Isdaan Floating Restaurant offers a unique experience to diners with its delicious food and the visually-pleasing elements in its property.

Isdaan Floating Restaurant offers a unique dining experience to guests with its Thai-inspired motif and a generally festive atmosphere. It features bamboo cottages that are built on a pond, thus giving the illusion of floating native huts. Despite Isdaan's theme, however, the menu is predominantly composed of Filipino cuisine.

Isdaan Floating Restaurant: A Uniquely Memorable Dining Experience for the Whole Family

Our experience at Isdaan Floating Experience

On our way back to Manila from our Caliraya trip, we made a quick stopover at Isdaan Floating Restaurant in Calauan, Laguna. I was surprised to find out that there is one such restaurant in Laguna; I once thought that Isdaan only had a single branch located in Gerona, Tarlac.

Our experience at Isdaan Floating Restaurant

It was like stepping into a different world with Isadaan Floating Restaurant’s elaborate decorations, wood carvings, and terra-cotta-colored statues that are scattered throughout the restaurant's property.

Moreover, as you walk around, you would encounter performers here and there such as people on stilts made to appear like giants, mime artists, as well as cultural dancers. There is also booming music, not too loud but just enough to keep the energy high.

As such, Isdaan Floating Restaurant does not just offer a feast for the palate but a visual spectacle, too. The overall ambiance is festive and colorful, so I would say it's quite a happy place to be.

Mime artists

The dining cottages (the whole restaurant, in fact) are built on top of a man-made pond, which makes it appear as though they were afloat. These bamboo huts have large open windows that allow the strong breeze to flow through the dining area and keep guests comfortably cool. There are ceiling fans, of course, to ensure that there is ample ventilation at all times.

Isdaan Floating Restaurant is owned by the Ongpaucos, a family of restaurateurs who also own Barrio Fiesta, Bakahan at Manukan, and Singing Cooks and Waiters. Hence, expect the fusion of all the different themes from these restaurants in Isdaan Floating Restaurant.

Some of the notable dishes that you can order at Isdaan Floating Restaurant include Binangkang Sisig, Lechon, Sinigang na Sugpo, and the boodle fight meals.

How to go to Isdaan Floating Restaurant

If you are coming from Manila via private vehicle, you may take SLEX then make an exit in Calamba. You can then drive all the way to Sta. Cruz, Laguna and look for Isdaan Floating Restaurant.

If you are commuting, you may take any bus bound for Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Since Isdaan Floating Restaurant is considered a landmark in the area, you can just ask the conductor to drop you off right in front of the restaurant.

The Food

As I mentioned earlier, Isdaan’s menu is composed mainly of Filipino food. The choices are quite extensive, so this place is highly recommended if you are a big group of diners like us.

Dining cottage at Isdaan Floating Restaurant

We ordered two each of lechon kawali, pork sinigang, sisig, pinakbet, buttered shrimps, grilled fish, grilled liempo, rice, and native rice cakes for dessert.

It did not take long before our food arrived. Their service must be that fast or we were just entertained by the performers that see in almost every corner of the restaurant.

The food looked and smelled good, so it was really tempting to try each of the items on our table. Good thing the servings were made of big portions. In fact, there were still leftovers after we were done eating so we had these packed for takeaway.

The food was really good and did not disappoint us. It was as delicious as we had expected them to be. It had all the delicious flavors that we were looking for from all our favorite Filipino food. Most notable was the Binangkang Sisig, which was served in a small boat-like container. It was quite an extravagant fashion to serve it that way.

The lechon kawali was meaty and crunchy and the grilled dishes were superb. We really had a great time eating, especially when some musical performers came to our cottage and serenaded us with a song or two.

What else to do at Isdaan Floating Restaurant

Aside from delicious food, here are some of the things that you can do at Isdaan Floating Restaurant:

1. Explore the property

You may want to explore the property and feast your eyes on the beautiful sceneries that Isdaan has to offer.

Buddha statue at Isdaan Floating Restaurant

There are giant statues and lush ornamental plants that adorn almost every corner of the restaurant. The whole place is really photogenic.

2. Watch the performances

You can also watch the performances dance to folk music. There are acrobatics as well as native dance presentations courtesy of the restaurant staff.

Performers at Isdaan Floating Restaurant

The performers

Meanwhile, you can watch mime artists perform when people throw coins in front of them.

3. Ride a boat

Yes, you can ride a boat in Isdaan Floating Restaurant’s man-made lagoon. You can do this after eating or while you waiting for your food to arrive.

4. Visit the Tacsiyapo wall

Perhaps the one feature that Isdaan is most famous for is its Tacsiyapo wall. Tacsiyapo is a Kapampangan swear word, which, if I remember correctly, does not really have a direct Tagalog translation.

Tacsiyapo wall at Isdaan Floating Restaurant

But how does Tacsiyapo wall work? Well, it’s mainly a venue for venting out your anger and releasing one’s negativities by throwing and smashing ceramic plates, mugs, and even small TVs onto a wall while shouting “Tacsiyapo!”. Guests have to pay for the items to be smashed, though.

Our verdict

All in all, we had a memorable experience at Isdaan Floating Restaurant. The food is good, the ambiance is relaxing, and the restaurant personnel is friendly. Isdaan Floating Restaurant is a definite must-try.

Isdaan Floating Restaurant’s branches

Isdaan had restaurants in the following locations. You may also call the telephone numbers indicated under each address if you have inquiries.

Isdaan Floating Resto-Fun Park

Talavera, Nueva Ecija

Telephone number: +63-943-392-1651

Email: isdaantalavera@yahoo.com