A Delicious Lunch at Herb Republic

herb republic garden restaurant

Our weekend visit to the University of the Philippines Los Banos to attend an activity at the Boy Scouts Campsite gave us a reason to finally drop-by the Herb Republic Restaurant for lunch. The heavy traffic (it took us 3 hours to get to Los Banos from Cavite) did not dampen our moods. It was already past 12 when we got there. The place was a oasis considering the searing heat of the midday sun.

Above: Nanay Melda (the owner) calls this the “Malaysian tree” – she said a lot of their customers are amused by this plant. The fruits resemble that of small mangoes

There are a lot on their menu so it took us a while to decide. Finally, we ordered Roasted Rosemary Chicken (their chicken is free-range and is raised the “green” way)- with it is a choice of honey mustard, garlic cream and oyster sauce dips, Herb Republic Salad (a mix of mushrooms, cucumbers, mint, arugula, lettuce with a pesto cream dressing), a pot of lemongrass tea, a glass of tarragon iced-tea, grilled “green” (raised organically) pork and steamed organic white rice. My wife had an extra glass of cucumber lemon smoothie after lunch. The servings were too much for us so we had some roasted chicken takeout.

Above: Roasted Rosemary “green” chicken

Above: The chicken dip (from left to right: oyster, honey mustard and garlic cream)

Above: A cup of lemongrass tea

Above: Tarragon iced-tea

Above: Herb Republic Salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, arugula, lettuce, mint, mushrooms and pita bread)

Above: Grilled “green” pork with side salad of cucumber and tomatoes – with tarragon coconut vinegar

Herb Republic also offers other products such as nata de coco, dressed “green” chicken, fresh and salted duck eggs, “green” pork among others. Sacks of soil enhancers are also for sale.

There is a small herb garden at the back of the restaurant planted with assorted herbs and vegetables. The hot summer months has taken its toll on the garden but most of the plants still thrive. I saw oregano leaves being dried on the crates. A small compost bin sits on the back where the biodegradable refuse are thrown.

Above: Oregano

Above: Tarragon

Above: Green onions

Above: Chinese kangkong

Above: Lavender

Above: Lettuce

Above: Water mint

Above: Basil

Above: Rows of lemongrass

Above: The compost bin

The main farm of Herb Republic is located in an adjacent town (Bay) where most of the herbs and vegetables are grown. The free-range chicken are also at the farm and so are the pigs.

We chatted with Nanay Melda Pantua (the matriarch – she requested me not to publish her photo) and she was very accommodating. We met one of her sons Rainer (an Agricultural Engineer from UPLB) but he was in a hurry for some appointment. We told Nanay Melda that we will visit their farm some other time. She gave us the number of her other son (Obet Pantua) so we can make the necessary arrangements.

Above: My kids enjoying our stay at the Herb Republic Restaurant

Herb Republic Restaurant is on the left side of the highway if you are going to San Pablo from Los Banos. It is just before the South Supermarket and the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU).