New highway stop opens a resto

REKADOS Café and Restaurante is also looking to expand into a bigger wedding and events place within the compound. Photo by Ma. Esther Salcedo-Posadas, Contributor

SILANG, Cavite—On your way up or down the Tagaytay–Sta. Rosa Highway, you could drive by a visually attractive store compound known as Balai Pasalubong.  The business enterprise sells typical take home items such as buko pie (P150 per box) that is produced in the same facility as well as other goodies manufactured in a Sta. Rosa branch, namely, peanut roll, polvoron, sylvanna, peanut brittle and baked cashew.

Balai Pasalubong Store opened in March 2013. They are affiliated with an older pasalubong store known as Edna’s in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Photo by Ma. Esther Salcedo-Posadas, Contributor

There is also a milk store inside the compound known as Gatas Station where customers can buy fresh milk.

Last December 2013, another attraction in the form of a Filipino-Spanish-Italian (fusion) restaurant opened.  Rekados Café and Restaurante serves some comfort food.

According to Operations Manager Vladimir Ramos, they have been quite busy especially on weekends.  “Balai customers started asking for a place to eat,” he says.

The restaurant serves Mediterranean dishes but also provides Filipino food such as tocino and adobo flakes. Photo by Ma. Esther Salcedo-Posadas, Contributor

The restaurant can seat up to 40 guests.  There is also an open-air extension of 60 seats that can be used for events and weddings.  Their recent experience involved a civil wedding that hosted 30 guests.  The ceremony was held in the small hut (bahay kubo) beside the open-air dining area.

“It’s a nice place.”  According to Ramos, this is a common reaction of first time visitors.  “Going home from Tagaytay, some diners say that they should’ve eaten here,” he says.

Ramos explains that the restaurant’s interiors did not pass through the services of an interior designer but is rather based on the personal taste of the business owners Marlon and Mary Ann Custodio, particularly their children, 22-year-old Daniel Custodio who is a nursing graduate and the 18-year-old culinary student, Loven Custodio.  Daniel is directly involved in running the business.

On the other hand, Ramos who has previously worked in various restaurants was involved in developing the recipes.  Their bestsellers include bulalo but Ramos has other food items in mind.  “When you say Tagaytay, people usually look for bulalo.  But we want to push callos, lengua, and paella.”

For travelers seeking an aesthetic respite from traffic, Rekados Café and Restaurante offers an alternative to Tagaytay highway food fare.