Taal Vista Hotel

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

September 25, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 10 Comments

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

2 Tagaytay Trips and 3 Seasons of Mad Men #TheWeekThatWas

September 6, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 12 Comments

My week was literally half work, half play. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were super productive work days for me. I was able to submit a couple of articles, script edits, write a few blog posts and attend our PH editorial meeting for theAsianParent.com. Thursday and Friday were partly spent doing some house chores, but mostly I watched Mad Men. From late last week til the end of this week, I managed to watch all of the first three seasons. Yep, I’m hooked, obviously.

I think that the highlights of my past week came on the two Saturdays that bookended it. Both were spent in Tagaytay, my favorite quick escape. Last Saturday was spent discovering the gorgeous QiWellness Living Tea House and Bath House with my ABC loves (as in Alabang Bloggers Club – you will be reading a lot about this fun group in the coming posts), our significant others (or what I like to call the Prince Charming Crew), and a few other blogger friends from the south. We were treated to an amazing 8-course Yin Yang dinner, complete with Asian-inspired cocktails and glasses of wine. What a treat! It was just the date night that we mommies needed.

QiWellness Living's Ken, Jeff and Rita with bloggers, Ging, Mish, Jane, Joei, MrsC, Kaity and Helene — QiWellness Living’s Ken, Jeff and Rita with bloggers, Ging, Mish, Jane, Joei, MrsC, Kaity and Helene

This Saturday (as in today) was spent with MrC. He and I went on an early anniversary lunch date at Taal Vista Hotel. If you’ve been visiting this blog for a while now, you’ll remember that we celebrated our 2nd anniversary at Taal Vista last year. We had the chance to catch the opening of Culinary Gems, a series of special lunch and dinner buffets to celebrate the hotel’s 75th year. Over the next few weekends, featured guest chefs will put their spin on local favorites as part of the buffet offerings.

I was beyond excited to meet Chef Fernando Aracama. Oh my gosh I just love this man’s cooking. Love with a capital L. I know for a fact that I will be dreaming about his Beef Adobo sa Tuba.

Blogging about both amazeballs Saturdays soon. I actually missed posting a few stories I had lined up for the week. Confession: It’s because I chose to watch Mad Men instead of writing. Maybe I should treat myself to an episode AFTER I finish publishing or adding a post to my queue. Sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

How did you guys spend your week? Any interesting stories?

Halloween Events in the South!

October 21, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 2 Comments

As with most Filipinos, I get really excited when the -ber months come along because I just love the holidays! For me though, the season doesn’t officially start until Halloween. Yup, our family is really big on Halloween! When we were younger, we would even have open-house parties at home, where everyone would be in costume. My siblings actually continue to dress up and go out to Halloween parties up until now. As for me, I’m happy to have an excuse to go trick or treating again now that my little boy is old enough to enjoy it too.

Of course, with me being the south person that I am, my go-to October 31 events are all within the south area. Apart from trick or treating in our village though, I’m not yet sure which other events the boys and I will be heading to this year. If you happen to find yourself around here on Halloween, you may want to check out these great parties and celebrations.

Acacia Hotel , which celebrates is 2nd year this October, is having two parties this Halloween – one for the little kids and another for the big kids. The afternoon session for kids will take place at the Grand Acacia Ballroom, and will have loads of entertainment, games and fun activities, loot bags, trick or treat, raffle prizes and a yummy snack buffet. Tickets are at Php 995 nett per person, and children 2 years of age and below are free of charge. You may call 720 2000 to purchase your tickets.

Acacia 1 — A Grimms Tale at Acacia Hotel

Announcing the Winner of a Fabulous Taal Vista Hotel Staycation!!!

October 5, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 3 Comments

After reading, re-reading and re-re-reading all of the wonderful entries for my Taal Vista Hotel giveaway, I was stuck with a 10-way tie for the person who I felt best deserved the getaway. I re-re-re-read each entry of the 10 ladies I had picked, and still couldn’t decide who to choose, so I called on my assistant for some help.

First, we wrote down all ten names on pieces of paper. Scratch paper yan, ha! Save the trees! [Read more…] about Announcing the Winner of a Fabulous Taal Vista Hotel Staycation!!!

An Enchanting Taal Vista Evening and our Staycation, Day2

September 19, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 4 Comments

In case you missed it, please check out yesterday’s post about our first day at Taal Vista Hotel, Tagaytay. I ask you to do this because I need for you to see the gorgeous (but blurry, sorry) photo of the hotel garden at night. Notice the path of lights and the tent-like structure on the right side of the photo? That’s where we had dinner during our Tagaytay staycation.

That was the special surprise that our hosts, Celine and Treena, Chef Edwin, and the rest of their team at Taal Vista Hotel put together for us. It was such a magical setup, perfect for a proposal, an anniversary celebration, or any ordinary night when you want your special someone to feel extra special. Yup, you can have the hotel arrange a beautiful dinner under the stars for you. So romantic! It was a great anniversary dinner for MrC and I, although we had to share it with the rest of our group haha!

A Special September Weekend at Taal Vista Hotel: Our Anniversary Celebration, Year Two

September 18, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 21 Comments

Before anything else, I have to apologize because this post is a few days late. I was supposed to publish this last Sunday, but then I got sick and really wasn’t able to function properly until, well, now. So this post has been sitting in my drafts folder for a few days, but the good news is (and believe me, it’s good news for you guys too, you’ll find out why later), it is finally here. This is the story of our Taal Vista Hotel Staycation!

MrsC Loves Taal Vista Hotel — Taal Vista Hotel, I LOVE you!