Everyone had worked up a sweat (and an appetite) after all that primping in pre-war costumes at Villa Sariaya. Lunch, we were told, was about eight miles away and would be served fine dining-style.
All shook up in Graceland
Elvis Presley, or at least his spirit, is alive in Graceland Estates and Country Club, a 22-hectare property thousands of miles away from Memphis. The owner/developer of this eco-tourism spot in Tayabas has been an avid Presley fan since his teens, and naming the property after his idol’s estate was his way of honoring the King of Rock and Roll. Graceland in Tayabas, however, has a character quite distinct from its Memphis counterpart.

A couple of hours were all the time allowed by the tour for this Tayabas stop, and that didn’t give much chance to explore everything the place has to offer. The Memphis Café and Grille provides an unobstructed view of the man-made lagoon where club members and guests can go boating, fishing and jet skiing. The trail surrounding the lagoon is ideal for jogging and biking, or simply strolling. Apart from this, we could only view the Spanish/Mediterranean-inspired apartelles and townhouse villas from a distance.


But we came here to dine, and we were just so ready to do that. Like a gastronomic strip tease, the food came one by one, each one building up expectations for the next delight.





I was hoping they would serve pilipit, those doughnut-shaped squash crispies for dessert; instead, yema cake it was. As it turned out, my slight disappointment quickly melted away after taking bites of the cake with butter caramel swirls.
Overall, the food had all the right flavors to match the masterful plating. Elvis would have been pleased. It was rock and roll all the way.
Ugu Bigyan’s Pottery Shop
A quick stop at this famous pottery shop in Tiaong owned by Augusto Bigyan (nicknamed Ugu) was next. It was my second time to visit this ceramics haven, but I found the new pieces even more enchanting.
Please click here to read my earlier write-up about Ugu Bigyan’s studio. I wasn’t in a shopping mood this time, but I took note of some interesting pieces that are worth coming back for. Once a year, Ugu sells his creations at discounted prices usually in August, which is his birth month. The discount percentage is equal to his current age, and this generous artist is turning 50 this year. 🙂
From Tiaong, we made a final stop at Sulyap Gallery and Café in San Pablo City on the way back to Manila. This unique destination merits a blog post all to itself, which will be what Part 3 is all about.
Though this Graceland is thousands of miles away from the original, the tropical connection may bring it closer in spirit to Elvis than you think. When I was in Hawaii a couple of years ago I discovered that Elvis was crazy about the place, especially Kauai, where he stayed whenever he got a chance. It was one of the few places where he thought he could be himself after he got famous.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Donna. This is so heartwarming for many of us (including the Graceland Tayabas owner :-)) who did not have the chance to see Elvis in person.
This post brought back happy memories of my time in Quezon province. Got assigned as a credit officer for Quezon and Laguna provinces with base in Lucena, I really enjoyed the many plant/client visits where I really discovered the beauty of these places. I’m drooling at all these food you posted. 😉
Thanks for dropping by and for all the ‘likes’. I saw your site and I love your posts on the Tuscan countryside and the tulips. Plenty of reasons to frequent your blog. 🙂
Cool post about Graceland! We went there 6 years ago and they didn’t serve food yet. We just swam there and ordered food from Buddy’s
I’m sure you’ll like the changes if you go back there today. I like your blog post on Quezon, too! Great food, no?
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