coming from Anilao, Batangas, as I neared the Batangas City flyover, I discovered this place called, JorJhane’s Lomi Haus and Eatery. On the way, a couple of days back, I remembered a well patronized restaurant by the roadside with four huge covered cauldrons propped up on four charcoal fired stoves in front of the eatery. Quite famished from waking up late after a night of bacchanalian indulgence from brew, grape, and grain, we asked our driver to stop as we were titillated by the visual appeal of smoldering pots and the scent of simmering beef.

All one needs to do is raise the covers of the stockpots and curiously look to catch the comforting scents of bulalo and batangas goto. To further convince the adventurous diner that this is a good road stop is the array of skewered meats and the beloved grilled tulingan (dwarf blue tuna) of the Batangueños.

Aside from the grilled specialties, we ordered their hefty bulalo, which was steaming on a large bowl with leeks and leafy vegetables and a shank bone filled with marrow. Dipping this in a personal condiment of patis or toyo with calamansi and crushed ripe chilis already made this stop worthwhile. We spooned the bulalo’s tasty soup to console the appetizing heat of the meat and vegetables dipped in a shoulder-raising, lip-smacking combination of fish sauce and the light fragrant acid of calamansi.

Yet to me, the highlight was the Batangas goto. This goto, at P 35 per order, isn’t porridge but a mixed pot of diced tripe, cow face, tongue, and a variety of meats simmered in its own thick and gelatinous broth. The lightest hint of game highlighted the beefiness of this dish evocative of Tagalog machisimo. This time, I used a dip of soy sauce with calamansi and crushed double the amount of chilis. I savored a variety of soft, tender textures of meat, gelatinous skin from the face, and the light gaminess of tripe and offal. This was my soup for the month!

Two other memorable dishes that we also enjoyed were the miki, which had wonderfully fresh, rich, yellow egg noodles that were well glazed in a tasty sauce with a topping of sliced kikiam, and the lomi. The lomi was an excellent version, considering how the Batangueños, are so discerning about this noodle dish with a rich, thick soup. JarJhane’s version has a rich, thick, and clear bronze soup with soft, simmered miki noodles with a generous topping of crushed homemade chicharon, kikiam, and egg.

After this pleasant experience in Batangas, I feel that a good number of places with these huge stock pots would be well worth stopping for. Who knows? We might just discover another gem.
JorJhane’s Lomi Haus and Eatery is located in Barangay Bolbok, Batangas City (In front of the Sports Complex).