The culinary scene at Bataan has been surprising me at every turn. First we ate a gelato at Stregato Gelateria, then Kapampangan dishes at Ima’s Pamangan, and finally Vietnamese food at Loleng’s Hu Tieu-an. And now,we’re turning to authentic Japanese cuisine at Café Kyoto!

► CHECK OUT: PAWIKAN FESTIVAL

THE PLAZA HOTEL’S MODERN LOBBY

The restaurant is located at the posh second floor lobby of The Plaza Hotel in Balanga City. The interiors aren’t quite as Japanese as the restaurant is—plush velvety chairs and no-nonsense dark wooden tables line the halls. I find the ambience a bit too intimidating especially for casual diners.

► CHECK PLAZA HOTEL’S DISCOUNTED ROOM RATES

Bataan is one of those places history geeks go nuts over. It became the last hold-out for the American forces during the Japanese invasion, a jump-off point for a Corregidor tour, and is the location of the infamous Death March—enough reasons for those interested in knowing more about World War II to visit. During our three-day tour of the province for the Pawikan Festival, we were able to touch base with a few of these.

You should definitely try our Chicken Valdostana. That was the staff’s quick reply as we asked for Stregato Gelateria’s best-seller. Valdo-what? We didn’t really know what it was, except that it’s chicken. And really, you can’t go wrong with chicken, especially something as fancy-sounding as that.

STREGATO GELATERIA’S GELATO BAR

It was the first day of Bataan’s Pawikan Festival tour. We left Manila more than four hours ago and were now quite hungry. Our first stop for the day as we reached the province’s capital, Balanga City, was for food.