Rediscovering luxury and indulgence in Tagaytay

View of the placid Taal lake—fortunately, with no fish cages to mar the vista.

TAGAYTAY City has always been a sentimental favorite for short weekend jaunts for many Metro Manilans.

Amid the light and cool mountain weather, it offers so many pleasures that appeal to every type of bakasyonista or road trip warrior.

Tagaytay has a wide variety of hotels and inns to fit every budget, restaurants that appeal to even the snootiest of palates, rest and recreation with its indulgent spas and casino…I sometimes wonder if anyone actually even remembers that the city’s main appeal is actually the Taal Volcano. On a clear day, the volcano and its surrounding lake is just breathtaking to behold, especially now that there are less fish cages in the water.

When my friends and I go to Tagaytay, it’s usually to pay a visit to the Pink Sisters Convent to petition the cloistered nuns to give strength to our own special-intention prayers. Then we’re off to Ilog Maria in Silang, Cavite to load up on our propolis-based soaps, throat sprays, and lately in my case, muscle liniment to soothe my aching left shoulder.

We head on to other pasalubong stores like Amira’s to stock up on foodie treats to take home, Gourmet’s Café for the coffee beans, lettuce, and salad dressings, the freshly-baked raisin bread and pot pies at Bag of Beans, quesong puti and carabao’s milk from Mr. Moo’s, to name a few. Lunch is usually at one of crispy tawilis- and sinigang maliputo-serving restaurants along the ridge, or some hidden haven of culinary genius we’ve recently heard of.

In our latest trip to Tagaytay, we stayed at the luxurious but rustic-themed Discovery Country Suites. With only seven suites, guests are guaranteed rest and privacy, as well as the special care and attention that Discovery’s staff at all its properties are known to provide—with their right hand on their heart, and a response of “Certainly” to each request. (Read the rest in InterAksyon, Lifestyle. Copyright on photos owned by this blogger.)

At 61 sqm., the Nantucket Suite is the second largest among the rooms at the Discovery Country Suites.

Ate Vi vs the fish cages

(Ate Vi being interviewed by Howie Severino. Photo from Sidetrip w/ Howie Severino.)

I BELATEDLY stumbled on Howie Severino's interview of Ate Vi, este, Gov. Vilma Santos Recto, and she tells how difficult it is to convince fish cage owners in Taal Lake to dismantle their cages and turn to other livelihoods. It's unfortunate I missed GMA 7's feature on the issue in its iWitness program. I hope the episode gets uploaded on YouTube. (Read excerpts of the interview here.)

The fish cages are a blight not only on one of the country's more famous tourist sites - the Taal Volcano - but an environmental hazard to the lake itself. With the unabated construction of fish cages, the lake will likely be depleted of its oxygen and result in more fish kills, as has happened in the last few years. This will only imperil the future income stream of the residents in the area who depend on their fish cages for livelihood.

(Taal Volcano and lake circa 1950, fish cage-free. A view from the ridge of Taal Vista Lodge. That's my mom at the right btw. Click to enlarge)

(Taal Volcano and Lake, circa 2008, also from the ridge of Taal Vista Hotel. The small dark dots on the water are the fish cages. Click to enlarge.)

As Gov. Santos Recto says, dismantling the fish cages isn't easy. But someone has to do something right now. This is a test of true grit, and her star power. Can she parlay her celebrity status and movie star appeal into convincing the mayors and the residents that reducing the number of fish cages will ensure a better future for them? I wish her luck. And if she does manage to get the job done, maybe she can work wonders even outside Batangas. Ate Vi for President? Why not? Stranger things have happened.

An old reliable

IN this concluding installment of my three-part series on restaurants to visit and revisit in the new year, here's one more nod to an already established dining destination.

VERBENA, Discovery Country Suites, Tagaytay

WHILE the cool breeze Tagaytay is famous for was not felt as we dined in this restaurant almost overlooking the Taal Lake and the volcano (“almost,” because there was a house blocking our view), lunch turned out to be a pleasant surprise for my food buddy and I.

There were new items on the menu created by Colombian chef David Pardo de Ayala. I must say these were just amazing dishes that were really sumptuous and delightful. My favorites were the Pan-Seared Foie Gras (my heart just skipped a beat just writing that), Oyster Fricasse, Herb-Marinated Mushrooms and Organic Arugula, and Australian Lamb Chops. We were just stuffed that I couldn’t eat my dessert anymore.

In all of my dining adventures, I have yet to taste a badly prepared foie gras. I suppose any way it is prepared, whether it just be pan-seared, terrined, sautéed, poached or baked, it will still turn out delicious. The fat in the goose (or duck) liver just makes it so silky, rich at the same time delicate. At Verbena the foie gras (P590) is pan-roasted with pancetta (Italian bacon), prunes and figs served in an intense cognac sauce. Yes, kids, it is a taste of what heaven must be like.

The Oyster Fricasse (P460) is one of those dishes whose ingredients are so common but I would never have thought to prepare together as one dish. The freshly shucked oysters are lightly cooked with homemade spaghettini in a cream sauce, lemongrass and caviar sprinkles. Another winning appetizer.

For the salad we had the Herb-Marinated Mushrooms and Organic Arugula (P250) served with a light honey-garlic vinaigrette and parmesan shavings. The sweet dressing makes a delicate contrast to the peppery arugula leaves, a good way to transition to some heavier entrées.

The grilled Australian lamb chops was prepared in an aromatic Moroccan marinade, with parmesan-roasted tomato and honey-garlic reduction. The meat itself was grilled perfectly, a medium-well and tender to the bite.

An interesting dessert was a Walnut Soup with Blue Cheese. It was bold of chef Pardo de Ayala to create this, but the flavor of the blue cheese just overpowered the soup and the taste of the walnuts. I would have rather appreciated a slice of just the cheese and some grapes to end our delightful meal. Props to the chef though, for trying to shake up the dessert course.

When one runs out of new restaurants to try, there are always the good-old reliables that one can always turn to.

(Published in the Life section of the BusinessMirror, Jan. 25, 2008. Photo copyright Stella Arnaldo, 2007)