On our way back to Manila from our Canyon Cove trip, we decided to have lunch in Tagaytay. Initially I wanted to try out Marcia Adams' Little Tuscany, but learned that it is only by appointment. I thought it was too late already, so we had to think of something else. I haven't tried Raj (Indian cuisine) and the Greek Taverna (Greek/Mediterranean) there but the husband preferred a safer resto. We ended up eating in Cafe Verbena in Country Suites.
They first served this lovely bread served with three types of spread. It only took a matter of minutes before it was consumed, hehehe.
We had Oyster Rockefeller as our appetizers. Nothing great. It was kinda egg-ish rather the creamy.
For our main dishes, we had the US Angus Beef Sinigang and the Pan-roasted Seafood composed of Chilean Seabass, Salmon, Snapper, Prawns, Mussels, Alfalfa sprouts, and Pumpkin puree...
Well... the food was ok. Maybe I expected more since it's from Country Suites, but I guess I was a bit put off by the fact that the food service was really slow (and we were really hungry). Price is expensive, the same as Metro Manila prices (I was expecting it to be a little less, but oh well). The quality of ingredients was good (well, what do you expect from Angus beef right?) but the portions... I didn't expect the portions to be huge, but I didn't expect them to be minute either.
Eanna's verdict...
I am not sure if I'd go back here, though. I've eaten in other Tagaytay restos that serve better food. That or maybe I'm just too exhausted and too hungry to think straight. Hehehe.
1 Comments:
I just had one of my best lunches in months in Cafe Verbena!
With the company of my best friends, Chef David capped our fabulous Tagaytay reunion with a fantastic luncheon fit for kings!
Our menu:
Starters:
Amuse Bouche of tapanade crostini with sundried tomato and mozzarella
Marinated roasted Tagaytay bell peppers
Crispy croqueta de Tinapa (local smoked fish)
Baked oysters rockefeller
Salads:
Crispy fried mozzarella salad
Warm scallops salad with organic arugula, jamon Serrano, red onion confit and anchoide vinaigrette.
Simple green salad - assorted Tagaytay greens, fresh herbs, cherry tomatoes & sherry viniagrette.
Soup:
Tagaytay Bulalo soup (local recipe for beef shank with marrow soup)
Midcourse:
Black truffle risotto, crispy soft eff and smoked bacon jus
Lucban longganisa (local sausage from the Lucban, Quezon) risotto
Main Course:
U.S. ribeye tagliata with seared shitakes and arugula with potato puree.
Dessert:
Chocolate Marquise with pistachios and vanilla English cream
Apple tarte tatin with creme chantilly
Crepes nutella with caramel bananas
Panna Cotta Heaven - Saffron panna cotta with caramel oranges, Black pepper panna cotta with berries, and Lemon balm panna cotta with pistachio brittle
Chocolate Fondue
So when I said fit for kings, now you know what I mean.
Of course because I was too excited (and a little hungry) by the time we arrived at Verbana, I went after their yummy bread with their home made butter, chicken terrine and a bean spread. Thing is because the menu was really a surprise menu for us, I didn't realize how much food was coming. But not to worry, I was ready to take on whatever Chef David prepared for us.
My favorites (and this does not mean the rest weren't great), just that these were the ones I tried to get more of:
- Tinapa Croqueta - so delicate even if Tinapa has a tendency to overpower any dish.
- Warm scallop with Jamon Serano - I loved the anchovy dressing that complemented the combination of each of the ingredients in the dish.
- Bulalo soup - I'm actually not a big fan of Bulalo soup, I've always found it too greasy even if my husband says that is what makes it good. But this one was truly easy to eat with not to much of that fatty taste I don't like, plus the veggies made were still crisp (which never is the case for other Bulalos I've tasted)/
- Lucban Longganisa risotto - I wanted to have more of this, but of course I needed to share with my friends (but my friend serving us did give me the biggest portion, woot woot!). The risotto was cooked to perfection, something that is really hard to get here in the Philippines. Most of the time it's either too soggy or crispy. But this was perfect. Plus the taste of the Lucban longganissa was subtle and not subtle, I'm not sure how to explain it, but the way it was prepared, I seriously will be craving for this one for a long long time.
- The BEEF...the glorious Beef! - Honestly folks it was cooked exactly the way a piece of meat should be prepared. The meat was juicy and the herbs used gave justice to the excellent beef it was supplementing. Of course I love shitake mushrooms, so what more could I ask for. And his potato puree (which I've tried in his other restaurants) has always made me wonder why I can never do it to perfection the way he does!!!
- Lemon Panna cotta was glorious! The pistachio brittle on top was perfect with the panna cotta and just melted in my mouth!
- CHOCOLATE MARQUISE -- This is Chef David's piece de resistance, and honestly, the best chocolate dessert I've had in years. I didn't bother being nice to my friends and just ate most of it cause the chocolate with the English cream combination was so perfectly executed, I just can't imagine finding anything better in the Philippines.
I recommend this place to anyone visiting Tagaytay. Not only do you get the view of one of the Philippine key landmarks (Taal volcano - a volcano within a volcano), but you also get a warm fuzzy feeling after eating in Cafe Verbena!
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