We were supposed to go to Lucban, Quezon that weekend but the rains stopped us. I felt disappointed because I was looking forward to a trip to their old church. So we went to Candelaria instead to visit Girasoles farm again and have lunch along the way. Looking out for a place to eat along large stretches of ricefields, we chanced upon this restaurant that had a large wooden, kubo-like structure along the road and had an interesting name. Dagat Cusina Gubat Restaurant. Funny, I thought, I don’t see any ocean or forest nearby but still I was pleasantly surprised with the view as we stepped inside.
The kubo looked cavernous. I’ve never seen a hut that big and had a dining side that overlooked the fields outside. Their bamboo flooring reminded me of a relative’s kubo in Bulacan, Tya Imang’s where I used to visit in the summer when I was younger. This was the giant version I suppose with some paintings and big lamps hanging on the ceiling.
The air was cool that day because of the rain and despite the resto’s lack of electric fans. I’m not sure though how it is during the summer months. But I don’t think the temperature would matter that much especially if you are distracted by the view outside which is so different from the bustling streets of the city and the cacophony of urban living.
It was fun sipping fresh buko juice while enjoying the lush fields and having a live band playing in the background. Yes, a live band during lunchtime. Apparently, they played during weekends, lunchtime and early dinner. It was an additional treat apart from the view. I liked that they played OPM like Apo Hiking Society songs. It added more nostalgia to the place.
The food didn’t disappoint either. The beef steak had deep flavors and was tender. My husband liked it. We also had inihaw na pusit and sinigang na talakitok. The sinigang was a good sour contrast to the subtle saltiness of the beef and the fresh and mild flavors of the squid. Meanwhile, my son had his go to order in restaurants, fried chicken and french fries.
For dessert, we had leche flan and fruit salad. The salad was inside a buko shell and I thought that was creative because it blended well with the Filipiniana theme of the place. Plus there are a lot of coconut trees in Quezon so it was bit of a reminder that we are indeed in the land of coconut trees.
Sometimes, detours can be disappointing because it changes our plans but it can be wonderful too because it allows us to discover new places. We may not have pushed through our plan to go to Lucban but we were glad that we detoured to Candelaria so we can try this uniquely named resto called Dagat Cusina Gubat Restaurant. Having lunch overlooking a ricefield while listening to a live band is quite a different experience especially coming from the city. It is definitely something we will look forward to when we visit this town again.
