Tagaytay Getaway: Chateau Hestia

This was also in my other blog, but I'll make a separate post for my food musings.

Chateau Hestia is a garden restaurant, it's more like Sonya's Garden, but the food is authentic European (so it's a variety of Greek, Italian, French food, and etc).

 I love how it is secluded and away from the usual Tagaytay highway dine- in restos. This is located in Lagusan Drive, Barangay Bukal. You have to drive merely two hours from Muntinlupa to reach the place (without traffic of course).

 But the long drive is so worth the food and the romantic country feel. 

I didn't enjoy the food much as I was thinking of a lot of things that time. 

We ordered the following munchies:

Margherita Pizza

This is your usual vegetarian pizza with a twist. It has a minty taste in it and I haven't noticed not until I was almost done with my first slice. Baked thinly and just right.   

Pasta di Mare

A combination of scallops and prawns in Pomodoro sauce.

 I didn't like this pasta dish as it tastes bland to me. Such a disappointment. 

Chicken Geschnetzeltes "Zurich Style"

This is a chicken recipe cooked in a white wine sauce w/ mushrooms and sour cream. Tatay loved this dish! He finished up the whole platter. I think the secret is the sauce, it is very savory and I'm guessing it has beef broth in it.

 Serving is enough to be shared by two people.  

Ferrero Rocher homemade Gelato

I can actually munch on the Ferrero Rocher morsels. Not too sweet and creamy.

 Really small serving as you can see, it just fits the bottom of a cocktail glass. 

More pictures in our secluded nook:

cutesy plate! :)

chairs. have you noticed that I have a chair fetish? hihi. :P

first time to use an actual IKEA utensils. cool, eh? :)

suddenly, I became more inspired to paint again. :)

I enjoyed the food! But more than that, I fell in love with the place.

 Tatay always knew that Tagaytay has always had a special spot in my heart. So taking me to this restaurant for a romantic date was such a delight for me. I didn't enjoy the food as I was thinking of the expensive menu, LOL. He made a reservation in advance so we got this secluded nook away from other customers. It's like we have the place all to ourselves. Our attendants has been really courteous, making sure we have enough water every time they gave us our refill. They even gave us a complimentary dessert and wine on the house! Nice, eh? :)

I would recommend this restaurant for a quick romantic getaway.

 It's also a good place to have a proposal! :)

Read more of it here:

Good Cheap Eats: Chic Boy Chicken at Baboy

It was Tatay who wanted to try the Cebu Lechon Manok at Chic Boy Chicken and Baboy. He's been bugging me for a week to try it. Finally, I agreed to give it a try. 

The place looks like Mang Inasal. There were condiments readily available, free soup and a set meal that comes with unlimited rice. Tatay loved his lechong manok, says it's better than Mang Inasal. I loved my kangkong w/ garlic and my garlic rice. 

while waiting for our food 

Kangkong with garlic bits

Chic Boy lechong manok

ceiling

our bill: only P225

About to go home!
 My hardworking hubby, still managed to do the groceries
 after a hard day's work at the office. ;)

Surprisingly cheap and good! :)

Located at Puregold Molito for Alabang residents.

DIY: Extra Spicy Chili Crabs

This is something I look forward to every Sunday at Mom's place

Cooking extra spicy Chili Crabs

Ingredients:

boiled crabs

1/4 cup oyster sauce

2 tbsp UFC banana ketchup

1/4 cup Jap rice wine

sugar and salt to taste

lots of garlic and chili

How to:

saute garlic w/ olive oil

add chili 

add the crabs

add the Jap rice wine, simmer for at least 2mins

add the oyster sauce and ketchup 

season according to taste 

Yumminess! My DIY extra spicy Chili Crabs!

How about you? How do you cook your crabs? :)

-All the best, Juana ♥

What one thing are you exceptionally good at?

I'm superb in making yummy vegetarian dishes. Just ask Mr. Reyes. ;)

Ask me anything

Cheap Eats: SM Makati Supermarket

Our new food loots over the weekend. :)

Mango Float: YUMMINESS!

Revel Bars

Malunggay fortified Shing-A-Ling & Banana Chips
Cheap and healthy! :))

New Eats: The Sandwich Guy

We went to St. James Christmas Bazaar last Saturday, Tatay, Bes and I.

Of course a Cuenca Bazaar wouldn't be complete without our usual food hunting. :P

We bought sandwiches at The Sandwich Guy. It's just your usual wheat sandwich, nothing really spectacular. Sandwiches are okay. A bit pricey for a Veggie sandwich, costs 100PHP. Tatay loved his Big Time sandwich. It has a little bit of everything and it is as big as a Big Mac burger, no wonder he liked it so much. Bes' didn't like his Bacon Chicken Combo. The reason he just bought it is because of the long line waiting in the Shawarma stall. It's been two consecutive days that Bes has been eating "healthily", lol.

Veggie Delight

Big Time

Bacon Chicken Combo

The verdict:

They have a variety of choices, lots to choose from. A good munch when you're on the go. Healthy and light, but filling. Prices are fair for meat sandwiches. I hope they lower down the price of their Veggie sandwich or at least make it bigger, it's a bit pricey for a regular sandwich. Hey, what do you expect? It's Cuenca Bazaar. :P

Food Trip Friday: Pito & Mita

We initially planned to go to Mercato Centrale, but I found out from their website that they’re only open every weekend, Saturdays and Sundays, 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Too bad, I badly wanted to go there on our Friday Food Trip getaway, it’ll be a breather to go somewhere else because we’re always in the Southern part of the Metro plus we’ll be tagging along friends with us who haven't tried organic munchies yet. Well, anyways, there's always a next time and hopefully, we can go there before the year ends. :)

I searched for restos around BF Homes Paranaque area and stumbled upon Pito & Mita.

Pito & Mita is a casual, sit- down resto that caters to people of all ages.
 They serve dishes inspired by traditional recipes originating from the Mediterranean region- some Spanish and some Italian with a few French and Greek dishes.           
                                                                         

Like most restos in BF Homes, it was an old house converted into a resto. I fell in love with their lovely interiors. I love the yellow hue in their walls (cos of the ceiling drapes). The place is so cozy, there are ceiling drapes and chandeliers which I found romantic, very Victorianesque. I instantly knew that our postponed trip to Mercato Centrale was worth exchanging for a night out in Pito & Mita.

their lovely ceiling :)

I love the old charm feel to their chairs

Because that night, my hubby and our best friend decided to be Pescetarians.

We ordered the 5 cheese dip for our appetizer and Caesar salad for Tatay and Bes
 (yes, they're salad eaters now, lol). Bes and I ordered the Tomato Moringa Pasta while Tatay got the Parmesan-Crusted Baked Fish with Potato Gratin as our main course, Lemon & Moringa juice for refreshments and Apple Pie ala Mode for dessert.

The 5 cheese dip tastes divine! I love how you can still see the variations of the cheese in it.  It is good for 2 people but the actual serving is good for 3 people. 

5 cheese dip

You could actually munch cheese morsels in it! Divine!

The Caesar dressing tastes different. It's the best Caesar dressing I've tasted so far. I guess they make their own dressing as it has a distinct taste in it. I asked the waiter about it and I got a confirmed conclusion. ;)

Tatay and Bes's Caesar Salad

They served our pastas and Tatay's baked fish in a heated plate. 
Nice! Talk about authenticity! 

The Tomato Moringa Pasta is a healthy mix of tomatoes, garlic, basil and malunggay leaves served with Angel hair pasta. It tastes so darn good that you won't even notice it's a vegetarian dish. It doesn't taste like your usual Italian pasta and believe me, you won't even taste the "malunggay" leaves. Bes and I happily ate the delicious pasta dish, nodding every time we had a bite.

Tomato Moringa Pasta

I can't even start with Tatay's Parmesan-Crusted Baked Fish with Potato Gratin. It tastes so delish! It really melts in the mouth. The fish is so creamy and baked just enough. The Potato Gratin was superb! The dish is big enough to be shared by two people.

Tatay's Parmesan-Crusted Baked Fish with Potato Gratin

We ordered the Apple Pie ala Mode for dessert. It looked so cute that for a moment I was hesitant to eat it, lol. It's not your usual slice of pie. It looks like a cupcake with ice cream on top of it. After staring and admiring it's cuteness I decided to have a bite of it. I'm a fan of apple pies but this apple pie is different. The crust is soft but crumbly, you could see the thinly sliced apple when you cut it in half. It's not too sweet. The combination of the warm filling with the vanilla ice cream was heavenly! I just keep on nodding and mumbling "ohhh-ummm" every time I took a bite.

Our Apple Pie ala Mode

The Lemon & Moringa juice tastes so refreshing 
and again, you won't even taste the malunggay in it.

Lemon and Malunggay Juice

We truly loved all the food we've eaten. We looked like silly bunch of kids eating happily, savoring and nodding with each bite. Prices are just right. Besides the good food, it was the service that we liked best. All the waiters are courteous and kind enough in answering my queries. Service is fast. The waiters happily served us, making sure that we have a pleasant dining experience. I love the food, love love the service and we'll definitely be coming back for more Pito & Mita experience.

Because I am usually the one taking photos,
 sometimes a big mirror might come in handy.
 Tatay, Juana and Bes

Find out more about it at: 
Pito & Mita's Facebook Page

More Food Musings

Tofu Overload

Good Cheap Eats: Yogie Island VS Mini Stop

Food Trip Friday: Amici

Food Trip Friday: Food de Sentosa

Good Cheap Eats: ATC Food Court

Posting my previous food musings from my other blog: see.think.create :)

Amici's famous gellato

Sustainable Foodies

The owner of the blog has been a Pescetarian for almost 5 years now.

 She tried to incorporate a Pescetarian household when she started having a family of her own. Their food menu consists mainly of tofu, vegetables and fish. Her hypertensive husband has willingly tried to partake in this journey of hers, but still eats pork and beef on a monthly basis. Here, you'll read about their search for budget-friendly-yet-to-discover food restos around the metro, from good cheap eats to oh so good affordable treats. Talking mostly about food culture, religion and everything in between. :)