So, we planned for a several activities to do for our special day and the first of all those activities was brunch at the classy, romantic and relaxing Cafe on the Ridge at the Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay City.
We head out before sunrise and caught it while we're driving along the South Super Highway near Susana Heights. And boy was the sunrise beautiful as always! (Just to let you in on a secret, Ain loves the sunrise and thinks of me as the sunrise of her life. Awww! How sweet right?) Besides that, we really wanted to catch the sunrise because of it's meaning - a new beginning.
So, anyway, back to our first stop. We finally get to Taal Vista at around 6:30am after being forced to drive behind a few slow-moving trucks in one-laned, curvy and uphill roads. Nevertheless, it was a fine day with a cool breeze. It was going to be a great day!
We came inside the hotel lobby and was guided towards the dining area of the Cafe on the Ridge where they were serving breakfast buffet. By the entrance of the restaurant, we were courteously greeted and asked for our room number. We informed the hostess that we were walk-ins instead. We were asked to choose a table. Since it was the almost-scorching-hot-summer-season in the Philippines and we have already endured every hot day in Manila for months now, we decided to bask in the glorious feel of Tagaytay's cool weather and chose a table outside instead.
And here was the view from our chosen spot.
Just beautiful, isn't it? I find it romantic actually. All that was missing was the bouquet of my favorite flowers which until now has not yet arrived from Ain. Ehem ehem!
They were serving several food types from their breakfast menu and we decided to try a little of almost everything! (Of course! Why would anyone even think of shying away from that opportunity, right??)
So, since I rarely have a big appetite, I really did pick just a little of everything.
I ordered for coffee which tasted a lot like hot chocolate. I think that was the Batangas coffee or something. Nonetheless, it was quite nice.
I took just one serving spoon of their Arrozcaldo which was enough for me given that I wanted to taste everything else anyway. Haha! It was pretty good but did not taste out of the ordinary.
What I loved about their buffet are all those fresh vegetables and fruits they were serving. I mean most, if not all of the hotel's restaurants in Manila, offer fresh vegetables and fruits too but not most of the restaurants. So, I've always loved eating at hotel's restaurants.
They were also serving cereals, fresh milk, Champorado (which I didn't try anymore), fresh fruit juices, freshly made panini with everything on it, boiled, scrambled or fried egg, etc.They also served cold cuts, bacon, cheese slices, French toast, omelet which they would cook right in front of you while you wait, chicken adobo (which I liked the most, the chef got the taste spot on!), these sauteed ground pork which could have tasted better (and probably a few more that I didn't really get to check out anymore).
Ain, of course, who has always been a pork-lover, got several strips of bacon and had bacon added into her panini as well! But the bacon really tasted nice so I really can't blame her there.
The food wasn't exactly the best food anyone will ever have except that having brunch at the Cafe on the Ridge will give you one helluva ambiance to look forward to which will inevitably make you forget that some of the food weren't at par to your taste glands.
Cause after that heavy meal, you can walk around the hotel vicinity, enjoy the view and even stay for a while longer just savoring the relaxing feeling of sipping your coffee while the cool breeze hits your skin.
And what's another plus in this experience of ours is the value for money. You see, when we entered the hotel's parking lot, we were given a parking ticket which states that we were supposed to pay for parking at 100Php per hour! We thought it was a crazy rate. However, after we have asked for our bill from the very polite and always ready-to-assist waiters, we were asked if we would like for our parking ticket to be validated so would need not pay for parking. That was a nice surprise! (So, if you're planning to dine there, don't forget to have your parking tickets validated as well).
Okay, another aspect that I wanted to share about the value for money is that the buffet, inclusive of refillable drinks were just about 900Php per head. It wasn't too much of a bad deal since there were some hotels in Metro Manila that would offer buffets for over a grand per head - the prices of which weren't drinks inclusive.
To summarize my experience (at this particular time):
Food: GOOD
Service: GREAT
Value for Money: Pretty GREAT actually
Location/ambiance: GREAT especially during the earlier parts of the day
Over-all Dining Experience: GREAT
Would I dine there again? Yeah, sure. When another special occasion comes along.
For more details on Cafe on the Ridge, Taal Vista Hotel, Tagaytay, see the link below:
http://www.taalvistahotel.com/dining
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