Dining at Balay Indang

In my previous post about Balay Indang I mentioned that I was going to write a lengthier post about the gastronomic delights we ate while we were there. Part of the overnight package included dinner (it's usually breakfast) and after seeing the huge kitchen we were all excited to eat. 

We were all hanging out near the kitchen waiting for dinner to be served. We found out though that they only serve dinner when a table is fully occupied, so we immediately sat on this table. 

Minutes later we were served this huge bowl of salad. Aside from green leafy veggies, carrots, radish, eggs and cucumber, the salad had corn and nuts. The salad dressing was lovely and addicting. 

A couple of dishes were served. Including shrimp balls that was coated with cereal, seafood omelette, liempo etc. I was so excited to eat I forgot to take photos of the other dishes, haha. 

 

Dessert was chocolate fondue with marshmallows, banana and pineapple. The chocolate was actually melted flat tops <3

The next day was the wedding of our friends and the food that was served was awesome. We were first served turon as appetizer and this was followed by the same salad we had for dinner (yumyumyum!). 

Main dishes that were served included honey-baked spare ribs, shrimp kebab, chicken, Talisay lechon (brought by the groom's aunt from Cebu). We were so glad that the food was "bottomless". We were also situated just beside the kitchen and so we had the privilege of having our own food server (haha!).

 

 

Dining at Balay Indang is an unforgettable experience. Everything was fresh and delicious! I'd love to come back and just hang out at Balay Indang again :)

Cavite: Balay Indang

Last weekend we headed to Tagaytay to attend a friend's wedding. It was our first time to visit Balay Indang and had no idea what to expect. To get there turn right from Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway to Mendez-Tagaytay Highway. Just go straight about 8 kilometers and you'll see the signage of Balay Indang on the left side. It was a bit hard to find so we relied on Google Maps.

Balay Indang is also known as "The Red Ginger Farm and Garden". It wasn't raining when we got there and we explored the surroundings a bit. Lush vegetation surrounded the whole place and you can either stay in the main house or at the cottages scattered across the property. I was too enthralled with the garden and promptly forgot to take photos of the outdoors (haha). Don't bother to bring your laptop since I only managed to get Edge internet connection at the most. That's a plus for me though since I really needed a vacation from my online life. 

I certainly enjoyed the interior of the main house. They had a lot of knick-knacks and I would assume decor bought from abroad. The theme seemed to be "rustic-mismatch". No two things were alike. Chairs, tables, plates, mirrors etc., everything was different. Even the wallpaper was just scraps from different pieces, but everything surprisingly jelled together.

Balay Indang is a place where you can just sit back and relax and be unplugged. A safe haven from the busy wired life you may have in the metro. I should've followed my instincts and left my laptop at home. 

Dinner was an affair to remember and I'm going to make a separate post about the gastronomic delights that we had. For now I can share that we took advantage of the bottomless feat. 

 

 

Anyway, after dinner my friends and I hung out by the pool, but I guess we were just too wired we immediately got bored (haha). We moved to the library and just hung-out. I just played some games on my phone, but it soon ran out of battery. The cool weather and soft lights was like a lullaby to me and soon I asked Sweetie if we could go and sleep already.

 

 

 

 

 If only Sweetie didn't have work the next day I would've wanted to stay another night just to sleep :)

Balay Indang - The Red Ginger Farm and Garden (map)
88 Mabang Kahoy
Indang, Cavite
+63 917 866 5825

Best Bulalo in Tagaytay, Leslie's

Leslie's. I have a friend who raves about Leslie's everytime he gets the chance, so I thought we should dine there during our trip to Tagaytay last weekend.

Leslie's offer affordable group meals in their menu. We could've gotten a package, but we thought we'd end up with too many leftovers, so we decided to order the following dishes:

Bulalo. I only eat bulalo at home when my Dad cooks it. It's been sometime since he has done this, so I was absolutely floored when I sampled the soup and beef. It's exactly like how my Dad cooks bulalo!

Crispy Pata. I am sure my crispy pata connossieur-friend, Juned, would approve of Leslie's crispy pata. It was delightfully soft, crispy and chewy at the same time. Basta masarap!

Sizzling Kangkong in Garlic and Oyster Sauce. To balance off the sinful crispy pata my sister and aunt ordered a platter of kangkong. I had my doubts, but I was pleasantly surprised how the oyster sauce and garlic sweetened the kangkong. It was really good!

Leslie's Restaurant
Emilio Aguinaldo Highway
Silang West, Tagaytay City
(map)

Price Range: approx. PhP400 per head

Must have: Bulalo and Sizzling Kangkong in Garlic and Oyster Sauce

Lakwatsera's Rating: a bit pricey, but serving sizes are big.

Another Look at Sonya's Garden

A few months ago we visited Sonya's Garden with friends. There were a lot of people during our visit so we only got the chance to buy some plants and baked good. We wanted to have lunch, but the place was full so we were forced to look for another restaurant (ended up at Antonio's).

My sister's in town, so we thought we'd bring her to Tagaytay for some fresh air. Our first stop was Sonya's Garden. This time around we got to see other parts of the secret Tagaytay garden.

The Country Store. I immediately fell in love with the takatak "chimes" and got one for the house. My aunt got some orchid tree seeds (she gave it to my Mom for planting haha). Also found a lot of spa stuff, hand-crafted cloth and other home materials.

Sensuous Spa. One day I will go back and have a heavenly massage!

You can also buy spa oil/scent/soap etc. from the store.

And don't forget to get some yummy baked items!

Sonya's Garden (map)

Antonio's (Tagaytay)

I've been to Antonio's twice and was quite surprised that the branch at the highway closed down, so we had a hard time looking for it (3G wasn't working so well so it was hard to get map info). It was a pleasant place to go to and I thought Drew would like it. Good thing Sweetie saw the signage and we finally found the place.

Jay, Miguel and I went downstairs ahead of Winston, Mica and Drew since they were still taking photos at the first level. Little did we know that they were having a mini-heart attack after seeing the PhP13,000 price tag for the steak (which we clarified later on). Drew and Miguel had the tapa and they said it was delicious. Jay got an omelet while the rest of us got pasta.

We were quite disappointed with the food since we found it quite bland (no value for money there). I don't remember what I ordered in my previous trips but I remember the food was okay. Anyway, the ambiance of the place made up for the disappointment.

Antonio's/Breakfast at Antonio's
(has 2 locations in Tagaytay, we went to the farther one)
Price Range: approx. PhP500/person

Picnic Grove (Tagaytay)

I have fond memories of Picnic Grove since the I used to go there with my childhood friends. It's where I learned how to skate (well I did manage a straight line) and had loads of fun following the trail (something I can't do anymore). It's been sometime since I visited Picnic Grove and I was quite excited to check out the new stuff they had at the park.

First stop was the view deck. And that's what we did. Checked out the view. Couldn't resist though taking a picture of my friends since they looked like an emo version of the F4.

As expected the zipline was... short. It cost PhP200 per head, per way, but I guess it's not so bad since the longer ziplines are located in Mindanao! We wanted to try out the cage zip but decided against it when we found out the price.

Picnic Grove was pretty much the same. Most of the small cottages were torn down and the facilities haven't been maintained too well. Sayang.

Entrance Fee: PhP50/head
Vehicle Fee: PhP35/car

Map to Picnic Grove


View Larger Map

Tagaytay

I've been hankering to go to Tagaytay for sometime now and found the perfect excuse when Drew said he was coming to town. We immediately put things in motion and in just a few days we were roaring down to Tagaytay.

One drawback though about going to Tagaytay is the heavy traffic you might encounter on the South Super Highway. I remember once it took us three hours from Cabuyao to Bicutan when it just usually takes about 30 to 45 minutes from Bicutan to Sta. Rosa. We were lucky that day because we didn't experience any heavy traffic  to and from Tagaytay.

First stop was Picnic Grove since we wanted to check out the famous Tagaytay zipline. It was a very short line but we still wanted to try it out. The cost though was a whopping PhP200 per head, per way! Since there wasn't any thrill to it compared to the zipline at Davao's Outland Adventure we decided to forego riding the zipline.

We were quite hungry and thought it would be great to check out Sonya's Garden since none of us have gone there. It was quite a long way from Picnic Grove and we were surprised to see a lot of cars already parked! There was an ongoing wedding reception and another one was scheduled in the afternoon. We went around a bit and got hungry. We didn't have a reservation and the waiting time was quite long so we decided to move on.

I didn't know that Antonio's branch at the main road already closed so we had a hard time looking for it. We had already given up but luckily found our way to the main branch. The prices weren't as steep as Sonya's Garden buffet lunch. We were quite disappointed though with the food, but found the place quite nice.

We were about to leave when a parade trapped us inside Antonio's. It was cute though, but we had to take another longer route back to the main road. Also passed by the famous Mushroom Burger. Too bad we didn't get to check out the plantation at the back of the store.

Last stop was at Starbucks so we could check out the Taal Volcano at sunset. We hung out for awhile longer and then headed home.

Tagaytay: RSM

Over the holidays my friends and I managed to squeeze in a trip to Tagaytay for some fresh air and good food. Upon the recommendation of one of my friends we headed to RSM, a resto with good food and a great view of the Taal Volcano. 

This is the view on a cloudy day.

I think I've dined at RSM several times already. The food is quite okay (just the same as other restos in the area), but the service has gone quite bad. There was a mix-up in the table/kubo assignment and ordering was confusing. You can get food immediately from their "fast food" section, but by the time you pay for your food it's a bit cold already. And then there's a number of dishes that's not available in the fast food section, so you have to order and wait about 15 to 30 minutes for it. Ordering for drinks also take time.

We were quite hungry and since traffic was bad we just decided to eat there anyway. 

I had inihaw na baboy. 

Miguel had chicken.

Great to eat veggies too in Tagaytay!

And I wanted to try out the tahong too. 

And the shrimps looked yummy as well.

Too bad the service was a bit bad. I think though they should do something about their processes and probably stick to just either a by order or via fast food and not both.

Must haves: anything inihaw, leche flan

Can do without: the confusing ordering system

Price range: PhP300 per person (I think the prices are over-rated, but servings are good for two)

The Lakwatsera's Rating: will likely look for another resto in the area