Casa Rap in San Jose, Batangas...Kasarap!

A traveler once mistook Casa Rap for a beer garden but no, Casa Rap is not a beer garden. It is a special restaurant that plays on the Tagalog word "kasarap" which means "so good" (or so delicious, so great, so comfortable) and one who has visited the place can judge for himself if indeed the place deserves the name.

Ironically, Casa Rap is almost hidden from view in spite of it being just beside the highway because it's been overcrowded by plants. It is located at Km 90 National Highway, San Jose, Batangas, between the two cities of Lipa and Batangas. A visit to Casa Rap can be a food trip, a nature trip, as well as a field trip for recycling advocates and decorating enthusiasts. 

The quaint restaurant is surrounded by a garden of herbs, flowering plants, verdant trees, and bushes. Down the slope is a natural flowing stream. When we went there, the stream was murky but the sound of the flowing stream was so soothing. You could close your eyes, stay there, and enjoy the natural hum.

What also added to the restaurant's quiet, charming and natural environment are the various recycled pieces that are not only functional but decorative as well. For example, a discarded capiz window is recycled as a table top. Others may find the decoration eclectic, but for sure either a loner, family, or group of friends will be grateful for the many benches scattered all over the place. It's a great place to enjoy a book in a nook or to savor a healthy meal and lively conversation with people you care for. 

The food at Casa Rap is prepared as you order. Most of the time, they use natural and organic ingredients. In fact, the Casa Rap salad we ordered had blue ternate, an edible flower that's harvested from their own garden. We ordered a lunch of sinigang na sugpo (prawn sour stew with eggplants, radish, string beans and tomatoes), grilled tilapia, fried tawilis, beef caldereta, pork adobo, chop suey, and Casa Rap salad. After lunch I also tried their suman sa lihia with sesame seeds and hot tarragon tea. Truly, food at Casa Rap is, as the Batanguenos would say, "kasarap". 

Someone once said that when one is surrounded by nature, he is closest to God for he is in touch with God's creation. At Casa Rap, enjoying great food in a cool and quiet place surrounded by trees and flowers is a gift from heaven.