Return to Eden

Going to Antonio’s in Tagaytay is like taking a shortcut to an overseas Eden — but without a passport. It’s postcard-pretty, photogenic, serves food akin to that in a cruise ship’s formal dining room — and pricey. It’s a pampering experience sans a massage. So you leave the place with the feeling of having gone places, and having “arrived” — at the same time.

Nestled in a lush, undulating farmland that reminds me of the interior of Bali (the Ubud area), the restaurant exudes an ambience already worth the trip to Tagaytay and the semi-zigzag road you must traverse in Barangay Neogan to get to it. I had not been to Antonio’s in about four years, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the once dirt road to this Pinoy Eden is now paved with concrete! Talk about progress! (I guess the many well-heeled loyal clients of Antonio’s paved the way for this transformation!)

If Antonio’s once looked like a tropical resthouse, it now looks more like a sprawling Filipino colonial-themed villa with lush tropical gardens. Actually it reminds me of a hacienda in Negros Occidental, where the owner, chef Tonyboy Escalante, hails from. Like Bali’s resorts and houses, where there are no borders between the indoors and outdoors, Antonio’s is like a garden with a roof. More dining areas were added to the original structure, but adhering to the same theme. There is no place in the restaurant where you do not have a view of the garden. Even the toilets are rooms with a view.

You will rubber-neck the minute you step into Antonio’s foyer, whose walls are splashed with crimson. A courtyard with a pond and a garden bursting with plants seemingly plucked from the jungle is the first sight your eyes will feast on. It is actually the appetizer in the smorgasbord of eye candies Antonio’s offers before the edible feast is served. Lots of old wood and recycled carvings from ancestral houses have found a unique place in Antonio’s — including an old wood staircase that connects the main dining room to the high-ceilinged dining area below. This second main dining area is just a few steps above the gardens at the back, where Chef Tonyboy grows his own herbs and greens, like arugula, rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley and fennel. This area, which can double up as a mini ballroom, exudes genteel elegance, with its glass chandeliers, massive wooden aparadors and black and white floor tiles.

Tonyboy, a dentist by profession and a Philippine Airlines flight attendant before he became a full-time chef and restaurateur, reveals that he is building another dining area across the garden to accommodate wedding receptions and other parties. He describes his restaurant as a reflection of his own home and he entertains guests with the warmth of a typical Ilonggo. Perhaps, that’s why they keep coming back.

Tonyboy opened Antonio’s eight years ago, and its fame simply spread by word of mouth. I don’t recall ever seeing a single print ad about Antonio’s, but look at it now — a flourishing business that has been faithful to the secrets of its success.

The tropical feel all around the restaurant is ushered in by dozens of long-stemmed birds of paradise and heliconia plants in big vases perched on wooden tables. Fuchsia bougainvillea blooms float in big ceramic bowls and planters.

In between the main dining areas are little romantic nooks and crannies with more tables still. In private corners, under the trees and the stars are tables for two. I can imagine how many marriage proposals were popped in these tables.

Just like in a cruise ship, waiters in starched white uniforms abound, so you feel like your table has its own butler catering to your every request. As for the tables for two, I imagine the waiters are hiding discreetly behind the plants.

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We motored to Tagaytay on Good Friday because we wanted to give our mom, Sonia, an unforgettable experience, a respite, before she went back to the States where she lovingly cares for our dad Frank (he is battling cancer). She was in town for the Holy Week break. To reinforce Dad’s health, we needed to strengthen the one person in this world who is his pillar of strength. We wanted to pamper Mom and treat her to a dining experience not common in the US. So after we said our prayers, and asked God for his understanding, we drove to Antonio’s in Tagaytay to show our mother how much we cared for her. We (my husband Ed and son Chino, my sister Valerie, her husband Ping and children Miguel and Patricia, Patricia’s friend Lars and our uncle Dr. Jun Reyes) drove past a Good Friday procession in Tagaytay, which stalled us a bit. Perhaps, the traffic was our penitence, because when we reached Antonio’s, it was paradise.

After we were intoxicated with the ambience, it was time to be smitten with the food and drinks. Water with sprigs of basil and lemon wedges was served in every table, which was covered in starched white linen that reminded me of those from my grandmother’s baul. Fruitshakes were served over ice cubes of the same flavor. You are allowed to bring your own bottle of wine, with reasonable corkage fee.

Since I last dined at Antonio’s, the restaurant has expanded its menu considerably (A good meal, from drinks to dessert, costs an average of P2,000). Antonio’s still offers its signature Spanferckle, which is German-style lechon served with sauerkraut and horseradish.

For appetizers, we all had foie gras Raclette, steak tartare and oysters Rockefeller. Then came the house salad, with mesclun and arugula greens that seemed to have been picked from the garden only minutes before. Apple sorbet prepared us for the main course. Those of us who were abstaining from meat had prawn risotto and mixed seafoods thermidor.

I promised to “fast” and abstain another way (I read somewhere that to sacrifice, one can fast from other things like envy, anger, gossip, intrigues and other negative actions.), another day. But today, we were rejoicing in the company of our mom, partaking of good food and hopefully infusing her with the strength drawn from bonding with the family. We had the perfect setting for that.

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