Breakfast at Antonio's

It's been months since we last posted, and since 2013 is a year for new beginnings.. We decide to begin, again (ironically put). Our blog has been admittedly ignored due to our busy schedules, with Thirdy working for KLG, and I, finally taking up the last leg of my college life with thesis. A few days ago, Thirdy celebrated his 21st birthday, and to commemorate this, I decided to drive all the way up to Tagaytay for a lovely brunch in Breakfast at Antonio's.

Upon entering the restaurant, you will be greeted with fresh, lovely white interiors that complements the scenic view of Taal Lake. We sat near the end of the restaurant, with nets installed in lieu of windows, to give a panoramic view of the famous lake. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The scene, coupled with Antonio Escalante's delectable concoctions was the perfect combination to a great afternoon. We ordered the following:

Beef Tapa (Php 390.00)
(Served with 2 eggs done any way you want it w/ Hash browns or Sauteed Scallop Potatoes or Garlic Rice with Baked Beans)

The marination of the beef had a good balance of flavors. They were also able to cook the egg overhard, just as how Thirdy requested it to be. His favorite was the baked beans because the sauce tasted just like his tita's callos dish.

Smoke N.Z. King Chinook Salmon on Whole Wheat Bread with Creme Cheese & Scrambled Eggs (Php 450.00) 

Fresh from my idealistic New Year's resolution, I decided to go for a healthy meal and ordered one of their best sellers in the sandwich selections. Surprisingly, the taste of the salmon on their whole wheat bread was so heavenly, it actually felt like you were eating a meaty, flavorful steak. Only a trained hand can fool the flavor buds to excite itself over something as healthy as salmon! The salmon was also fresh, a delight to bite, as it slides off easily in the mouth.

Hot Dark Chocolate - Petite (Php 70.00) with Marshmallow (add Php 10.00) 

Fresh Grape Slush (Php 190.0

To boot, we were greeted with the surprise of Antonio Escalante's presence himself! Thirdy, being the chef that he is, was doe-eyed upon seeing Anton (first name basis pa!). Lots of customers lined up to get pictures with him and he gladly posed for a few shots. More than just the food, it's the experience that you get from Antonio Escalante's restaurants that marks him as one of the best chefs in the Philippines. If you're craving for a yummy lunch, and looking for something more than the ordinary, Breakfast at Antonio's is the place to go.

Bistro Coron

One of the best things about traveling is the food trip that goes along with it. Coron's food is one of the most remarkable we've come across! The prices are so cheap that it equally balances quality and quantity of the food. On our last day, we ate in Bistro Coron located in the Coron Town. It is a restaurant that offers gourmet food and is owned by a foreigner who probably fell in love with the island and decided to make a living there. He was so hands on that every meal prepared was carefully scrutinized. 

Bistro Coron's Chili Oil

We went crazy on ordering, because everything in the menu sounded so delectable. The restaurant offered a wide variety of wine, mainly because the owner is French. We knew the food usually paired with wine would be good so we ordered the beef carpaccio. This did not disappoint at all, as the beef was extremely soft and thinly sliced. The beef was also very fresh because it was still red. Parmesan cheese is a great topping for it!

Beef Carpaccio (Php 185.00)

Our friend, Iano, ordered the sausage which she said was good. It was a normal sausage hotdog, but still passed beyond standards.

Sausage with French Bread & Mustard (Php 165.00)

Thirdy ordered the pork cordon bleu which was extremely yummy because it really tasted like gourmet food. The pork was thinly sliced and super soft. There was cheese in the middle and on top of the pork which gave the dish the kick it needed. Since the owner was French, we figured that the Brie cheese they used was imported.

Pork Cordon Bleue (Php 250.00)

I ordered the Kung Pao chicken expecting that it would be extremely spicy. The sauce didn't have a good consistency because it was runny. It also lacked the spice and flavor I was looking for. I was greatly disappointed with this dish. Maybe the reason why they didn't get it right was because Kung Pao is an Asian dish.

Kung Pao Chicken (Php 210.00)

The pizza had a generous amount of serving that we ended up taking some out for the airport. It was good and was reminiscent of the flavor of Magoo's pizza. It was rolled out thinly which resulted to the fact that it was crispy.

Bistro Pizza - Large (Php 499.00)

Click here to check out Bistro Coron's Menu! (Special thanks to Christian Lucas Sangoyo of LakadPilipinas for this photo)

1950's Pandesal by Pan de Amerikana

Pan De Amerikana was jokingly dubbed as the "upside down restaurant" by our friend. We always passed by this because it is located in Katipunan Avenue near St. Ignatius. We were always so curious what kind of food they served! Pan De Amerikana is more famously known for their American style of pan de sal because of its family size. It first started in Marikina and eventually branched out to Katipunan, Greenhills, and Makati. 

During one sunny afternoon, we were urged by our empty stomachs to finally try this restaurant out and boy, were we surprised! 

Not only is it upside down outside, but also inside! We rotated this picture to make it look like a normal sala, but in Pan De Amerikana, it was attached to their roof! It would be pretty funny if, by some case of misfortune, the screws loosened and fell on top of a customer's head! Haha!

We were really curious as to the reason why there were so many articles about cars and monster trucks that decorated the walls of the restaurant. We figured that maybe it was another hobby of the restaurant's owner. They also decorated it with the awards of Pan De Amerikana as a restaurant.


Here were the MANY choices of food we ended up munching on:

Baked Macaroni

This was extremely creamy and the cheese on top was melted so well that I couldn't help but keep on eating. I couldn't believe that this piece of goodness only cost me Php55! Definitely sulit for merienda.

Lumpiang Ubod

The peanut sauce of the lumpiang ubod went too over the top with the sweetness but it was still good! 

Chicken Pan De Sal

Anything chicken is considered, by default, my comfort food, and to pair it with pan de sal just seemed too good to be true but this one disappointed me. I was taken aback by the fact that the first pan de sal served to me had ants in it. They probably weren't maintaining their pan de sal well. Also, the chicken spread wasn't anything special at all.

Laing

The laing wasn't as spicy as we expected. It was more on the oily variety of laing, which tasted okay. The amount of pork served was generous. 

Pinaputok na Pla-Pla

This was our favorite dish! The fish was deep-fried well and wasn't dry inside. It was extremely GOOOOOD because there was so much garlic! It also comes with green chilies which resulted to the spicy flavor of the fish.

Halo-Halo

This was nothing special, and tasted like any other halo-halo that you can buy on the street.

Bilo-Bilo

It was served hot which made it good to eat. The way they made it is how Filipinos usually serve this at their own homes, which gave us a sense of familiarity when we ate it.

Pan De Amerikana surprised us with how affordable all the dishes were! Most of them were under Php100 and you could order as much as you wanted without breaking your wallet. It is a Filipino-styled restaurant which is a perfect place to have lunch or merienda with your barkada or family. The more, the merrier! 

Pan de Amerikana

118 Katipunan Avenue, White Plains, Quezon City
Telephone: +632 421-1966, +63 917 881-1884

Unit 4, Madison Building, Wilson street Greenhills, San Juan
Telephone: +632 384-6741, +63 917-5664424

Constellation Drive corner Makati Avenue, Belair
Near North Park along Makati Avenue
Telephone: +632 387-9413, +63917 571-2224

Restaurant Verbena, Discovery Country Suites Tagaytay

For our first anniversary, Thirdy decided to bring us back to a place where it all officially started. Tagaytay is the most chosen haven for people living in the Metro since it is easily accessible and is just a few hours away. It also offers the best spot and view of the Taal Lake, and is our own little version of a place that likens to the coldness of Baguio. Restaurant Verbena is part of the chain of restaurants by the Discovery group and sits at the heart of Tagaytay city. Here's what we ate for dinner:

Complimentary freshly baked bread with Dips & Spreads

Our a la carte dinner started with their complimentary bread with dips and spreads. All their dips were extremely good and even the bread was freshly baked because it was still very soft inside.

Roasted Bone Marrow with Caramelized Onions & Melba Toasts

This was our appetizer. Although this has an extremely winning taste on our tummies, you should take precaution when eating bone marrow due to the fact that it can lead to certain heart ailments. It's good to share for a group so you can divide the amount of fat (haha) between all of you, but between two people, it just seems too much! We can't deny the goodness of the taste, though! Thirdy, being his usual big eater self, felt pain in the lower part at the back of his neck due to too much cholesterol! 

Black Truffle Risotto with Deep-fried Soft boiled egg

This was Thirdy's favorite dish because of how extremely creamy the risotto was. The arborio rice (which is the type of rice utilized to make risotto because it turns creamy once cooked) was al dente! The serving of the truffle was generous which complimented the taste of the risotto greatly. The risotto was topped with lardons or salted pork.

Thirdy most especially liked the cooking technique done on the egg because it became soft-boiled despite deep frying it, which is an unlikely technique in other restaurants.

Seared Chilean Sea Bass with Garlic Confit, Pomme Puree
Portobello Mushrooms and Asparagus

This was my favorite dish! The mashed potato was so creamy instead of grainy, which made it so smooth to eat in the mouth. It was cooked well because despite the creaminess, it wasn't runny, but instead, was able to hold the texture of the mashed potato well. The chilean sea bass was extremely good because it was soft, as if freshly caught from the sea. It was cooked so well that I could still taste the amazing flavor of the fish.

Restaurant Verbena's Al Fresco dining area

Since we were out on a date, we decided to stay in the al fresco dining area which was such a treat! The cold weather in Tagaytay really made the atmosphere more romantic.

Restaurant Verbena's Main Dining; view from the Al fresco area

Restaurant Verbena's Main Dining

Their service was really good too, because the waiters attended to you quickly and were very hospitable. We suggest that you guys try this out when you're out on a date, or even when you want to dine with your family for great food quality.

Restaurant Verbena at Discovery Country Suites, Tagaytay City

Address:
300 Calamba Road, San Jose, Tagaytay City
4120 Philippines
Telephone:+ (63 46) 413.4567 (Tagaytay)