Dinner Buffet

Have I told you guys how much I love Taal Vista Hotel ?

A week after our dinner date at QiWellness Living, MrC and I escaped for a quick pre-anniversary lunch at Taal Vista. It was a great time to be there because Chef Fernando Aracama was in the house. He was Cafe Veranda’s guest chef on the first weekend of the hotel’s Culinary Gems: A Festival of Filipino Flavors event.

Chef Fernando Aracama with Taal Vista Hotel's Executive Chef Edwin Santos — Chef Fernando Aracama with Taal Vista Hotel’s Executive Chef, Edwin Santos
Photos courtesy of Taal Vista Hotel

We arrived just in time to catch the opening ceremonies. Instead of the usual ribbon cutting, Chef Aracama and Peggy Angeles of SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. (and my seatmate at lunch!) broke a clay pot over an arrangement of fruits and vegetables. I’m not sure if this is symbolic, but if it is, it probably means something nice. Lol.

The boys and I had lunch at Cafe Veranda during our weekend staycation at Taal Vista last year. I was excited to see what the hotel’s Executive Chef, Edwin Santos had prepared, and of course how Chef Aracama’s creations would accent the Filipino food buffet.

As always, Chef Edwin did not disappoint. Everything from the hotel’s signature Lumpiang Ubod to the Brazo de Mercedes were so delicious. Chef Aracama’s Ilonggo creations we also extremely good. I couldn’t get enough of how tasty all of his dishes were. I couldn’t get enough of the Beef Adobo sa Tuba and the Sigarilyas Gising Gising Style.

Sigarilyas Gising Gising Style and Chicken Inasal by Chef Aracama
Photos courtesy of Taal Vista Hotel

Sinanglay na Isda en Papillote by Chef Aracama, and the good chef carving his amazing Porchetta Negrense
Photos courtesy of Taal Vista Hotel

I started my meal off with a plate of assorted appetizers. My favorites among everything I got was Chef Aracama’s Malunggay Dip and Pan Tostado, the Salted Egg Brulee, and the Ginataang Langka Triangle.

Plate #2 was loaded with all of the Aracama dishes that I found interesting – Kalkag Fried Rice, Sinanglay na Isda en Papillote, Chicken Inasal, Beef Adobo sa Tuba and the Sigarilyas Gising Gising Style . I would seriously have gone back for a second helping of the exact same plate if I had the space for it in my stomach.

Plate #2 loaded with Chef Aracama’s specialties

Yes, I had a third plate, but it was a small one. I had forgotten to get Porchetta Negrense during my second round at the buffet, so I took a bite off of MrC’s. It was so good that I of course had to go get a few slices for myself. The husbandry had his with the uber delicious vinegar that they were serving that day, while I opted for the lechon sauce. I was expecting the usual lechon liver sauce, but this one had an extra hint of spice and a bite of sourness to it. Oh my golly, so good. I also had some Dinuguan and Puto, a Filipino meryenda favorite that I can never skip, no matter how full I already am.

I wish that I could have eaten some more but I was just about ready to burst. So, it was time to end things with a selection of sweet desserts. Chef Aracama’s Chocnut Ice Cream was the highlight of my sweet treats. I split a Buko Panna Cotta (also by Chef Aracama) with MrC because I just couldn’t finish one whole on my own. It was one of those non-jello-ish panna cottas, so I was happy. And, I couldn’t say no to Chef Edwin’s Frozen Brazo de Mercedes, because it really is superb.

The promise of an amazing cultural show and excellent Pinoy food is a really great excuse to make the trip up to Tagaytay for a special lunch or dinner meal. Chef Aracama’s weekends at Taal Vista Hotel are over, but there are other celebrity guest chefs lined up who will bring their unique interpretations of Filipino cuisine to Cafe Veranda. Here’s the schedule so you can decide which weekend to visit:

Chef Sau del Rosario – September 27 & 28 (That’s this weekend!)
Chef Babes Austria – October 4, 5, 11 & 12
Chef Edwin Santos – October 18, 19, 26 & 26
Chef Bruce Lim – November 1, 2, 8 & 9 (I am definitely planning a visit on one of his weekends)
Chefs Jackie and Rolando Laudico – November 15, 16, 22 & 23

An amazing cultural show and excellent Pinoy food. What more could you ask for?

THANK YOU so very much, Celine Arenillo and Treena Tecson for having me and MrC over at Taal Vista again. We love celebrating anniversaries and birthdays with you guys hehe! Thanks also to my fun to kwento with seatmate, Peggy Angeles for letting me know which dishes I really ought to try. See you guys (hopefully) this Halloween!

The Culinary Gems Festival of Filipino Flavors continues on until November at Taal Vista Hotel’s Cafe Veranda. Saturday lunch and dinner buffet, and Sunday lunch buffet costs PHP1350 nett per person. For inquiries, you may call +632 917-8225.

TAAL VISTA HOTEL
Kilometer 60, Aguinaldo Highway
Tagaytay City, Philippines
www.taalvistahotel.com

My Instagram feed will tell you that the boys and I spent the weekend at our friendly neighborhood hotel, Crimson Hotel at the Entrata Complex in Filinvest Alabang. One of the highlights of our stay was the Sabores de Mexico Mexican food festival that happened to be running while we were there. Oh the joy! We are Mexican food fanatics, and so this was really a special treat to look forward to.

My dinner dates – Kaye, Jane and Mish, and our gracious host, Crimson Hotel’s Karina Leal
(This photo belongs to Michelle Aventajado)

I started with the starters because, well, that’s where you’re supposed to start. And because they were laid out right behind me and I could smell them! I particularly liked the different salads. I thought they all looked the same, but then they each tasted different. They were cold and quite refreshing to the palate.

A Mexican meal is not complete unless you have nachos. At least for me and MrC. He happily crunched away on chips loaded while cheese while I had my plate of assorted salads and cheese. I love the cheese selections at Crimson. There were several different kinds, and no, sliced sandwich cheese was not a part of the list. Thank goodness.

Nacho bar, cold cuts and assorted starters

Cheese is happiness. Cheese and ice cream.

I was excited to get started on the main dishes. The Mexican Embassy flew in Chef Daniela Romero to infuse authentic Mexican dishes into Cafe Eight’s buffet, after all, and I couldn’t wait to try them. The Mexican Rice (of all things!) was my favorite. So good. I can just imagine stuffing this into burritos and all sorts of tortilla wraps, or eating it topped with carne asada and cheese. Yes, even more cheese. I also really enjoyed the beans. They went so well with the rice!

I also picked up a plate of sushi. It isn’t Mexican food, but I just couldn’t resist. I make sure to always try the Japanese selections at every hotel buffet I try just because I love Sushi and Sashimi a whole lot. Little MrC had a big plate of Sushi that night, too! That and a plate of Carbonara plus a bowl of Tortilla Soup.

See my photo-ready friends, Jane and Kaye? 🙂

Did I mention that I had a Mojito too? Soooo goooooood! And it went really well with the Mexican spread. I didn’t notice what MrC was eating because he was up and about, picking things up and wolfing them down. Hehe, sorry Daddy, nilaglag na kita.

Now, of course I remembered to save room for dessert. Unfortunately, by the time I was ready to hit the sweets they were all out of Churros with Chocolate Sauce! Huhuhu. The kids told me that they were really yummy.

It’s a good thing the Rice Pudding was excellent, otherwise I really would have been disappointed about missing out on the Churros. I got some of my usual dessert faves, too – Chocolate Mousse, Red Velvet and Tres Leches.

All in all, I had three plates (plus sushi, plus a mojito)

THANK YOU so very much to our lovely hosts, Twinkle Lacsamana, Karina, and the wonderful staff at Crimson Hotel. I had an amazing time chatting with my girlfriends, while we stuffed ourselves silly. It was such a fun night with our little group and our caboodle of husbands and kids. The boys really enjoyed dinner, and we can’t wait to come back and indulge in more of Cafe Eight’s yummy dishes. Thank you also to my south sister, Jane for arranging this for ABC+K!

Those of you who wanna check out the Sabores de Mexico Buffet, you still have until September 26, Friday, to drop by and enjoy. Lunch buffet costs PHP1,000 and dinner is PHP1,250 per person. For reservations, call Cafe Eight at 863.2222 loc 1612.

Back-To-Back Tagaytay Weekend #FoodTrip Part2: Taal Vista Hotel

Mexican #FoodTrip: Sabores de Mexico at Crimson Hotel