Ibaan's Top 6 Dating Places

Compared to Batangas City and Lipa City, Ibaan does not enjoy the luxury of having sky scrappers  that house malls, upscale restaurants, theaters, bowling alleys, Starbucks and other fast food chains. These places top every lovers' choice for dating place. However, despite the absence of those amenities, it doesn't mean the town sleeps  over Ibaan's romantic couples. Love is alive and is evident in the area. For there are still far more better places in Ibaan that stand witness to Ibaenos whispering sweet nothings to their partner's ears.

Here are Ibaan's top six (6) dating places.

Mister Donut

6. Mister Donut

Almost three years ago when it first opened, Mister Donut was a big hit to Ibaenos. Before the day ends with sun slowly setting on the other end of the earth and after office hours, people would line up on the counter to get a box of donuts both for pasalubong and for finger foods while watching telenovelas at night.

While Ibaan comes into rush late afternoon, and when no one seem to care about the place at midday, that's when lovers slip into the store.

With Mister Donut's limited space available for customers, it offers greater degree of intimacy since lovers can sit close enough to hear each other's heart beatings. Although it hardly provides tables where people could dine, its lengthy table attached on its wall is perfectly suitable for sweet flirtings, not to mention the store's sweet donuts that can put more flavors and flares to one's relationship.

Down town People's Park

5. People's Park

The People's Park is very much popular among high school students. Minutes after the school's bell has rang, herds of students storm the place where they hangout both with friends and partners. And since they often go in group, the People's Park  appears to be the safest place for lovers so as not to get other's attention. They can easily defend themselves from their parents' inquiry being in the Park with classmates and deny being there with their lovers.

Sometimes love hurts at the Park.

At night, with glooming lights scattered on poles, lovers can still be found at benches set under Iba trees and others. With its quite surrounding and cold atmosphere, romantic moments can easily sink in among lovers. But one thing that is highly appreciable about Ibaenos, the place is kept sacred and not being abused compared to nearby cities where parks are used for some lewd and undermining activities.

4. Andok's


The coming of Andok's has literally changed the night and drinking habits of some Ibaenos, including lovers and partners.

Andok's located at former Ilustre residence.

Before, by night fall, the street goes empty with yellow street lights watching over Ibaan. Today, yellow lights just gotten brighter than ever with the restaurant's motif. Street lights no longer feel alone on top with chicken head at their level.

Andok's provides two options for its clients. Half of the store boxed in/with transparent glass panels where dating couples can sit and dine. Tables and cozy couches are in place at the comfort of Ibaeno lovers. The place is almost sound proof from the outside. And the words they utter to each other will be kept inside and will not be subjected to scrutiny by malicious ears. However, there's one problem. The glass panels are transparent. Lovers are in jeopardy of being seen by other people from the outside. There's hardly a place inside where they can hide from public view.

Andok's at night.

On the other hand, the other half of Andok's provides an open area to accommodate clients coming in a group for drinking purposes. After long years of supremacy as drinkers' hub, Barkadahan seems to have met its match. However, the latter still holds popularity among middle-aged drinkers. Andok's on the other hand takes on yuppies and some professionals. Anyway, dating, dining and drinking at Andok's still falls short of popularity among the masses which can spell its survival in years to come.

The Street Food Plaza.

3. Street Food Plaza (Isawan Sa Paradahan)


What used to be a children's playground and a momentary fighting cocks' empire now has bloomed into Ibaan's famous street food plaza where people converge after being grilled on their office and school seats throughout the day. The plaza has blown into one great melting pot of Ibaenos just like a place always ready to explode with heavy volume and traffic of people dropping by to satisfy their cravings for street foods.

Lately, prices of commodities have been skyrocketing beyond ordinary men's financial capability. With "gun-poking-pockets" trend, everyone is left with no option but to tighten their belts and squeeze one's legs beneath a shrinking blanket. Even Ibaan itself can't escape from this. And lovers are among the casualties of this country's deteriorating economy. And a shift from an expensive dating place to a more practical one has to be made.

Lovers playing around with each other while waiting for their
isaw and rice.

The Plaza, popularly known as "paradahan ng van" (van's terminal), began smoking some 6 years ago. That time, only a handful of occasional vendors were grilling. Then few more years later, private van owners began to realize the possibility of business opportunity in private vehicles providing transport services to the riding public. They then changed their plate color from green to yellow and applied for a franchise and permit to operate. Eventually, their newly created association lobbied for municipal hall to allow them to use the children's playground as their terminal. Their prayers were heard by Eastern Orthodox Church venerated Saint Christopher of motorists and drivers, and the rest was food tripping history.

Taking it easy before sharing a platter.

Currently, the Plaza boasts a commoner's favorites that include pre-cooked chicken feet (adidas), head (helmet), young intestine (IUD), chicken wings,  hog's liver (atay), skin (taba), barbecue, and others. They are to be further grilled for 3 minutes or more before being served to customers. It was only lately that tables and chairs were set up with pre-mixed souring and seasoning agents on top. Rice were also included so as to provide a complete set of meal.

It's popularity blew big time like firecrackers because of the cheapness of food's price offered by vendors. Compared to fast food chains and fine dining restaurants where one has to spend a hefty P300 to P500 for a date, the Plaza will only take a decent P80.00 or less for a complete and tummy-satisfying set of meal, plus softdrinks for two.With this, it's no surprise to find your friends on a date at the said place. And since the place is often times crowded, and with smoke all over, dating partners can get away from paparazzi since tables are always filled with group patrons.

The only surviving and sole classic fine dining
restaurant Father's Nook.

2. Father's Nook

The only surviving and sole fine dining restaurant in Ibaan, Father's Nook provides the most romantic mood and atmosphere for lovers. Accented with Mediterranean interior design, the restaurant is able to maintain its simple yet classic style of customer service and food presentations which dating lovers enjoy the most.

Starting out as under rated cafeteria with one two tables 31 years ago, Father's Nook has outlived every other restaurant's attempt to down play its fully established reputation among fine dining patrons. Throughout its operation, no restaurant has ever come any closer to where it stands now. Father's Nook is able to position itself in the minds of every Ibaeno as the perfect place for romantic moments with great tasting food on their menu.

The prevailing Mediterranean interior design at Father's Nook.

At the entrance, you will be introduced to signature clothes, apparels and accessories lined up at glass display rack. The furnitures blend well with the restaurants floor at dark maroon and brown temperature. At the middle, there lays two long tables that can accommodate numbers of guests. At the left side, individual tables bounded by wooden beads and lights are in place. And with those tables, a world of closeness and intimacy can be created between lovers while being serenaded by smooth classic and contemporary jazz music that fills the air.

FN's nightingale. 

Since the only source of daylight comes from the entrance and from the left side with open space, the lovers' nest is always dimly lit. There exists a strong fusion of green and yellow lights at very low tone that dominates the whole area -making it more relaxing and blissful.

Indigenous and ethnic wooden
bids and drop light shade that
separate individual tables at
the left side of the restaurant.

And the food? Owner Don Luansing has perfected all of his kitchen creations which are mostly Oriental in nature and origin. For such, it has attracted business men and other popular personalities filling every column of the restaurant's guests' list.Such is being reinforced by the presence of different antique articles collected by the owner from his travels local and abroad.

A combination of mouth-watering foods and Mediterranean mood are all there is what dating couples will get once they decide to take on the Father's Nook dating experience.

Dating at Father's Nook might be a bit expensive compared to ordinary restaurants, much more compared to Street Food Plaza. But every amount of penny that dating couples will shell out of their pockets are all worth it. They'll get a good return on the value of money and time they'll spend at the restaurant.  

A spoon-full-of-lomi at a time fills a lover's heart with smile. 

1. Lomi Houses

Who would ever fail to recognize the might of Lomi Houses in attracting dating couples in Ibaan. If one would refuse to embrace them, then, as others would say it, you can't be called an Ibaeno.

Lomi, aside from tamales and kulambo, has agreeably sketched Ibaan's place on food maps around Batangas Province. A fast food chain contemporary, lomi houses are being visited by diners and lovers alike from different walks of life. Lomi and other pancit-based delicacies like pansit guisado, pansit bihon, miki bihon and others are served in less than 10 minutes. After placing their orders, the couples can sweeten their relationship while waiting at their chosen table. And for appetizer, kaldo will be served which can set the mood for the partners' conversation.

Lomi at its best.

Year after year, lomi houses in Ibaan sprouts like mushrooms in open field. Others would perish. Some would  survive over time. This is a concrete proof that people do take pride with this Ibaan's food industry. And just like any other places, lomi houses have played a very important role in the lives of Ibaan couples.

Not far from Street Food Plaza, dating at lomi houses will cost the partners at the very least amount. Lomi is a total meal with ingredients complementing each other all mixed up into one heavy meal. In fast food restaurants, one will often have the tendency to order for "extra rice" with strictly proportioned meal. At lomi houses, I doubt one can still order for another after emptying a bowl of regular, special, or jumbo lomi. Savings are in place if that's the case.

Diversity is rich at lomi houses.

Lomi has almost overtaken tamales and suman as Ibaenos' all time favorite. Well it's no surprise since this sticky menu can be done in so many ways with varied flavors. In one of my trips out of town, certain restaurant offers chicken lomi and vegetable lomi. Strange they may seem, but they still represent nothing but lomi. And if there's anything in the world that one will ask for a practical meal, lomi will definitely come in first. Dating couples? Well, lomi won't hack much of their money deposits. We've mentioned the reasons why.

People may not agree for choosing lomi houses as the number one dating place in Ibaan. But I'm quite certain that everyone will agree that this is a better to go for a date, specially in Ibaan.

Ibaenos are natural born romantic lovers. And part of it is going out on a date. Same reason why we tried identifying top dating places in Ibaan where they can be usually found. Although Ibaan couples go out on a date, there's one thing we can appreciate the most. They maintain and keep certain distance from each other. Public display of affection is hardly shown. Well, that's expected. Because Ibaenos are decent and respecful lovers.