Buon Giorno Tagaytay

Buon Giorno means “Good Day” in Italian. For most of us, it is an Italian Restaurant up in the highlands of Tagaytay.

It is situated in Cliffhouse, Tagaytay where you get one of the better views of Taal and the mountain breeze is biting cold at the right time of the year. Brrr….

After the massage, buying Good Shepherd’s ube jam, haggling fresh organic produce from the roadside vendor, trying to reserve a table at Amoroma (only to find out that lunch is served between 11-2 PM, we arrived at 2:20) and braving the impossible traffic in Tagaytay... not once... not twice.. but thrice!, we finally claimed our reserved seats at Buon Giorno.

It was already 3:00 PM and my head was spinning… I was about to faint from hunger.

Nahihilo na ako sa gutom!

Once I seated myself, I ordered a bowl of soup just to get me through the next minute.

Crema de Funghi (PhP 170)

Thick soup made from rich wild mushrooms. It’s like thick pumpkin soup but with the subtle taste of mushrooms. I can’t figure out why it has a sour aftertaste. Nonetheless, this is one good meal starter.

The four of us were so hungry that we polished the complimentary bread off before I was able to take a picture.

 Croquettes with Mozzarella (PhP 218)

Deep-fried potatoes outer layer, risotto-like inner layer and a core of cubed mozzarella. Since it is made from potatoes, the tomato sauce pairs well with this appetizer. I would love to have a melted mozzarella instead of a cubed one inside, but it doesn’t matter. It still tastes good.

Quattro Formaggi (PhP 365)

The pizza has a very thin crust and a generous serving of four cheeses: mozzarella, fontina, gorgonzola and  parmesan. It’s about 9” in diameter and is good for 4. It’s one of the better four cheese pizzas.

Pescatore Ala Puttanesca (PhP 308)

Fettuccine with seafood on spicy tomato sauce. I wasn’t big on pasta yesterday but my friends liked the dish. The pasta is al-dente and the spicy sauce adds the right tang to make it a good pasta dish.

Pollo E Funghi (PhP 302)

If you’ve read my food posts, you might have noticed that I like mushroom and I like risotto. So this is a natural choice for us. The rice is “al-dente”, not soggy. The broth/cream tastes of chicken, mushroom … very subtle… really really good. One of the good risottos in town. I can order this everytime I visit Buon Giorno.

Prime Rib (PhP 598)

Tender prime rib, served with mushroom, wine and gravy sauce. It has buttered veggies on the side. We had this well-done and it still is succulent, bordering juicy. Again, tastes real good. The sauce is just right, the flavors do not overpower the steak, it enhances the juiciness of the well-done steak. My favorite, this and the risotto.

We didn’t order dessert yesterday but during our last visit, we had some chocolate cake and tiramisu.

Molten Chocolate Cake ala Mode (PhP 168)

Thick, moist chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice cream. This is a good dessert when you’re not yet too full.

Coppa de Tiramisu (PhP 168)

Cake infused with rum and coffee, layered with mascarpone cheese and topped with grated chocolate. This isn’t your regular tiramisu slice and if I can remember it correctly, it has mousse-like consistency rather than the chiffon-like kind. This is a more versatile dessert… full or not.

In Summary

1. Buon Giorno is one of the better Italian restaurants. It’s worth the trip to Tagaytay. The food is great, the price doesn’t hurt as much and you’ll literally have a good day after eating in this restaurant.

2. The restaurant tends to get crowded (it’s so popular!), hence a reservation is a must. I don’t see this as a date place unless you come in during the low season. It’s good for family gathering and catching up with friends.

Buon Giorno Caffe and Bistro

4 Cliff House

Tagaytay

63.46.483.2102

One Happy Feet: Tagaytay

That's what I call myself today.

Woke up at 5AM to have breakfast with Mama at my favorite coffee shop in Salcedo before taking her to the airport

Went up to Tagaytay, which is one huge parking lot (!)



With one of the most beautiful women I know



We had a relaxing massage



And bought some fresh produce



Person A, Bart and that oh-so-adorable-yellow fellow named Kal-el joined us later in the day



Then we all enjoyed prime rib steak and many more



And head to Bag of Beans to enjoy the sinful apple pie ala mode



The oh-so-adorable-yellow fellow is one happy camper at the end of day.



Don't you just love long weekends?

Crime of Passion

Take a closer look

'Yun lang po.

What I Am About To Do

In this gloomy weather is to curl up in bed 

With my new book (It's hard-bound, baby!)

And a mug of hot coco-a

How are you spending the rainy, long weekend? 

I already have an eventful one. 

I spent the day yesterday ... *drum roll please* ...  at work! Haha! 

I would love to share with you how exciting the day was but I have a no-work-related-post policy, so let me just say this: For what it's worth, I find the dedication of the team very inspiring... in the middle of a storm, and all that.  I am very grateful for the assistance you've all provided.  Thank you! -(",)-*wink*

So once I shed off my safety shoes, I put on my favorite "mile-high" heels and watched Seussical, The Musical. Person A's idea of a Saturday night date. 

Ain't I swerte?

We met The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss's most recognizable character. 

Gertrude McFuzz, the loyal bird with a one-feathered tail. 

Horton, the kind, sweet-natured elephant who cares about other animals or people. 

Repertory Philippines' performance exceeded my expectations! Songs are great, dance sequence is awesome and the actors performance is impressive.

That was yesterday.

I spend the day with Mama.

Tomorrow, I'll be with a dear girl friend.

And the day after that with Person A.

I am fully-booked and happy! 

I hope your long weekend is doing as great.

I Smell CLEAN

For two weeks now, I've been looking for a new daily scent. My solid perfume had run out. 

The last two weeks as well, I developed rashes on the spot where I usually apply the perfume. It must have harbored bacteria. 

It's definitely time to buy a new one.

Unfortunately, I did not find anything that suits my budget. Anything less than PhP 700. So there was a point that I had nothing to apply. 

I smell great by the way, even if I don't apply any scent. Ask Person A. Haha!

So when I met my girl friends over the weekend, they were happy buyers of CLEAN perfume. Who wouldn't be happy about it, it's on sale!

Yes, at 65% off.

I came back to the stall last Monday and took home not just 1, but 2 bottles! 

I first saw CLEAN in one of the magazines. Based on my online research, the idea of Clean is it does not have a masking smell of a typical perfume. it has a fresh "stepped out of the bath smell". I normally prefer hints of powder and floral scent, nothing overpowering so these are perfect. Some of the scents are Fresh Laundry, Warm Cotton, Cotton T-Shirt, Shower Fresh, etc

Clean Provence (PhP 800, 30 mL, used to be PhP 2000)

The fragrance is inspired by “fine milled soaps of France”. Oooohhh... lavender... but the scent is described as being “reminiscent of pure soap and water, freshly laundered linen, and open blue skies”. Uh-huh, it smells just like that. At first spray, it comes out too strong but after a while it settles nicely on your skin. I can see myself using this for a loooonnnggg time.

Clean Clean (PhP 960, 60 mL, used to be PhP 2400)

It smells like you just lathered baby soap. And you can smell like that the whole day. The scent is stronger than provence.

Lovely.

Why did I buy 2 bottles when I just need one? If you noticed, the Clean Clean was marked down to PhP 1560, but the sales person marked it down further for me to PhP 960. Double mark down... another one of my lucky streaks.

So the next time you smell me nice and crisp, it's safe to say that it's gotta be Clean. 

What I Want On My Reading List

You've probably seen the trailer a thousand times after watching all the five or so superhero movies this (Northern Hemisphere) summer

Looks like a very promising chick flick. With Anne Hathaway and Lone Scherfig as the director (An Education). Rumor has it that Anne wanted to play the British lead so badly that she flew to London to explain why she should get the part. Although she felt that she was inarticulate in the meeting, she left a playlist with Ms. Scherfig that will communicate what she wanted to say. She got the part.

Although the critics are not so happy with the adaptation.

So I haven't read the book yet and I am planning to get it on my next trip to the bookstore.

I am still caught up in this book. 

I am still contemplating if I should read "One Day" right after Feast For Crows or complete Dance with Dragons first. So while I contemplate how to move forward, I leave you with Wikipedia's plot entry of "One Day".

Dexter and Emma spend the night together following their graduation from Edinburgh University in 1988. Though they do not become romantically involved, they become friends and in subsequent years, their lives take them in different directions, but they keep in contact. The novel visits their lives on 15 July in successive years in each chapter for 20 years.

Emma becomes a waitress in Kentish Town at a horrible Tex-Mex restaurant, while Dexter becomes a successful television presenter. Dexter becomes increasingly addicted to alcohol and other drugs, and is often presented as a wreck. Gradually, Emma fulfills her ambitions, first as a teacher and then as a bestselling novelist. Conversely, Dexter's career collapses, going from presenting a mainstream television show, to cable TV, to being fired from a late-night video games review show.

Each of the main characters have relationships with others, such as Emma with an unfunny stand-up comedian boyfriend Ian, and Dexter with a fellow TV presenter. By 2001, Emma has broken up with Ian, and Dexter has divorced wife Sylvie with whom he has had a daughter, Jasmine. The cause of the divorce is Sylvie's infidelity with Callum, one of Dexter's university friends. After the divorce Dexter goes to Paris to visit Emma, where she is writing her second book.

When they meet in Paris, they confront their relationship and whether becoming lovers is the right choice, after all the years they have been friends and with all the complications such a transition would make.

The book continues to tell the story about their lives from this point, as a drama. 

Ingenious

Goojab Serenitea.

To-go packaging for one cup of bubble tea.

Saves a lot of plastic.

You can also opt not to request for the plastic bag.

Dinner Last Night

Breakfast earlier

And salad mix in the coming days

Person A took home an order of cheese platter for the little girl. Yay! The cheese monster is happy!

Brie, this is one of my favorite cheeses. It's a soft cheese, from cow's milk and from the Champagne region in France. It's very soft and has a buttery, creamy center. It goes well with bread.

Manchego, it's "hard" (i am not so sure) cheese from La Mancha region in Spain and is made from sheep milk. Yes, it has that sheep after taste (think: when you order lamb) but the buttery texture, just-right-saltiness, and crumbly slice make it one of the best cheeses. This is Person A's favorite. It's good with bread and grapes or prunes.

Blue cheese. One of the few food material you want the mold to land on. It's soft cheese injected with Penicillium. It's good with grapes and walnuts

There were gouda, emmental and other cheeses on the platter. 

We also had multi-grain bread and kiwi with the cheeses.

And washed it down with beer. What happened to wine? 

Well, some food enthusiasts are now challenging wine's supremacy in cheese pairing so we had beer. For starters, this beer is very refreshing but with a bitter after taste. The yeasty, earthy and farm-y origin of the beer is sufficient to make a good match with cheese.

To be consistent, I am having cheese, bread and fruit dinner while typing this entry. 

Kailangan ubusin, bago masira.

'Pag Ako Kinasal: Kate Moss Wedding

I want the ceremony to be a in small church, by the countryside



I won't have a huge number of attendants

But I will hire Mario Testino as my wedding photographer. Before you shout "Ambisyosa" Cut me some slack, "Libre mangarap!"

So that the photos will come out real

And dreamy

All at the same time



Plus my friends will look this gorgeous

So Vogue



I hardly call this a loving gaze of a newly-wed, though.

Hats off to Mrs. Jamie Hince (Kate Moss) and Mario Testino, this is definitely one beautiful wedding (and really beautiful photos), very real but definitely Vogue-worthy.

Catch the whole set on American Vogue September issue.