Leisure inertia

After a thoroughly enjoyable extended family holiday, all of two weeks, I seem to have a serious bout of inertia. I have not gotten down to business, so at least for this week’s column, I’m still stuck on the holiday mode. Last Sunday, the family decided to enjoy a long and comfortable drive to Tagaytay on board the Kia Carnival which we had for the week courtesy of our friends from Columbian Autocars, exclusive Philippine distributors of these very much improved and globally competitive Korean-made Kia automobiles. By the way, this vehicle was perfect for the nice weekend drive- it was very spacious, with comfortable captain’s chairs in the middle. For a minivan, the Carnival rode smoothly, and the air conditioning system was fantastic.

The trip to Tagaytay was, of course, with my prodding. We haven’t travelled to this cool city in a long time because almost all of the weekends in recent months were either rainy or just plain gloomy, with portents of a downpour. The excellent Spanish cuisine which we enjoyed for two weeks notwithstanding, I found myself hankering for a good, thick, deliciously marbled and juicy slab of meat, perfectly grilled and seasoned. The one time I ventured to order a T-bone steak in one of the restaurants within Ramblas in Barcelona, I had to struggle with its toughness. Though seasoned well, the meat itself was tough, with a very generous share of ligaments too, and in the end it just took all the fight out of me. I guess Spain is not famous for its steaks, though cattle-raising is a big enough industry in those parts. We saw huge tracts of land, meadows grazed out to cattle, but the grade of the beef is far from the US standards.

Anyway, when thinking of Tagaytay with a fixed, inflexible mindset of a steak lunch, Antonio’s comes to my mind. The scenic views, good roads and a climate and ambience that easily rival Baguio’s, minus all the hassles of hours of endless driving through a succession of towns where pedicabs, owner jeeps, and provincial buses choke the narrow roads, make it an excellent alternative. Baguio has a charm all its own, and nothing can quite take its place but when the wanderlust hits you for a quicker nice cool destination, Tagaytay always hits the mark.

We used to go to Antonio’s just for their all-day breakfast menu, enjoying their huge servings of pancakes and breakfast steaks, but as the kids got smarter and developed more sophisticated taste buds, the fine dining place always won over the modestly-priced popular breakfast place. Chef Tony Boy Escalante, the owner/chef patron of Antonio’s has since moved the all-day breakfast to the fine dining resto which is not wanting in space anyway. The sprawling piece of property is nestled in the backwoods of Tagaytay, with old ferns as big as trees guarding the jewel of a fine dining restaurant that is Antonio’s.

Back to my fascination for steaks. We made sure we called for a table reservation the night before because this restaurant really gets full. The reservations-only rule is not for show, Antonio’s really gets full, and we’ve seen this time and again. To be sure, it is a very pricey place, but quality indeed has its price. The main dining room has an eclectic collection of fine European pieces, the owner’s collection I guess which have found an elegant home in this restaurant. Vintage chandeliers, charming in their quaintness, rustling crystals in various hues, certainly create the perfect ambience for a good Sunday lunch. Imagine looking out to an endless view of lush greens and flora, adding to a most pleasant dining experience. The huge crowd last Sunday was testament to that.

I was pleasantly surprised that Chef Tony Boy personally came out to greet us in his starched white regalia. He isn’t at work in his resto every Sunday because the system is in place and the restaurant hums with activity under the watch of Jonah, the restaurant supervisor, but we were lucky to catch him that Sunday. The charming owner/chef welcomed us warmly and told us that he would be pleased to whip up something special for us, on the house. Great!

The rib-eye order is good for two and comes as a full meal, with a small bowl of soup, a large serving of greens tossed with a raspberry dressing, dessert and coffee. But first, we had to prep our taste buds for Tony Boy’s ravioli which surpassed our expectations. The dish had subtle flavors of mushrooms which made you take spoonfuls of the ravioli in quick succession. Many thanks!

Then, the star of the show made a grand entrance on a big platter, a thick slab deliciously marbled like I imagined it to be, with yellow fat that melts in the mouth, grilled black outside but pinkish and tender and very juicy inside— a steak worthy of its name. And its price, but as I said, somebody who knows his beef doesn’t mind paying for quality. The rib-eye steak was well worth it.

Even for a steak lover like me, the serving is really hefty. The good- for- two size could easily satisfy three, what with the soup and the salad preceding it. There were five of us in the group, and Babes, my wife opted to order the oven-roasted pigs knuckles with sauerkraut, but they thoughtfully served her with soup, salad, dessert and coffee as well.

A fine Sunday dining experience indeed! Cheers! Chef Tony Boy.

Bring back the glory

Another must-have for us when in Tagaytay is the raisin bread from Bag of Beans. This place has really grown and prospered, initially carving out a name for their coffee blend, and now known for their English pies and raisin bread which is soft bread loaded with raisins. We were always lucky enough to catch it straight out of the oven, piping hot.

Last Sunday, we stopped for our usual order plus some more that I intend to serve as part of the merienda for my poker peers for an unscheduled late Sunday afternoon game, which I was hosting. There is always a line for the raisin bread, so they continuously bake this non-stop on weekends, proof of its popularity. We got the last three pieces on the shelf (lucky break!), still warm, leaving the rest of the line waiting for the next batch to bake. Alas, when we got home to enjoy our raisin bread, we found it had only about half of the raisins they used to pack into the bread. What happened to the famous Bag of Beans raisin bread which in its original form could easily rival the more popular raisin bread of Baguio Country Club?

From a loyal raisin bread fan, I hope the owners can bring back the Bag of Beans raisin bread to its original glory.

It’s never too late

Due to the recent trip and the volumes I have lined up to write about it, it’s only now that I would get to wish The Philippine Star all the best as it pursues its unending quest for the truth with the covenant to make it prevail going into the second quarter century of its meaningful existence.

Despite the jet lag, I was glad to have attended our 25^th anniversary celebrations barely a day after my arrival. Seeing all those who came to greet and wish The Star more years of public service, which comprised the who’s who in government and the business sectors together with the crème dela crème of Philippine society made me feel more proud and privileged to be a member of distinctive Star Family.

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

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