New Discoveries in TAGAYTAY

Just like any experienced traveler, I always research about the places Iggy and I would want to check out before we actually go there.... less trouble and easier to find... Personally I would go for the smaller places because experience has taught me that smaller restaurants as opposed to the bigger and more popular restaurants, seem to try harder in giving guests good service and most of the time, they are always full .....you end up waiting in line for a table.

Iggy, Cris and I decided that we spend the day in Tagaytay even if we knew there will be lots of people and the traffic situation will be bad since today was not just any ordinary day--- it was a long weekend and it was Black Saturday too... our target was to try and discover new places to eat since all the other well-known restaurants will be filled with weekend travelers. The traffic at the South Super Highway (SSH ) was not that bad.... most probably people were already out and some might be traveling going back to Manila. We reached Tagaytay in an hour which was pretty good.

TAGAYTAY Revisited Dinner at the PAMANA RESTAURANT in Tagaytay

Pamana Restaurant was recommended to me by Rommel Diaz and Cha Pestano, since they have been there earlier and enjoyed the food. It's interiors are so nostalgic. I like how they placed the pictures on the walls, the arrangement of chairs and tables are also nice. I did not feel like I was in a restaurant but it felt like I was dining in an ancestral home somewhere in the province. It gives you a distinctly Filipino design flavor.

When we arrived around 7:30 pm , the place was already almost full and there were lots of reservations so we had to wait for 20 minutes in order to get a table for us. While waiting for the food to arrive, I decided to take some photos of the place. I found out that this place was actually a house that was converted into a restaurant.

Upon entering the place you will be greeted by a lot of homemade goodies for sale...

Pamana Restaurant is owned by Happy Ongpauco of the Barrio Fiesta Chain...a legacy of Filipino cuisine passed on thru generations. It was my first time to check out this restaurant and I was not disappointed. The food was good!!! the price was very affordable to anyone's budget.

Here is what we ordered:

ENSALADANG BAGNET ( 160 PHP )
mixed greens and tomatoes topped with crispy bagnet and served with bagoong Balayan. I loved this dish... I have been craving for the honest- to - goodness bagnet ( a dish from Norhern Luzon )... although it might not be the real mc coy but it was cooked the same way... it was GOOD!

DAGUPAN'S TIYAN NG BANGUS  ( 220 PHP )
tender , juicy Bonuan bangus from Dagupan cooked with tons of garlic.

PAMPANGA'S SIZZLING SISIG at ALIGUE   ( 250 PHP )
If you lived along the " riles " you have not tried this yet. It is served sizzling hot and with toasted aligue....  a new twist in this  dish... I think it was very innovative... although sisig however you take a photo of this dish.... never comes out pretty in other words... not photogenic at all!! .... but let me tell you.... their version of the sizzling sisig is one of the best I have tried so far.

Our dessert was .... PINOY PANDU....  ( fondue )... there is a funny story behind this dish.. let me share it with you... I asked the waiter what he would recommend for  dessert... and he said.. " MAM, mayroon kami mga halo halo, mais con hielo " ... but I wanted something different.... so he said.. " try ho  ninyo yung aming PINOY PANDU..... masarap yun... may suman, espasol, cuchinta, puto at TSOKOLATE... so.... I said...  " try natin yun...SIGE isang PANDU ".... then the waiter disappeared. Luckily I had the menu beside me so I started to look for the dessert he just recommended a while ago.... I could not find it... Hmm.... i thought... " Baka bagong dessert... wala pa sa menu....".. I told the kids... we were going to have... PINOY PANDU..... then... after 10 minutes ... the waiter was back with..... our PINOY PANDU....

It was PINOY FONDUE all along ... Geez!!!! we all had a good laugh.... so... when you go over to Pamana Restaurant... do not forget to order..... PINOY PANDU ( pronounced fondue--- he he he ) !!!!!! ( 250 PHP ). It is the answer to your sweet tooth's craving.  It has slices of puto, cuchinta, espasol and suman served with hot chocolate.... you can call that PINOY FUSION!!!

Overall the Pamana restaurant experience is something any Filipino food lover should try. The delectable array of food items would bring back memories of our grandmother's cooking. The memorabilia on the resto's wall is a blast - from - the - past that would bring back the older generation to the good old days of the Sampaguita and LVN pictures while giving the younger generation a glimpse of how life was in the past. ...It's cozy ambiance is very relaxing to any traveler who has just reached Tagaytay after battling Manila's traffic.

so.... would I recommend this place??? DEFINITELY!!!!!!!! I am giving an 8 points to the food because of its traditional delicious taste and a 9 for the ambience of the place, value for money and our overall experience..

Try to visit the place if you happen to be in Tagaytay! Remember the name .... PAMANA Restaurant!


Pamana Restaurant
( beside THE BOUTIQUE bed & breakfast HOTEL )
Aguinaldo Highway
Tagaytay City, Cavite

Tel. nos. ( 046 ) 413 - 1885

TAGAYTAY Revisited.... Day 1... part 1...... Amoroma Restaurant

Today I drove to Tagaytay together with Ernie Kamatoy ( my houseguest from the States ) and Iggy and his family for the weekend. A much needed break for both of us. Iggy had planned this trip a few weeks back with his friends and  I wanted to go with them... The agenda??? GOLF at the Evercrest Golf and Country Club ( formerly known as the Batulao Golf and Country Club)... and GOOD FOOD!!... One of Iggy's friends, Pen Mulingbayan ( another photographer ) had some restaurants lined up for us to try. All we needed was a HUGE APPETITE to see us thru the weekend....

Our first stop.... Amoroma Restaurant

I love Italian food and this was going to be my third time going back to this restaurant. Everytime I am in Tagaytay  I make sure... I drop by. The last time I was here was when Una was barely 2 months old.

Here is what we ordered ......

Fresh green salad with special balsamic dressing...

Amoroma Special Pizza with Truffles... every time I would order... this pizza was always included in my order. I loved the truffle shavings on the pizza.. usually when you order truffles in other restaurants they just put truffle oil. You should try this pizza!!!!!

a combination pizza that is 1/2 prosciutto and 1/2  five-cheese.... both pizzas we ordered were very good.  You should this one also!! In the 5 cheese pizza - they use gorgonzola cheese....  YUMMYYY!!

I think i was a foodie from day one... I have always enjoyed great food and good dining experiences. The pizzas/ pastas at Amoroma are truly authentic tasting dishes and will not set you back for an arm and a leg. I personally would love to have my own place at some point in my life, somewhere out  at the end of the day, drink a glass of wine and listen to my favorite music ( which is the  60's and 70's ).

After lunch we headed to Evercrest Golf and Country Club.... to check- in  our baggages.

The view from my room.......

The good thing about the hotel is.... all the rooms have a nice view of the golf course... Evercrest is nestled along a ridge of rolling hills and deep valleys and is refreshed by the scent of evergreen trees. It is enhanced by a cool mountain climate throughout the year...

The only thing I did not like with the EVERCREST GOLF and Country Club was... they do not have any internet service. When I asked them how come they were saying in all their brochures and handouts... they had " internet service " as an "added benefit "... I call that a misinterpretation on their part ... the lady at the front desk said... they were going to move me to a room on the second floor ( ROOM 201 )... which could access the internet... so... I agreed to be in that room. Can you imagine... such a big hotel... they only had ONE ROOM.. that could access an internet???? and the lady at the front desk told me that it was not a DELUXE room but a JUNIOR SUITE... so!!... I was waiting to hear her tell me... I had to ADD MORE MONEY for my room ( which I was not going to do anyway! )... SO... in case you are planning a weekend in EVERCREST... and you are planning to bring your laptop with you... REMEMBER to book ROOM 201--- " the ONLY ROOM in the hotel that has access to the internet ".

After checking into our rooms.... we all drove down to the junction of Nasugbu and Tuy, Batangas to meet up with the rest of the group...

Amoroma Restaurant
Barangay Tolentino
Tagaytay City, Cavite

Tel. nos. ( 046 )  696 3582

Amoroma Restaurant - Tagaytay City

I have been a Italian foodie fan ever since i can remember... and this time ... i have found another Italian restaurant outside the metropolis... called Amoroma or " I love Rome ". It was a restaurant in Alabang before it moved to its new place in Tagaytay. Its owners are Chef Nino and Pholie Maestropietro. This restaurant boasts of the " only ONE in the country that serves black truffle mushrooms from Campoli, Italy".

The walls of his restaurant had the ambiance of an italian trattoria in Italy... with a lot of old fashioned Italian photographs on the walls, the familiar red and white checkered tablecloths and soft Italian music playing.

We wanted to try as many dishes as possible in order to taste what he had to offer...here are some of the dishes we tried....Beef Carpaccio with arugula, spinach with pine nuts..( these were very good!) According to Nino-- he doesn't scrimp on his ingredients so as not to alter the taste of the dish. Then he served us... vittello tonatto ( which i liked the best), and a pizza napoletanna... our main course was his Fettuccine with Tartuffo ( black truffle mushrooms) and truffle oil... this is a " must try " when you have your meals in this place!!!

Chef Maestropietro also imports his own italian wines...The red wines are: Pinot Nero Anselmi, Santo Moso Taurasi 2002 and Rossa Montalcino 2004. His selection of white wines are: Chardonnay delle Venezia 2007, Pinot Grigio Fruli 2007. 

How to get there: use the Sta. Rosa Exit going to Tagaytay.. and once you get to the end... turn right. It is 100 meters from there.... 

He has some rooms for rent for guests who would like to stay over.... all his linens and towels come from Italy. They are moderately priced. Although his restaurant isn't on the ridge... you can see the view of the Taal Lake from the second floor where his rooms are located..

 

For those people who love good Italian cooking.... something that's definitely not fusion.... but something you can call COMFORT FOOD .... I recommend this place ....... AMOROMA!!!!!