Tagaytay City is among the go-to places for Metro Manila residents as it is a two-hour maximum drive from the metro.

It already carries a variety of sites and destinations for fun and food as well as affordable to high-end places where people can stay a day or two to unwind from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Silang also flourishes in Tagaytay's foot traffic as it is one of the entryways to the city.

Nevertheless, the area also has its own charm, mostly different food places that are open beyond Tagaytay's business hours — as this writer has observed after having been able to go to-and-fro the city in the last few years.

Balai Palmera Restaurant and Pasalubong Center are among the newest places in Silang, opening its doors just last year along Tagaytay-Sta. Rosa Road.

"Balai" is a Malay word that means "house" while "palmera" means palm.

"Balai Palmera started as an idea back in 2021 in the middle of the pandemic. When we got this lot, the first thing that came to our minds was to put up a restaurant but it will take us awhile with construction so we opted for a pasalubong center instead," operations manager Francis Manjarres told Daily Tribune.

The pasalubong center carries a variety of goodies like biscocho, piaya, banana chips, mushroom chips, different kinds of bread, and many more, but it highlights the Buko Pie.

The restaurant, which opened in May 2021, offers Filipino cuisine with a twist like the Laing Roll, Crispy Patacharon, Bulalo Steak, Silang Express as well as staple Tagaytay dishes like Crispy Sisig,
Bulalo, Kare-Kare, among others.

On what makes Balai Palmera stand out, Manjarres said: "We wanted to compete with them, to be one of the best Filipino restaurants in the area."

Balai Palmera Restaurant and Pasalubong Center is located along the Tagaytay-Sta. Rosa Road, Brgy. Pasong Langka, Silang, Cavite.

Its second branch is located at Aguinaldo Highway, Bypass Road, San Vicente 2, Silang, Cavite.

For more information, visit @BalaiPalmera on Facebook and Instagram.