tagaytay – Jay Lagare

July 15, 2013July 17, 2013

Breakfast at Antonio’s

Yesterday, we went to Tagaytay for Breakfast. At Antonio’s. For a change, we went up early. You know, when the air is still chilly and there’s still a bit of fog. We went straight to Breakfast at Antonio’s.

Well actually, straight is not accurate. I got caught up enjoying driving a bit too much and somehow ended up to the end of SLEX. So I had to backtrack via the back roads and ended up at the far end of Nuvali. Thankfully, the guard allowed us to pass through after some good-natured chit-chat ;)

So anyway, we did finally get to Tagaytay and Breakfast. It was already crowded when we got there. But we we’re able to park and get seated reasonably easily. Ordering and getting the food served took a bit longer. But not too long either.

I ordered Beef Roesti. Per Wikipedia: Roesti or Rösti is made with coarsely grated potato, either cooked or raw. Depending on the frying technique, butter or another fat may be added (and usually salt and pepper). If not, oil is used for the frying. In this case, it is fried to crunchiness and topped with roast beef, poached eggs, and cheese.

breakfast1

Michelle ordered Eggs Hemingway, a variation of Eggs Benedict. Per Wikipedia: Eggs Benedict is an American dish that consists of two halves of an English muffin, topped with ham or bacon, poached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce. With Eggs Hemingway, smoked salmon is used instead of ham or bacon.

Both our sevings were large, tasted great and were a wonderful departure from the usual simple breakfasts like something-silog or something sandwich. They’re a bit harder to prepare which should be part of the reason they’re expensive. The other reason is, I expect, the general expensiveness of everything in Tagaytay.

Service is generally good and the staff is quite attentive. But there are occasional lapses such as when it took a long time to get an extra slice of bread. One slice. We followed it up and the waitress said it’s been punched in. And yet it wasn’t on our initial bill. So we actually had to ask them to re-check and recompute. And there there’s the missing staff at their shop.

Good place for when you feel like a special breakfast (and willing to pay the price). But can certainly still be improved.

April 14, 2013May 2, 2013

Sky Ranch

Sky Ranch is one of the new attractions of Tagaytay. The main attraction, the Sky Eye (yes, not very original), is already running as well as some other rides. But there are no restaurants and the only food available was from food stalls. The entrance fee is at an introductory price of P50.

In addition to the entrance fee, you have to pay for each ride at a another ticket booth inside the complex. The queue can get long so you should already get tickets for all the rides you plan on getting:

Continue reading “Sky Ranch”

July 1, 2012July 3, 2012

2012 June 30 to July 1 Tagaytay

Yesterday was our anniversary (Happy Anniversary, mommy!) and we went to our customary Tagaytay trip. I was actually planning a surprise drive past the Sta. Rosa exit (the expressway exit to Tagaytay) and proceed all the way to Batangas and then Laiya. Unfortunately, last minute events led us to just go to Tagaytay.

We first tried Discovery Country Suites (where we stayed for our wedding). It was fully booked (Note to self: Book for next year already). We then went to Moon Garden (where we had our wedding reception). Again, it was fully booked. Michelle researched for other hotels and we ended up at Lake Hotel. Good choice. Nowhere near as good as Country Suites in my opinion but still quite good.

The Lake Hotel is not too big so it’s not as busy as, say Chateau Royale. But there’s a good range of rooms to choose from. Some even have a view of Taal. But even if your room doesn’t, you can simply go to the lobby or the pocket garden for a good view. The staff was nice, friendly, and very accommodating. There’s also WiFi (common these days) in the rooms and lobby, but it’s slooow (also common unfortunately). Overall, the hotel has that nice and upscale feel.

For dinner, Michelle, suggested Bag of Beans which has branched out to more than just coffee and dessert. It’s actually rated quite highly in some reviews but personally I found the food (we ordered porterhouse steak and pink salmon steak) to be just average and the crew not very well-trained in protocol (e.g. how to inform the customer that a table has a time-based consumable rate without sounding condescending). Transition pains, maybe.

Back to the hotel, buffet breakfast is complimentary and they let kids below 5 years old for free. There’s a wide choice of good dishes to choose from and you can eat to your heart’s content. Unlike, say Chateau Royale :P

Overall, it was a good weekend. Tagaytay remains one of the best places to spend a weekend. Probably even one of the best places to settle down. And I’m not the only one thinking that: Fully booked.

February 16, 2009March 30, 2009

Moon Garden, Tagaytay

Michelle and I attended a fair at Tagaytay last Saturday. It was a smallish affair with only a handful of exhibitors. However, we did get to meet Vergel of Town’s Delight. He suggested a place called Moon Garden and offered to show us around the next day. Who are we to decline such and offer, yeah? So the next day, we went back to Tagaytay, met up with Vergel and did just that.

Moon Garden is a nice bed and breakfast situated in a relatively secluded area. They have a spacious graveled parking area. From the parking area, you follow a small path and enter a small gate into a lush garden. The garden has a mixed Asian and European feel.

The highlight of the place is, obviously, the moon theme. Little moons are scattered here and there: hanging from trees, in pots, etc. You can almost play find the moon or something.

In the center of the garden is the restaurant area. There’s a large dining area where you can find a fireplace (no logs nor fire, though) and a small fountain. There’s also a segregated hut or two for dining.

Just below the restaurant area are the casitas where you can spend the night. The casitas are spaced away from each other so that you can get a reasonable level of privacy and your night of serene solitude in the midst of the garden. I can just imagine how nice that would be. Maybe we’ll give the place a try one of these days.