dine•o•crat

Antonio's Restaurant in Tagaytay has become my go-to place for my friends visiting me in Manila. The location is, relatively speaking, remote, a long drive from the city, but the air is cooler in Tagaytay and the restaurant is practically in another, quieter universe. This is what I see in the morning right before I leave for a lunch at Antonio's. And this is the environment I'm in when I finally reach my destination. While the main part of the menu stays the same, there are a few variations here, some supply-based, some seasonal, to keep those who come here regularly from getting bored. To wit: tempura shrimp with cream sauce topped with caviar. On the right: refreshing and addictive dalandan juice. Dalandan is like a mandarin with green rind, its juice a staple of many local restaurants. Below: chanterelles with foie gras. One the left: ravioli pasta. Right: crispy lamb over Asian noodles. Below: chocolate panna cotta with cream and pistachios. Reserv...

Tagaytay, where Antonio's Restaurant is located, is a pretty city. It's a weekend getaway for many who live in Manila. Perhaps because of this, it might be becoming a victim of its own success, its nighttime traffic back to Manila a tangle of tricycles, jeepneys and SUVs that reminds one of, well, Manila itself. Here are views of the drive to the restaurant. Taal Volcano  and Taal Lake. Still active, the volcano is one of the reasons you may never see me living here. But it's marvelous, even on a gray day. Over time, it partially collapsed on itself, hence the angled ridge that you see, as if it were the tip of a giant marker. Tagaytay is a large agricultural center and the drive is dotted with small farms that are surrounded by subdivisions, which keep sprouting in this growing city. Tagaytay is known for an abundance of quality pineapples and coconuts, though you'll also find arugula, among others. The entrepreneurial spirit in evidence: fresh milk and keso...

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 t...