) barangays. Every time I hear about this jar or see it on my own, I feel proud for having to be a native of this city. I could not imagine myself being more proud than as a Calambeño.
My younger cousin was telling us something about this food place she saw on Facebook but no matter how the two of them tried to search it (as my data connection was not reliable, as always), they could not find it. The floating restaurant I had always wanted to see was already closed. Since the night market wasn't that big, we had nowhere to go. We did not think of bringing much cash as we did not expect any of this. Well, I thought I would have to be full by the time we get home but aside from common street food, there were clothes. We had to eat.
Otep's Lechon Kawali
9 Jose P. Rizal St., Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines
Why go somewhere far? I had always passed by this place when going to my cousin's house and of course this had piqued my interest but I never had the time or money to actually go. Until today.
Never underestimate. Even though it looked small on the outside, it actually had an interesting and cute atmosphere to which my cousins and I took the opportunity for some photos. We were lucky that we were the only customers that time because upon leaving, the place was half full!
Lechon Kawali was their specialty but, they also had dishes like kare-kare, adobo, buffalo wings, and sisig. You could have unlimited rice for only P99 ($1.86) which they call "Pa-fall". In Filipino, it meant a person doing things to make you like him/her but had no intention of catching you. One-sided? Yes. On one hand, if one cup of rice was enough, you could have it for only P85 ($1.60). Both had one glass of drink included. They had catchy phrases for their menu.
My cousins and I would never let the chance go by. We were so supportive of each other that we alternately took pictures. Here were the results. Caution: too much cuteness. Lol!
I know. We shared the same background because we could not help admiring it. We also used the HUJI App for these photos. You can download it for free.
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