With no idea what Casa Rap’s bestsellers were, we went ahead and ordered the usual Filipino breakfast fares.

From their handwritten menu, we asked for longanisang hubad (Php130.00) and corned beef (Php130.00) breakfast meal. Both comes with fried rice, egg and a choice of coffee or hot choco; we settled for their hot choco. We added three sticks of barbeque (Php30.00/stick) just in case the serving size was not up to par with our grumbling tummies. For desserts, we ordered their famous halo-halo (Php80.00).

 

We originally wanted to try their fried chicken and fried lumpia but they were, unfortunately, by reservation only. This means customers should call ahead of time (like a day ahead) for these dishes.

It’s important to note that Casa Rap is not the usual heat and serve restaurant. It is as they called it, a slow food café. Food are cooked the traditional way as they are ordered, so be prepared for a long waiting time. Good thing the restaurant is so wonderfully pretty and vast (you can even trek down to the river at the ravine below and they even have a prayer room) that waiting won’t be no problem at all.

After exploring every nook of the restaurant, our orders arrived, at last.

The servings were average; the presentation, good; the taste, hmm… I’d say average too. I’m a big longanisa fan and I was happy that theirs were the garlic type; it did have too much fat for my liking though. The corned beef, we totally didn’t like. Contrary to the café’s claim that they cook their food the old fashioned way, it looked and tasted like the typical carne norte that you can buy in a can. The barbeques were ordinary and forgetful.

The hot chocolate, we totally digged; it was hot, bubbling, and very, very thick. It was a totally sinful concoction, the small serving cup was just right.

Now time for the main event, the legendary Casa Rap halo-halo. These are available in three sizes, mini (Php65.00), regular (Php60.00) and casa rap (Php80.00). Since we were quite full, we decided to simply share the large-sized one.

The things I’ve read about Casa Rap’s halo-halo were all true. This is simply the best halo-halo I have ever tasted. The ice has a texture and flavor (it seemed interwoven with macapuno and pinipig) not found on any I’ve ever tasted. Mixed with kaong, melon, kundol, langka, sweet corn and topped with a strip of luscious leche flan; we almost asked for another serving.

In summary, even if their corned beef and barbeque dishes were a bit off, we were pretty satisfied eating at Casa Rap; their halo-halo has definitely, one hundred and ten percent, more than made up for it.

 

Casa Rap
Address: Km. 90 National Highway San Jose, Batangas City
Phone Number: (043) 726-2873
Open Hours: 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM Everyday