Antonio's - Tagaytay

I can't mention how many times we've eaten at Antonio's in Tagaytay. Like I said in a previous post, every time a visitor comes in, we bring them here. Antonio's is synonymous with good gourmet food out yonder....kinda like French Laundry in Yountville, CA. Its consistent, good selection of food and premium ingredients. We've eaten at its former location Breakfast at Antonio's right on the road with its beautiful views of Tagaytay. It was a charming and quaint breakfast place that I was sad to see it close down. However, from an entrepreneur standpoint, I would've done the same thing. Now they have their breakfast at his original place in Antonio's, where he has his lunch and dinner. This place is more charming and prettier than the first actually and I'm glad we get to see more of it now that its combined in one.

What makes this place so special?
Its a combination of things. Antonio's food reminds me of what I can get back home without compromising it to fit to the Filipino taste. What it should taste like elsewhere due to his travels and with a bit of a his creativity is what he brings to the table. He knows his market well. Most of them are expats, visitors from other countries, balikbayans and locals.

Two, the waitstaff are properly trained and well attentive. The waiters that I've seen since I started coming a few years back still remain in the restaurant. Low turnover of staff is a good sign.

Three and most important, Antonio the owner and chef, personally checks up on his customers to get their feedback on the food and service. And what treat we had today as he gave us each a free dessert of our choice from the menu. I love the fact that he does this and wish more resto's have this personal touch. When I also ran my shop, I personally attended to each of our customer and chatted with them. Many became repeat customers and more importantly became close personal friends of mine.

Last but not least, the ambiance. As you can see from the photos, the place speaks for itself. Do make it a point to go there for dinner when the place is lit up. Its romantic and ultra-charming and with excellent food to boot.

Antonio's
Price: High
Barangay Neogan
Tagaytay City, Cavite
(0918) 899-2866

Salcedo Market on Saturday's

Various types of pate - mango, apple, etc.

Salcedo market in Makati is a great way to start a lazy Saturday day. If you are in the area and want to do something different and miss those farmers market like that of the U.S. or Europe, then this is what comes closest to it.

What they offer?
Plants, native home ware, pastries, spices, cheeses, meats, gourmet stuff including pate, froie gras, breads, different cuisines including French, Indian Spanish and Filipino.

Dress comfortably, bring an umbrella as it gets really hot and bring your own bottled water so you don't go around looking for a stall that sells it. If you want to take home perishable products (i.e. pate, froie gras, etc.) and can't bring it home right away, make sure to bring an ice chest so those products don't spoil.

Salcedo Saturday Market
7am - 2pm
Type: Outdoor market
Salcedo Village at Torredesillas

Banana Leaf and Curry - Manila

I've eaten several times at Banana Leaf in various locations, but never did an entry on them. I think its time to do so, because I've always liked their food. It's consistent, good and reasonably priced.

Banana Leaf can be your one stop shop for ethnic Asian fare including Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Indian and Singaporean cuisines under one roof. What could be better than that?

BL is similar to what I would get back home, so I can recommend this place whenever visitors come to Manila. My favorite is the roti canai (similar to naan). I could eat this daily if I had to. As a matter of fact, I need to learn how to make this. I also recommend their Pad See Ew (or as they call it Penang Char Kay Teow). I used to be a fan of Pad Thai long ago, but when I was going to college in SF, I would go to my favorite Thai place and they recommended I try Pad See Ew. I never looked back after that. Instead of the sweet flavor of Pad Thai, Pad See Ew is more complex in flavor....that of burnt/charred soya-sauce with flat noodles. I will also try to make this one day. Other must try's are their curries and the clams in spicy sauce.

With two kids and three adults, we ordered a total of five dishes (one appetizer and four main) the bill came to about P1700 including service charge and VAT. That includes two fruit shakes by the way.

Pad See Ew (aka BL Penang Char Kay Teow)

Cute banana leaf as your plate...

Banana Leaf
Price: Moderate
Locations: Various in Manila
www.bananaleaf.com.ph

A Meditteranean/Greek Tavern in Bagitkan? Get outta town!

Yasas (Greek in Hello)!

Kallisti's is owned and operated by our very own Jojo and his lovely wife Rose. Its one of those small hidden gems of a bistro located at the corner of C. Roxces Ave. and Bagtikan (across from Meralco). Bagtikan has many carinderia stalls and shops, but nothing compares to Kallisti's.

What makes them so special?
One: Its clean! I can attest to the OCD issues of Jojo very well. I guess we all learned the chef's adage "clean as you go". Sometimes, he takes it to the extreme that I just want to take a fly swatter and smack his hands when he grabs a glass or plate that I may still be working on, just to keep the table clean. He has the eyes of a fly....seeing 360 degrees. At one point he'll be talking to you, looking you in the eye. Out of no where, he excuses himself to his kitchen and grabs a towel to wipe a water condensation falling from a glass he sees on the table. ADD!

Two: Its carinderia cheap! Within the area, Kallisti's prices match his competitors. Depending on the meal, rice and one ulam (meal) costs P60. His choices are varied and you get it hot when you get the order. Unlike other carinderia you get your meal either cold or lukewarm (especially if you order later than their lunch fare). I recommend their mami and also their iced tea shake.

Mami (their specialty) for P30

Three: Cool ambiance. Upon first glimpse, one can mistake this place for a Mediterranean or Greek resto. But I just like to think of it as "Sosyal na carinderia" (hehe...learning the pinoy lingo). Actually many people get scared with the interiors that they think it serves exotic food and that its expensive. Just blame that on his dream to one day travel to Santorini (as is ours) and his penchant for interior design. He wanted to create a setting that makes the average Joe feel relaxed while eating cheap meals. Here's to you Jojo. Opa!

Kallisti's opens their bistro to private events and functions. You can even have your event catered by Jojo personally. The place can sit about 60+ people and more for outdoor seats.

Kallisti Bistro
Price: Cheap Eats
Bagtikan cor. C. Roxas Ave. @ Makati
email: kallisti.bistro@gmail.com

Kusina Salud - San Pablo, Laguna

When we have visitors coming in, we normally bring them to Tagaytay since its considered a short day trip. We'd frequent eateries like Antonio's, Sonia's Garden or Country Suites for brunch. Those restaurants are pricey, but they are consistently good. After some time, however, its easy to get bored of the area. Since many blogs rave about Kusina Salud, we decided to try Laguna area instead. It's only a 1.5 hour drive from Manila exit off Lucena/Batangas.

Along the way, you can see many aluminum or steel pots and pan shops. I bought me a small sifter at P80 for my mini desserts.

Going to Kusina Salud is similar to Antonio's and Sonia's Garden in that it you go deep inside the turn-in road. The interior is very traditional Filipino in ambiance....quaint and garden-like.

I made reservations for Sunday and the person I talked to said they only have buffet on that day at P399/person from 11:30am - 2pm. I really was looking forward to their ala-carte since I was craving for breakfast, but I thought this was a perfect opportunity to sample several of their offerings in one shot.

Verdict:
No biggie. I was quite disappointed to say the least. The buffet consisted of adobo (which was oilier than normal and the meat tough), curry squash soup, kalabaw (caribou) bolognese, bbq chicken curry on a stick, tilapia, etc. I was expecting traditional Filipino food fare, but it looked like they tried to make it slightly fusion...that it just didn't work.

The only thing I really enjoyed was their salad...and again, pretty much typical iceberg lettuce, julienned carrots and radish, red onions and tomatoes. What was unusual at least to me was the fern leaf. That was pretty much my first time trying it. I liked the fern leaf so much combined with the usual greens that I went back for seconds. Dessert was banana crepe (banana too mushy)....again nothing special.

Maybe people go here for their ala-carte menu, I don't know. Their non buffet menu seemed more traditional than the buffet. They offered Pampanga type dishes including tuna belly, inihaw (grilled) squid, etc. To me that seemed similar to Leslie's menu and probably would've been better than the buffet.

So until I go back again to try their ala-carte, I wouldn't rave about their buffet.



Kusina Salud
Price: Moderate
Location: 285 Barangay Santa Cruz
San Pablo City, Laguna
www.kusinasalud.com
Mobile: 0921-7726985
Laguna: 049-5736155

Brooklyn Pizza in the hood of Manila

I'm always trying to find different pizza joints from local and international franchises to mom-and-pop shops. I'm not a pizza snob by any means and its all a matter of preference really. I prefer thin crusted like the Italian ones (especially brick oven ones with the slight burnt cheese bubbly parts) but could always go for the thick Chicago style pizza too.

Jojo actually recommended Brooklyn Pizza since he has one close to his shop in Makati. I've seen this pizza shop sprouting around the area and I didn't think much of it really. I thought it was one of those places that use a US name, but is Filipino in taste.

I ordered the White Pesto pizza and he orders his all time favorite the Porko with extra anchovies.

Verdict:

Me likey-likey. Authentic pesto....not inundated with it, just little drops of pesto within the white cheese. The crust could have a little bit more crispness to it, but that could just be a matter of the food sitting still while waiting for delivery. So its tagline "A slice of New York" can probably suffice for Manila because it comes close to the pizzas back home. Since we've already ordered enough times, I can consistently say I recommend the White Cheese Pesto. The Porko is recommended by Jojo as this is his favorite, basically all meat type pizza.

What makes them so different?

They offer half pizzas (literally a half a pizza box which means they don't waste on packaging thus saving on resources :-)). Even at a half pizza, you are able to split the pizza into separate pizza slices and toppings. That is fairly rare in a pizza shop...you normally can't have it your way. The cost for what you see in the photo, P320 for a half size pizza or P80 a slice. It costs less than a slice in Sbarro...as just a plain white cheese pizza is about P85.

They also offer pastas and buffalo wings, which I will try next time. My quest for good wings is on-going here in Manila, so if you have any suggestions let me know. My criteria for it: big crispy wings, tangy, spicy, buttery flavor. It also has to have either ranch or bleu cheese dressing on the side please....and some celery sticks (heck I'll take carrot sticks as a substitute). If you guys have any recommendations, please let me know.

For locations and contact numbers, you can call them at the following. They do deliver!