art at Sulyap Gallery Café and Restaurant

I have been to Sulyap many times previously, particularly with Val and Nikos. But only recently have I started pitching the idea of eating there with my other friends. So on two occasions in which we were in no hurry to go home and we wanted to eat somewhere my sister calls "masarap" near Los Baños, we went there.

I have always felt that Sulyap doesn't have the homey feel I like in my favourite Filipino restaurants; I think that I have figured out why. The other restaurants want customers to feel like they're eating at home, focusing on recreating pleasant food memories. Sulyap, on the other hand, doesn't pretend to be "home"; it is an art gallery and a museum. We, the diners, were eating great food while surrounded by art pieces that have been carefully curated to give us a sense of history, antiquity, and a de alta sociedad living (although La Cocina de Tita Moning was the prime example of how the old rich families of Manila dined). After all, we were eating food that are typically prepared for special occasions (at least for my family).  

The last two occasions that I have been in Sulyap were within the span of a week. I brought friends along after a day at the beach during the first occasion and then my friends organised a farewell party for a visitor from Rothamsted. On both occasions, we were charmed by the casas that evoke the feeling of living in Vigan:

Fountains always have a cooling and calming effect on me, which is why I like looking at this one from the second-floor balcony. Though I normally cringe at the sight of algae, I like how the green water matches the green of the grass and contrasts the reds and browns of the bricks. Plus, I have always dreamed of living in a property that has a courtyard, not just a garden. 

This house's façade is a charmer, with its big windows (I love huge windows) and the mix of stained glass and wood. I am not a big fan of staircases because I tend to tumble down them, but because this is a restaurant, I take exception when I eat here.

Inside, the first floor has a sitting room where people could either wait for a table to be cleared upstairs (the dining area) or to make a brief stop before driving out. This is one of the galleries I have seen; photos and religion-themed sculptures abound here in the typical compulsive way that Filipinos fill empty spaces. Antiques are also found here, including an old cashier machine and lanterns. It could definitely benefit from a curation treatment of Federico de Vera's restraint and Contrapuntos' minimalism. Upstairs, the dining areas are well-lit and feature antique wooden chairs and table. The warm, rustic atmosphere is further enhanced by wooden pillars and walls... giving us a feel that we were supposed to be eating in a Spanish-era bahay na bato. 

[How about the food? I just have to write about it separately because Laguna cuisine deserves its own space.] 

I was told that right across the dining areas is the museum. I'll probably have to visit on a different occasion to see it. Meanwhile, Sulyap has become a highly recommended dining experience, being so close to Los Baños.