BATANGAS FOOD FEST AT ITS BEST IN MATABUNGKAY BEACH HOTEL

What comes into your mind when you hear the place Batangas? Majority would think of the beaches, the “barako” coffee and foods that only Batangas could offer, right? (aside from the Batangas-made “balisongs” hehe) The last time I went to Matabungkay beach was I guess in the early 80’s. I had the fondest memories of that place, I remember when we rode a “balsa” (beach bamboo raft) that took us to a much deeper part of the sea and then me and my siblings, together with my mom and dad, who were equally happy too, and the rest of our family friends sailed all day. We all had fun swimming, laughing and even had a sort of picnic right at the “balsa.”

The very generous and charming Mrs. Charley Leviste Antonio, owner of the famous Matabungkay Beach Hotel (MBH) had invited us through our beautiful mutual friend, Wendy Jalbuena (thanks much!) to attend the “Batangas Food Fest” event at the resort. We've learned from Charley that this whole month of November, they will be featuring native Batangas dishes with a twist and delicacies in their hotel so that guests could enjoy not only the best service and amenities but they could also lavish on foods that are catered only in Matabungkay Beach Hotel located in Lian, Batangas. 

Having witnessed the Junior Master Chef Philippines runner-up Jobim Jalbuena and one of its top 12 finalists, Tricia Baylosis, a real Batangueña cooked up in a demo, it had given us an outstanding impression on these two tweeners. They were so good in their craft and really know what they were doing, truly fitting for the title of Junior Master Chefs. :))

Tricia demonstrated her own Batangas inspired fusion recipe Kalderetang Kambing with Couscous. It has been a common knowledge that Batangas is also known for good-quality meats from their goat and cowherds while couscous is one of the healthiest grain products originated from North Africa, it’s an alternative to rice and pasta and is usually combined with meat, vegetables and spices with the semolina; it readily soaks up the flavor of other ingredients. Couscous is a staple food throughout Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya.

At the same event, Jobim had also demonstrated his own Batangas inspired fusion recipe Binarakong Baka.  Batangas province is also known to produce “Barako” coffee, a variety that belongs to the species Coffea liberica, exhibiting strong taste, flavour, and has a peculiar piquant aroma. Honestly, this was my first time to try a dish made with zesty coffee taste. Jobim was so confident with his style of cooking and that he exemplifies the new breed of teenage Pinoy; kudos to his Mom, Wendy Jalbuena who raised him so well and his other siblings.

The whole cooking demo was so entertaining yet very informative; we were so driven by the enthusiasm of the two teenage chefs in their own rights. Tricia’s tip in cooking kalderetang kambing was to wash the goat’s meat (chevron) five times and you can also put some vinegar in washing to reduce the meat’s pungent odor. Tricia even advised that we should also use lots of onions to add more flavour and taste. 

Whereas Jobim had used potato powder instead of the usual cornstarch to thicken the sauce of his Binarakong Baka, according to his mom, it gives a pleasing and different taste to the dish and is available in supermarkets. Hmmm... why not, I wanna give it a try for a change. :)) The fourteen year-old cooking prince had a Korean kimchi for a side dish and I bet you,  the sweet and coffee sapidity of the dish blended well on my palate.

Chef Manny of Magnolia Ice Cream, a major sponsor of the food fest, had also demonstrated a dessert that is exclusively available only at the Matabungkay Beach Hotel... it’s the “Sizzling Ice Cream!” (would you believe?!) I've never tried this before and it was so liberating that I now have the chance :)). 

Of course, there’s the “fried ice cream” that really caught the public’s attention before right? But here comes another variety of ice cream dessert and it’s for real!!!

So peeps, what are you waiting for? It’s never too late to have fun and enjoy this season’s greatest offer! You don’t only get to lavish on Matabungkay Beach Hotel’s very exquisite Batangas menus with a twist, you also get to experience the resort’s services and amenities!

They say sunset along Matabungkay beach is one of the best sceneries one could capture. We were hoping to have a shot of it but we were so engrossed by Jobim and Tricia’s cooking so we totally missed it. Anyways, there’s always a next time, right? What we did was, we'd planned to get up early to catch on how the sun rises over Matabungkay and luckily, we were able to witness it and I’m so proud to share you some of the pictures I've taken.

Another adventure you should not miss doing in Matabungkay was boat peddling. For only Php 50/ head for one hour, you get to pump your veins, contract those leg muscles and engage yourselves in a tour along Matabungkay shorelines. 

“Kuya Onie” (the boat owner) was so generous enough that he allowed us to stay in their “balsa” for free. Our teenagers had a dip of the salty natural water; of course, me and my friend / blogger Angelyn also took this chance to swim and enjoy the beach even for just awhile.

This memorable place had created a soft spot in our hearts; I know most of you could also relate to what I’m saying... Travelling back to this amazing local and tourist destination had brought a lot of good memories. Memories that we could forever cherish and it made me feel like it had put me somehow in déjà vu. 

Our weekend experience was something that we were all looking for, away from the busy city, far from stress, free from any hazards, with fresh air, relaxation galore, majestic sceneries, fun and adventure, great company, family bonding, quality service, courteous staff, various amenities and truly delectable Batangas foods at its best only at the Matabungkay Beach Hotel. 

Looking forward on coming back to this one awesome and amazing place not so far from home... hope to check out other amenities and services and would gladly share to all of you. 

You can check Matabungkay Beach Hotel's promos, packages and other updates by clicking this.

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You can check out more fascinating pictures here.

 For online reservations click here.
For reservations via mobile: 09088870596

To Charley, thank you so much for the accommodation, for the sumptuous food, for the hospitality and everything. Hope to see you again soon! More power and God bless!



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