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Antonio's Restaurant in Tagaytay (or No Bull Bulalo)

The first time I visited Antonio's Restaurant, it was quite a search, a trek, albeit in the relative comfort of a car. Still, driving directions such as "when you see large radar antennas on the left" may be daunting to those uninitiated to the ways of getting around in the Philippines. But the road to Tagaytay, about 35 miles south of Manila in the province of Cavite, is a scenic one, a large portion of the land blanketed by farms and, at the heart of the town, the famous and still-active Taal volcano. The road to the restaurant itself is another 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the traffic. It's situated deep within a subdivision. Once you get there, it's like another world.

I'm not gonna beat around the bush, here's the photo of what I came here for: a giant serving of bulalo or beef shank marrow, split then roasted with all the contents in its dizzyingly rich, creamy goodness. Lots of herbs, a side of grill-toasted points, onion chutney completed the dish. Truly over-the-top. Make sure you use that tiny teaspoon the restaurant provides to dig out every little morsel.
More toast, this time with melted Raclette cheese. 
Mozzarella and tomatoes; salad with pears and--gasp!--a generous serving of foie gras. The restaurant has a garden from which most of the ingredients of the salads come.
I can't get enough of it: another view of the bulalo on toast. Right, a creamy but light bisque.
Antonio's serves a limited but decently chosen number of wines. Below, a Chinon and a Bergerac Sec, a blend of Bordeaux whites: semillon, sauvignon and muscadelle. 
Roasted duck breast infused with truffle, goji berries, seared foie gras, braised cabbage.
Free-range chicken confit with bourbon tomato and onion potato pancake; another view of the duck with a formidable number of slices.  
Seafood sampler (top to bottom): pan-seared scallops on mashed celeriac with truffle cream sauce; grilled Chilean sea bass topped with shiitake fish belly farce on mashed potato; prawn thermidor.
For dessert during another trip, a trio of panna cotta. Though all quite tasty, the most successfully executed one was the traditional panna cotta.
Several views of the enormous, multi-level dining area. Tagaytay weather tends to be many degrees cooler than Manila's. You may need a sweater or a scarf during the cooler months (around November to January).
Antonio's also serves dinner, an even more romantic notion for those looking for such a special space. I was trying to imagine this area all lit up at night, but the glorious food kept diverting my attention. To be sure, the many times I've been there, not all the dishes were successful. I'm thinking of the slightly fishy sole meuniere my friend ordered and the disappointing roast pork hock with the not-crispy-enough skin. But all other dishes were solid to great. Hint to diners: anything with foie gras in it would be sublime, except if you're a vegetarian. If you see lamb on the menu, which the restaurant doesn't always list, order it. They do marvels with the meat.

Reservations are required, else you may get turned away at the gate, like my brother when he tried to go on a lark. Weekdays are, of course, less crowded. Information about reservations and directions are on the restaurant web site, but the Flash-based site can be painfully slow to load at times. I've tried the online reservation form and it works, though I eventually had to call the restaurant to confirm that I indeed got on the list.

Web site: http://antoniosrestaurant.ph/
Phone: +63-917-899-2866


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