Tagaytay's Marcia Adams's Tuscany for Grilled Orange and Vanilla Ice Cream

This is my second visit to Marcia Adams. Per usual, the food was great. Each course entitles one to an appetizer, a main dish, and a dessert. I've already featured my favorites here. For this visit I was impressed with this dessert combo: grilled orange + vanilla ice cream + mint + honey = delicious!

Can't resist taking a picture of the Amalfi Prawns, which I also featured here.

Marcia Adams's Tuscany
JP Rizal Street, Tagaytay City
0917-8011456

Tagaytay's Carlo's Pizza for Pizza Margherita

This is a quick note on a pizza we ordered for delivery from Carlo's Pizza. For an earlier entry on the restaurant, click here.

I was delighted with their Pizza Margherita. I wouldn't normally order this since I'm not crazy about tomatoes in Italian cuisine, but this pizza was simple, bright, and comforting. Pizza margheritas are usually topped with tomatoes, grilled chicken breast fillet, bechamel sauce, cheddar and mozarella cheese

Carlo's Pizza
One Destination Tagaytay
(+63) 46 413 0707

Tagaytay's Tootsie's for Turon Halo Halo and Bibingka

Today I'm featuring Tootsie's versions of two popular snacks, one a ubiquitous street food, the other usually served during the holidays. 

Turon is made of slices of plantain and slivers of langka (jackfruit), dusted with sugar, then wrapped in spring roll wrapper and fried. Tootsie's Turon halo halo came with heart-warming ube (purple yam) filling, and drizzled with langka sauce. The crisp outer layer and warm delicious soft filling make this a winner.

Bibingka is a rice cake traditionally served during the Christmas season. It is made of rice flour, coconut milk or water, eggs, and milk, and infused with the aroma of toasted banana leaves. I love Tootsie's version: redolent with egg, oh-so-soft, and buttery. It was also freshly baked. They need 25-minute lead time to prepare the dish. 

Tootsie's
J Abad Santos cor. Aguinaldo Highway
Km. 57.5, Tagaytay City
(63) 46 483 46 29

Tagaytay's Carlo's Pizza for Buffalo Wings and Quattro Formaggi Pizza

My current food obsession is blue cheese. Blue cheese is a general classification of cheeses that have cultures of the mold Penecilium added, resulting to the characteristic blue spots or veins and strong smell of the final product.  Up until a few years ago I was indifferent to this oh-so-pungent cheese, but after eating this and this, I'm joining the bandwagon. 

The Buffalo Wings came with the said ranch dressing, but we prevailed upon our server to give us the blue cheese dip instead. I love this dish because of the soft, hefty, juicy chicken, perfect with the blue cheese dip to cut the sweetish coating. The chicken wasn't too cloying, making you want even more, and this is good enough for us. 

Another winner was the Quattro Formaggi, the toppings of which are made of blue cheese, parmesan, cheddar, and mozarella cheeses. This was one tasty pizza., very cheesy, but of course, with the pronounced aroma of blue cheese. Didn't I i mention I love the blue cheese? It has jut the right crust--not too thin or thick.

Carlo's Pizza
One Destination
Tagaytay City
(+63) 46 483 0707

Tagaytay's Downtown Pizza and Pasta for Bacon Mushroom Melt Pizza

Downtown Pizza and Pasta share the same premises with Red Engine Diner. For its premium prices, we were disappointed with what we ordered from Red Engine, save for the appetizer platter. This was one bright spot, though, Downtown Pizaa and Pasta's bacon mushroom melt. This is one for fans of meat and cheese. Imagine pomodoro sauce, mozarella cheese, beef and bacon bits, white onions, and lashings of cheese sauce. We were one big group, and we voted unanimously that this is the best from what we ordered. But will we be back? Not in the near future.

Downtown Pasta and Pizza
Sky Ranch
Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City
(+63) 46 413 1396

Top Picks from Tagaytay's Breakfast at Antonio's

It's a good time to be a foodie--there are countless options available, helped in large part by media playing up the restaurant scene. One of my officemate's mother watch Kris Aquino's morning show to see what restaurants the latter will recommend. Back at the office, my colleague would regale us with their latest weekend adventure, complete with Instagram-worthy pictures.

Breakfast at Antonio's came in my radar via one of the blogs I follow. One day, while stationed in Tagaytay, I called up the gang and headed there for dinner (smile). Below are my favorites:

I love the beef tapa and eggs. The tapa was savory, and flavorful, perfect with rice.

If I had to go back, I would order the sauteed corned beef. It was soft and flavorful, and not too salty. I also love how peppery it was.

If you're a fan of burgers, try Breakfast at Antonio's version.The patty was beefy, the capers gave a sour-salty punch, and the bun was wonderfully creamy.


Breakfast at Antonios
Brgy. Neogan Purok 138
Tagaytay City Cavite
(+63) 46 413 0975

Top Picks from Tagaytay's Marcia Adams's Tuscany

Some meals are magical they are forever etched in your mind: Ka Lui's. My Kitchen. First Colonial Grill. Rafael's Farm and Garden. Here's another: Tagaytay's Marcia Adams's Tuscany. Just being there is an event (I'll post about this later).

It's with a tinge of sadness that I write this. An earthquake and a super-typhoon has just wrecked havoc on the Visayas, and having visited some of them, Leyte in particular (see here, here, and here), I'm not sure if the restaurants I wrote about are still standing after these twin tragedies. As of this writing news is slowly trickling in, and I do hope that the people behind these establishments, as well as the general populace, are safe.

But life must go on, we must soldier on. Tragedies have a way of bringing people closer. For a date or dinner with family and friends, I could not recommend this enough. Below are the highlights of our Tagaytay dinner, which consists of a three course-meal including an appetizer and a dessert. Every dish was cooked by Marica Adams herself. Since we went as a group, we were spoilt for choice. Be prepared to pay more, but with food as good as this, it's money well-spent.

For appetizers, we chose:

Amalfi prawns--crispy prawns marinated in salt, pepper, olive oil, parsley, coated with bread crumbs, and pan-fried. Amalfi is a Italian coastal town and a tourist draw.  I wrote in my notes: "fat, crunchy prawns."

The provone, melon and aragula salad is the bomb. Refreshing, pretty salad. At first I thought the yellow orbs were tomatoes.

Warm cheese-filled salad with walnuts and pistachio.

The Aaegean (vegetarian) salad consisted of grilled pear, mixed greens, grilled Italian ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and roasted pistachios in herby, tangy dressing.  Very flavorful. You can do no wrong withe either of the two salads.

For mains we had

The Al-funghi--spaghetti with mixed fresh mushrooms, basil, and garlic. This vegetarian pasta disappeared in seconds.

The Italian pork chop--grilled loin chop seasoned with fennel and pepper, accompanied by organic rice made with leeks and chives.

We also had the shish kebabs. These were wonderful  even without the sauce. The lamb was not gamy at all.

For dessert we had

the lovely grilled banana split. Warm thick choco was poured over the bananas.

We also had the delicate panna cota with lemon sauce. Lovely lemon rinds. Don't forget to bite into the mint.


Marcia Adams's Tuscany
JP Rizal Street, Tagaytay City
0917-8011456

Tagaytay's Mochiko for Mochi Ice Cream

Lately I have taken a liking to mochi ice cream. This confection is made of mochi (pounded sticky rice) on the outside and ice cream filling. The dough reminds me of palitao. The first time I ate mochi ice cream was from Mochiko's outlet in Cliffhouse Tagaytay, and every chance I get I try out the different flavors. Featured here are my favorites so far. Tip: wait for a few minutes for the mochi to soften before eating

red velvet and blueberry mochi. 

bestselling oreos and milk mochi 

this is my absolute favorite--durian mochi. very authentic, like eating frozen durian

Mochiko
Cliffhouse Tagaytay
Maharlika East, Tagaytay City
(+63) 917- 831 0624

Tagaytay City's Amy's Eatery for Bulalo, Beefsteak, and Fried Tawilis

My quest for the ultimate bulalo (beef shank soup) continues. Last time I reported on my find in Mandaluyong City. This time I'll be reporting from Tagaytay. 

This is my second go in Tagaytay. Weeks ago we tried to go to the city's Mahogany Market, which is beef central in these parts. One can buy the freshest beef here, from locally raised cows butchered that very morning. A skip, hop, and a jump away are open-air food stalls popular for selling bulalo. Unfortunately, we reached the place around 9 p.m., and by that time the stalls were closed.

This time we were at Mahogany at 7 p.m. Earlier I polled my colleagues for the best place to eat, and Amy's was a unanimous choice. It was raining hard that day, but nothing's going to stop this quest. Below are the best of what we ordered. 

bulalo--beef shank boiled for hours, flavored with fish sauce,
with cabbage and other available vegetables added to the mix 

bistek tagalog--strips of sirloin beef and onion rings cooked in soy sauce and calamansi juice

fried tawilis--freshwater sardines found only in taal lake

The bulalo and bistek were brimming with beefy goodness. We noticed that the bulalo broth remained clear even in the cool weather. I had posted on fried tawilis before, and this comes close to that wonderful experience, minus the fancy ambiance. Many of my colleagues were preparing for a marathon, but any thoughts on diet were put on hold while we ate to our heart's content. And oh, as a nice touch, we were given fresh pineapple and bananas for dessert.  

This is, by far, the best bulalo yet for me. 

Tagaytay City's Amira's Buco (Coconut) Tart Haus

"Researching" for this blog has taken a toll on my body. The search for the object of the next post has made getting trim quite tricky, so in between posts I adopted some ways to prevent packing in more pounds. One such strategy is sharing my loot.  

Amira's has been a fixture in Tagaytay City for quite some time (it opened in 2003), and many of my colleagues swear by it. They recommend the silvanas, which I find too rich for my taste. The house specialty, on the other had, hits the right spot--not too sweet, just right. 

I bought a box of nine for three sets of friends on different occasions, and the same thing happened--the contents were gone in an instant. Each set costs P170.00, and comes in other flavors like apple, pineapple, ube (purpel yam), and mango. 

Amira's Buco Tart Haus

Aguinaldo Highway cor. SVD Road

Maitim 2nd Tagaytay East

Tagaytay City, Cavite

(+63) 46 413-1491

Tagaytay’s Josephine’s Restaurant for Fried Tawilis

For many, Tagaytay City is known for two things: one, because of its cooler climate it is an accessible retreat from the capital’s sweltering heat. Two hours is all you need by car from Manila, barring heavy traffic. Two, it provides a breathtaking view of Taal Lake, the third largest lake in the Philippines, and the similarly named volcano in the middle of the lake. For me, Tagaytay City, Josephine’s Restaurant to be precise, is where I tasted my first tawilis—freshwater sardines found only in Taal Lake—which I remember as buttery, clean. I wanted to recreate this experience, so when I was assigned to the city I took some time off to go to Josephine’s. What was presented to me, pictured here, was not as I remembered (perhaps what I ate years ago was char-grilled/inihaw na tawilis), but it acquits itself on its own. The fish is crunchy, thus it can be eaten whole, bones, head and all, although I left out the tail. Best dipped in vinegar, the fish tasted sweetish—I thought this was because of the dip. Upon checking the latter turned out pungent. Another food memory comes to mind--eating dried fish in the comfort of home many years ago when I was still living in Dagupan City, but that would be for another post.

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