As mentioned in the Tagaytay+Silang entry, I want to explore Silang as it looks like a nice quaint town. Well, I did that on the spur of the moment last 20 Jul 2021. On that day, exploring Silang was nagging my mind and I was quite bored so I gave it a go. My rough goal was visiting Cafe Agapita, which is quite popular with YouTube vloggers.

Silang is about 15 minutes away from Dasmariñas by jeepney. As quite common when I go to places I don’t know well, I got off a long way from the place, getting off at the Silang welcome arch. It’s fortunate that I did though, as the street leading to the town is very nice to walk through. It’s cloudy, windy, and cool, so even though it’s 15:30 I had a nice, long walk.

Random pic of the street. Notice the greenery?

Another random pic of the street. Road is almost deserted.

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On the way is the Silang branch of Cavite State University. Compared to other state universities, it’s on the tiny/small side.

Street (boulevard?) leading to the university.

Another view of the University (the white building in the distance).

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I walked to the university but did not go all the way in. No one stopped me, but with the pandemic and the fact I’m not an alumni discouraged me from further exploration. Time is not on my side either, as it’s already 15:30 and I don’t have the luxury of staying late. There were also roaming dogs, so no dice.

Beside the university is the still-being-constructed new Silang municipal hall.

New Silang municipal building, still under construction.

Around 20 minutes later, I arrive at the cafe. The drizzle’s getting stronger, progressing to torrential rain once I’m inside.

Internal road leading to the actual cafe entrance.

Guests waiting area.

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The place is quite packed, and I immediately regretted coming. I’m not for crowds; I enjoy most when an establishment has almost no people in it. After 5-10 minutes I was let inside. It’s literally a dining hall.

Dining hall from my table. Don't mind the dishes; I took this pic after I ate.

Another view of the dining hall.

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As feared, no corner tables are available, and you can’t really choose because all’s taken. So here I am quite near the center, seating awkwardly.

They have a QR code at the table’s corner, which when scanned gives you their online menu. Or rather, it leads you to their Google Drive. Strange, I know.

Anyway, I ordered myself an espresso shot and a plate of Tuna Aglio Olio.

Espresso shot; ₱65.00.

Tuna Aglio Olio

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Impressions:

• Food-wise, it’s okay. It’s not stellar, but is not bad. I quite liked the Tuna Aglio Olio and ended up ordering another serving.
• Service-wise, it’s not bad but not good either, and I felt I was being ignored. Perhaps because I was not in my best clothes? I don’t know about you, but I’m quite ticked off when people judge your paying capacity by your external appearance. Or maybe because they’re just so many customers and I’m just being a Karen? Notable is I asked for service water about five times before I received two glasses, and there were insects (gasp!) on the second one. Not a good experience; reminds me of how Dasmariñas clerks treat customers who look like they don’t have a lot of money.
• Place-wise, this is obviously an events place, meaning you go here mainly for the ambiance. This is mainly the reason why it’s popular with YouTube and Instagram people, because of the lush surroundings which looks good on videos and selfies. You can literally dine under the trees; unfortunately it’s raining quite hard on that day so everyone’s packed inside the “gymnasium”. It’s ideal for receptions, social gatherings, and photoshoots; those are literally advertised on their website.

My verdict: if you are after instagrammable pics, you will enjoy your time here. But if you’re mainly after the food and service, which I was, then you might not want to eat here, as the food is quite forgettable and service is a bit so-so. Case in point: even though I liked the Tuna Aglio Olio, I can’t remember how it tastes like; same is true for the espresso shot. Honestly, place-wise I had more fun in Forastero Cafe, while food-wise Don Juan Restaurant is great (and cheaper!).

In any case, after an hour I left and proceeded to do a little more exploration, which I found difficult due to the torrential rain. No pics from here on out, I’m afraid.

Walking the vicinity of Cafe Agapita made me regret more getting my fill there, as there were many other restaurants I could have tried. I would say Cafe Agapita is like the Starbucks of Silang: the main clientele are people who want to show they can afford to eat in a “luxurious” place, popular with teenagers who splurge their parents’ money, and with netizens who mainly value the surroundings. And like Starbucks, once you’ve had one, you pretty much had it all. And it’s not even good coffee!

Anyway, by around 18:00 I was on my way back home to Dasmariñas.

Will I visit Silang again? Definitely; I would love to try biking all the way there. As for Cafe Agapita? Well, if someone treats me or as part of a social gathering, then yes I might go back, but on my own I would not. I do like the place (as I am a nature lover), but unfortunately it’s not good enough to go back. Brewed Awakening is more picturesque than Cafe Agapita.

PS: Don’t think I’m hating on Cafe Agapita, because I’m not. It’s just overrated.

Updates:

• 13 Jun 2024:
  • Removed travel date from title; added in post header instead.
  • Fixed formatting

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