Monday, February 16, 2009
Tagaytay's new secret garden
Gourmet Farms have been in existence since in the early 90s but I think people are only starting to discover Gourmet Cafe lately. I went there for some lunch with my boyfriend and his uncle. His uncle had been away from the country for awhile and he wanted to eat something healthy.
I only had two options for him: Sonya's Garden or Gourmet Cafe. Sonya's is one of my favorites but they always serve the same thing all the time--wheat bread with several dips, DIY tossed salad with different fantastic dressings, and fettuccini pasta.
I took a gamble and brought them to Gourmet Cafe, instead. Geographically, Gourmet is located in Silang, Cavite and not in Tagaytay. But since it's very near the Tagaytay Rotunda, it is often mistaken as part of Tagaytay.
First off, if you buy bottled dressings for your veggies at the local supermarket you'll be familiar with Gourmet's logo. It will be a great help, too, if you if you know it because you'll easily spot their green sign board along Aguinaldo Highway.
The tricky part is distinguishing the deli and the Cafe while driving. The deli is more visually obvious from the road.
They call the deli it Gourmet Refresher's and they serve sandwiches for P150 and below and fruit shakes in season. This is also where they sell their bottled dressings, fresh organic vegetables and coffee beans.
The restaurant is behind the deli. It's the brick mansion with capiz windows and doors that looks more like a house rather than a restaurant.
When we entered the venue, the waiters only looked at us and did not assist us in any way. We were very fortunate that one of the managers of Gourmet named Olivia was also having her lunch at that time. She was the one who guided us to one of the empty tables and brought us the menu.
It was a few days before Valentines and, thankfully, besides the set menu on the blackboard outside the establishment there were no red paper cupids or cut-out hearts inside.
The place is very romantic without being garish. There is a grand piano in the middle of the room (although nobody's playing). The ceiling fans look like antique pieces, the floors are polished terra cotta, the chairs are made of wood and the flower-printed tablecloth looked lovingly worn. The folding capiz doors are left open to let the cool breeze in. It also smelled like strong brewed coffee.
We ordered Mango and Arugula Salad (P220), Insalata Spinaci (P230), Rigatoni Alla Salsiccia (P280), Penne Al Salmone (P290), Pizza Farm (P270) and Banaba Iced Tea (P65).
Mango and Arugula
Insalata Spinaci
The salads were the first to be served. The serving size is good for one person only and the quantity was disappointing for me. Some good restaurants in Manila serve the same amount for half the price.
Besides, the farm have 9 hectares of organic goodness. At the time we were there, they sell lettuces for P75 PER KILO and their bottled dressings (250 ml) range from P130-250. I don't think it will hurt their profit if they added a few more grams of greens.
Anyway, we asked that both salads come in Balsamic Vinaigrette. The Mango and Arugula had sweet, ripe mangoes, walnuts, and parmesan cheese. The Insalata Spinaci had fresh tomatoes, croutons and parmesan.
As expected, the greens are crunchy and fresh. I found the mangoes too sweet but the walnuts were perfect. The slight bitterness of spinach complements the sweetness of the tomatoes. Overall, we were in love with the salads and wished there were more.
Pizza Farm
Their version of vegetarian pizza came next. No complaints on the serving size there. It had onions, zucchini, tomatoes, green bell pepper and carrots on a thin-crust dough with tomato sauce and smothered with mozzarella cheese. The carrots came as a surprise for us because we've never had one on a pizza before. We never realized that it's crunchy, orange existence could go so well on a bread!
That pizza was, hands down, the highlight of the meal for me. It's every person-on-a-diet's dream. It's every foodie's dream. Heck, it can even be the meat-lovers' dream, if they give it a whirl.
Our greedy forks were ready when our pasta arrived. Red sauce fans will definitely love Rigatoni alla Salsiccia. The sauce is made fresh, not from cans. The Rigatoni are al dente. The sausage is way too good to resist.
Penne Al Salmone
White sauce fans, like me, will drool after the Penne Al Salmone. Sure, it could use a little more salmon but the sauce is sooooo creamy-licious and rich that you just know you're adding pounds to your thighs with every bite. But will you care? I don't think so.
The fresh herbs add a special "oomph" to both .dishes. The day was too hot for coffee but we would love to try it on a cooler day.
Tip # 1: If you're on a budget but wants to try the salad, buy their greens in the deli and the bottled dressing. It will taste the same.
Lettuce HeavenTip # 2: Go to the Refresher's and ask for a guide that could tour you around their 4-ha farm (the other four is located in Alfonso, Cavite, I think). The guide will take you to where they process their coffee beans, teach you to differentiate herbs, and the best part of the farm--the veggies! Imagine lettuce as far as your eye could see. At some point, I resisted the urge to pull out one arugula and eat it right there and then. It's a vegetarian's heaven.
We wanted to see the chapel on the hill but Fernan told us that it's usually closed except if you set an appointment.
When we were going back to Refresher's, Olivia the manager, saw us. She graciously invited us aboard a jeep so we could enter their "secret" garden.
She showed us the rooms of their bed and breakfast. It's P5,000/pax, inclusive of breakfast. No television. She said that most of those who rent it are priests on a retreat.
Labels: foodie, Gourmet Cafe, tagaytay
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home