Motorcycle Diaries: A Ride to Kawayan Farm

As a motorcycle rider, I’m always on the lookout for new places to ride to and good restaurants to eat in.

Kawayan Farm and Restaurant’s refreshing surroundings and laid-back vibe offers the perfect spot for friends and family to relax for a late breakfast or early lunch. Getting to the place in Pililla, Rizal is a smooth two-hour drive through the twisty Manila East Road via Marcos Highway.

Situated on a hilly landscape overlooking Laguna Bay, Kawayan Farm is a popular spot for cyclists, motorcycle riders, and road trippers to relax and stop for a meal during a weekend ride.

Kawayan Farm is a family-friendly venue as seen in the small children’s playground with monkey bars, a swing, and a slide on the grounds. The grounds are neatly landscaped with lush greenery. Vines hang from the arcs and trellises around the main dining hall. If you take a stroll around the farm, you can find different bamboo seedlings for sale including white, yellow, black, Chinese, Buddha, giant varieties as well as expensive bamboos used by landscapers in their masterpieces. There’s even a small chapel and several small nipa huts around the grounds where guests can just relax.

Kawayan Farm also manages a rustic restaurant serving Pinoy fare and as expected from its name, most of the place is made of bamboo. There’s an enclosed area near the entrance that can seat larger groups, while the airy dining spots with bamboo walls and floors at the back are ideal for families or smaller groups.

Pinoy favorites on the menu include tapsilog, sisig, sinigang, and crispy tilapia. They also serve a few dishes that make use of bamboo shoots including labong (a spicy Bicol express dish) and lumpia (egg roll filled with lettuce and bamboo shoots). Restaurant staff also recommended the binakol, native tinolang manok cooked with coconut meat. For drinks, it’s best to order a pitcher of refreshing buko juice or fresh fruit shakes.

The distance from the city, clean and green surroundings, and delicious fare really makes Kawayan Farm an ideal spot for a quick getaway.

Kawayan Farm. Km 63 Manila East Road, Barangay Halayhayin, Pililla, Rizal.

For more travel stories, visit the author’s blog Travel Up at www.traveling-up.com

Text by Kara Santos