Antonio's

Person A and I have a strange love affair with Antonio's . The past 3 years we've been trying to reserve a seat in this Miele Guide - listed restaurant and every time there's a good reason why we can't claim our reservation: the place is not available on our chosen date and the other time we don't have the time to drive to Tagaytay hence we had to cancel and book a table at Lolo Dad's instead. The latter is not bad at all, I tell you, it's still one of the best fine dining experience I ever had! So this time, we made sure that we get to enjoy Chef Tony Boy's creation and enjoy we did!

The Place

Antonio's is a quaint, fine dining restaurant in Tagaytay. The restaurant is unique because it is packaged as an estate-like experience wherein you are invited to the Chef's own weekend home. I love the huge gate, the intricately-designed wood works and especially the well-manicured garden. 

Upon entering the tiered-dining areas, you know that chic and elegance are its catch-phrase: the black, white and red palette on wood express it all.

According to the restaurant's website, "Antonio's is much more than a restaurant. It is an experience - an experience we encourage each and every guest to savor and share". What made us very curious with this place, which opened in 2002, it is consistently rated by Miele Guide to be the number 1 restaurant in the Philippines since it started publishing its list in 2008. 

Let me highlight its staff as well. I had the chance to coordinate with them and every time they have accommodated me and extremely well-versed with the place and food. Service is exceptional and to put more meat to this phrase, the waiter interchanged our order with the next table. Good thing, no one started eating or touching the plate hence there were no consequences. However, when Person A got the bill, he noticed his wine was not included. He asked the staff what's the reason and she answered, "Compliments from the waiter". 

The Food

Antonio's offer set menu, when you order the main course, it comes with salad, soup, dessert and coffee or tea. Since we are at Antonio's, we decided to go for the steak (good for 2 persons) but that's getting ahead of the story. 

Grilled Portobello Mushroom with Foie Gras 

The portobello mushroom was grilled nicely, very soft and has that nicely grilled taste. The consistency is similar to that of the foie gras! It can pass up as a filler. 

Now the foie gras is excellent. It's so soft - almost liquidy! Lastly, the sauce just amplifies the taste of the appetizer. 

It is safe to say that Person A and I can't get over this dish.

Antonio's Organic Mesclun Salad

Bleu d'Auvegne crumbled, glazed walnuts, dried currants and cranberries, with raspberry vinaigrette, drizzled with basil oil

Ang sarap! The salad tastes so fresh and healthy! The leaves are very crunchy while the berries and vinaigrette provide a sweet taste tempered by the saltiness of the blue cheese. Let me share also that the serving of blue cheese is humongous!

Cream of Kohlrabi with Pancetta Soup 

Kohlrabi is from the cabbage family while pancetta is Italian's version of bacon.

The soup is served warm, tastes mushroomy and is frothy on top. Pancetta provides texture and added saltiness to the soup. Serving size is generous. It's really good. 

Grilled Certified Angus Ribeye Steak (good for 2 persons!)

700g ribeye, rubbed with cardamom, with Antonio's sauce, chimichurri. 

It comes with a lot of choices of side dishes, I had truffled mashed potato 

while Person A ordered Antonio's Black and Green olive rice. 

The steak was nicely done, thick slabs and goes well with the sauces. It's really good. It is a 700g order and I tell you it's a lot for 2 individuals! We think it's good for 3 persons. Here are the sauces.

Poached Pear in Port Wine with Vanilla Ice Cream 

Anything cooked in wine is always good. Having said that, this half a pear is really good.

And the vanilla ice cream is divine. This is a winner.

Felchlin Maracaibo Chocolate Terrine w/ Double Cream and Roasted Pistachio

I am proud to share that I chose our desserts and both are winners.

This one tastes subtly creamy then the chocolate flavor just explodes. Add the cream and roasted pistachio, we love it. 

Wildrock Pinot

This is Person A's red wine. It's the first wine that he thinks is really good. 

Just sharing.

We ended the meal with a cup of coffee. I should have chosen the herbed tea as I was very full.

In Summary

1. All in all, Antonio's is worth it's Miele Guide status. The place is very quaint, elegant and chic. The ambiance is formal-casual hence perfect for romantic dates and sophisticated meals with family and friends.

2. Price point is expensive BUT looking at the quality of food and the number of courses, I say, it's still value for money. 

Antonio's

Tagaytay

Tuesday - Sunday, 11AM to 2PM, 5:30PM - 8:30PM

63.917.899.2866

Of Leaf Pies, Bulalo and Spending the Weekend with Family and Friends

This same long weekend last year, I had a girl bonding weekend with le bestfriend in good 'ole Tagaytay. This year, I also headed to Tagaytay to take this little boy to see Taal Volcano.

It's still six in the morning when I took this shot and he just got off the plane from Cebu. He grew up in Isle of Wight and due to the unflattering reports he sees on TFC, he doesn't see the Philippines as a good place to visit. On this specific holiday, his Mum made sure that he gets to appreciate the country of his parents and took him to Bohol, Mindanao, swam with the whale sharks and now, Taal.

Cousins! 

I should dig up photos of us two when I was still a toddler and you were in high school. Memories eons ago.

We had bulalo from Leslie's for their Filipino food overload.



A must if you are doing "GR duties", that's Guest Relations for the uninitiated, to foreign friends and family. It will be a year again before they enjoy authentic Filipino dishes. The broth is a bit salty, which had me thinking, is Rose and Grace's offering much better?

Last Saturday, I enjoyed some Rokumeikan Leaf Pie with my college girls.

This is THE leaf pie that Chuvaness craved for.

Our verdict: finer, less crumbly version of otap. Nothing spectacular and damn expensive. Php 50/small pack of two small leaf pies whereas you can get a family pack otap for the same price. This small box has 10 small packs. Get the picture? Mahirap maging social climber. Haha! On a serious note, if you really want to get it in Singapore, head to Takashimaya basement, Rokumeikan Tokya Ginza has a stall there. It's a very happy place for foodies - street and finer foods are available. It's where we bought the Godiva milkshake I shared in my previous post.

Dinner #2 that night was with one of my high school friends who is now based in Bukidnon. Meet Sarj, our glowing mom in red. Rightmost. There are 3 ladies in red in this picture.

I haven't seen her since we graduated from college and in that 5 years she got married and she just gave birth to her 2nd child! Yep, baby #2!

And as you noticed, I recycled my outfit, kasi peg ko HRH Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. If my clothes don't smell and I just used it for a few hours, I air dry it and use it in the next opportunity. Trust me, I smell nice. Saves water and saves the textile quality. 

I am typing this post in my neighborhood carwash. Jellybean, my taxi-white car, is badly in need of pampering after 2 months of braving the rain and mud. 

Apart from charging reasonable cost, this place has Porsches and MBs and other luxury cars parked in its vicinity.

And at times, I see the carwash boys driving these cars. Naka Boxster si Kuya! 

Deym, talo most of my guy friends!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Amoroma Ristorante: Still Our Favorite and Best Italian Restaurant

While finishing our meal at Amoroma, I had this conversation with Person A:

Me:           Is this our favorite Italian place?

Person A: Meron pa bang iba?

He's right and I agree. We love that the food tastes so rich, home-cooked and priced just right. Our recent trip to Tagaytay is primarily to enjoy Amoroma food and of course to enjoy some quality time. Yikkkeeee!  

I love the no-nonsense ambiance of the place: its regular lighting and of course the checkered table cloth. 

What did we enjoy on our second trip to Amoroma?

Bread

This basket comes free with the grilled pork that we order. It's so soft and tastes creamy and buttery. 

5-Formaggi (PhP 485)

13-in, thin crust pizza with GENEROUS topping of mozzarella, romano (?), gouda (?), fontina (?) and blue cheese. The right mixture to give the right amount of saltiness, creaminess and the taste of old cheese. 

The serving of cheese is so generous that you can see the pointy-end sagging. This is the best cheese pizza we've ever had!

Con Vegetale Risotto (PhP 280)

Mixed vegetables, white wine, extra virgin oil and parmesan cheese.

The texture of risotto is perfect while the flavor is delicate: subtle vegetable salted by the parmesan. This is a winner especially if you're thinking of ordering a flavor meat dish.

Filetto di Maiale (PhP 380)

Grilled pork tenderloin

The pork is grilled medium, still soft with slight lemon-herb flavor. Person A thinks it good but not great. I think it's great. The potato slices on the side is awesome. It's brushed with grilled meat flavor.

Tiramisu (PhP 180)

Espresso-soaked cake with mascarpone cheese. Can you see how sinful this slice is? It tastes as good as it looks. The sponge cake is extra soft while the mascarpone filling gives it milky/buttery/creamy flavor balanced with the bitterness of espresso and unsweetened cocoa powder. 

Again, one of the best tiramisu we've had.

In Summary

1. In terms of taste, price and authenticity, nothing beats Amoroma. The food consistently tastes good, rich and home-cooked that you'll be convinced it's peppered with lots of love.

2. The place is very casual and not intimidating perfect for family gatherings, with friends and even with a date. Just don't ask her to dress up for fine-dining. 

3. Price is medium range, about PhP300 for main course, sufficient for one.

Amoroma Ristorante

Calamba Road

Tolentino East, Tagaytay

63.46.696.3582

Sonya's Signature Massage

Person A and I snuck up a quick trip to Tagaytay over the rainy weekend. He was craving for Italian food and he thought of giving me the massage that I had been dreaming for weeks. 

After a short deliberation, we headed to Sonya's Garden. The place is still very relaxing and pretty even with the rain. However, there are now a number of places in Tagaytay which have the same and even better ambiance. 

Sonya's Signature Massage (PhP 785/hour)

It is a combination of Shiatsu and Swedish massage. What I like about it is the intense pressure applied on my spinal column and the masseuse is well-trained with the Swedish stroke. The massage oil used smelled too much of virgin coconut oil (or is it mineral oil?). I prefer something lavender/pine scented. However, there's nothing spectacular about the massage. It's good but nothing great. For its price, I am expecting more. 

Also, they charge an extra PhP 100 for the couple's room. Most massage places don't.

What Person A and I enjoyed though was the hot, dalandan-seasoned tea served after the massage. 

Like no other!

So the search is still on for our favorite massage place in Tagaytay. In Makati, we prefer Blue Water Day Spa. I feel extra relaxed and sleepy after their combination massage (Swedish+Shiatsu) and a fraction lower than the massage we had over the weekend. 

Sonya's Garden

Buck Estate, Alfonso

Cavite

63.917.532.9097

Flowers of the Night

I and a group of 16 friends capped off the work-week with a dinner at Marcia Adams. The place is exactly how I remember it.



Neil Adams is very gracious, the garden is blooming with flowers, the restaurant still takes my breath away with its rustic charm and oh, the flowers are gorgeous.



Oh, so gorgeous bursting in different colors



There's a huge bundle of baby's breath and another white flower in a wicker basket



White and yellow mums on the table top



A burst of yellow on a steel stand



Alstroemerias all over the hallway



And a bunch of white roses in a tin can by the window. My favorite.



It was a lovely, cold, fun evening to start the year. Thanks for having me.

Amoroma Ristorante Italiano: My Favorite Italian Place

While everyone rushed to get out of Manila last long weekend, I spent the 4-day break glued to my bed nursing a cold. It was too long a time to bond with my bed so I snuck a trip to Tagaytay with Person A to get his post-turnaround massage at T-House and try the Italian fare at Amoroma.

This is us before getting a massage.

That week, I suspended my sometimes-no-red-meat diet to aid my immune system and embarked on an Italian food binge which I find it appropriate to end with a meal at Amoroma. Why? Because the foodie community has been raving about this place for its authentic dishes served like no other.

Amoroma didn’t disappoint.

The Place

I don’t consider it a fine dining place. In fact, it’s your regular by-the-roadside-restaurant strategically located a few meters to the right of the Silang-Tagaytay junction.  

The place opens 11 AM to 2PM for lunch and 6PM to 10PM for dinner. So if you’re early, you can opt to sink in the cold Tagaytay air and pacify some angry birds. He's addicted to that game.

And take cheesy shots without knowing your companion is making a funny face. 

You are aptly warned that furry friends are not allowed inside, hence they can stay on the terrace enjoying the cold air some more. 

They have more warmth protection than us, so no worries there.

Inside, checkered tables can seat to about 80 guests and there’s a huge oven where you can view how pizzas are made.

Meal starts with dinner rolls.

Fresh from the oven and served a bit burnt. These taste good and have a nice texture.

Ravioli “Amoroma al Cartoccio” (PhP 340)

Spinach ravioli in cream, gorgonzola, vegetable and brandy sauce

This spinach-filled pasta is extremely good. The pasta is al dente but what sets it apart is the sauce. It’s thick and the saltiness of the aged-cheese with the tang of brandy made it a hit with Person A. I am not big on the dish but I have to agree that this is good. If you like spinach and cheese-salted sauce, then you have to order this.

Risotto Tartufo (PhP 445)

Black truffle mushroom and parmesan

Yes, that’s a slice of black truffle on top of my risotto. The distinct aroma and taste that the truffle renders on the rice dish is awesome. This dish is a winner! Another must try!

Petti di Pollo “Amoroma” (PhP 350)

Chicken breast stuffed with spinach, gorgonzola with gorgonzola sauce.

Noticed something? We were on a spinach and gorgonzola feast! The chicken is nicely done while the cream sauce takes the savory to a different level. It’s so good. What makes it additionally interesting is the aged-cheese after taste from the gorgonzola bits. And the potatoes have that grilled herb taste. No dish failed in our taste meter.

Tiramisu (PhP 155)

We ended our meal with tiramisu and coffee: cappuccino for the lady and latte for the gentleman. We order that all the time. We’re boring.

Another good tiramisu of the classic kind. It is made of espresso-soaked sponge cake with a generous layer of mascarpone.

In Summary

1. Amoroma is one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve tried. The dishes we tried are extremely good, in an authentic kind of way. This will be one of my default Italian restaurant to have a meal or to recommend to friends. Reason enough to drive to Tagaytay.

2. Price is reasonable. It is not as pricey as a fine dining restaurant and the serving size is more than enough for one person.

3. The place is practically for everything: dinner date, friends and family dinner and I fancy throwing a party in this restaurant. It doesn’t have the best interiors but the food will make up for everything. It is closely located to the Tagaytay junction making it very accessible even with heavy Tagaytay traffic.

Amoroma Ristorante Italiano

3575 Calamba Road

Tolentino, East Tagaytay

63.46.6963582