Tagaytay Foodtrip Weekend

BF and I were Skyping the other day and was discussing how we're both stressed and depressed with our respective jobs, then I blurted that I wanted to go to Tagaytay. Fortunately he liked the idea and was looking for a quick getaway as well. Tagaytay has always been our go-to place for such because of its proximity to Sta. Rosa (where I live). In short, we had an impromptu getaway this weekend. :D


I still had some stuff to finish so he picked me up around noon. Good thing we ate lunch at home first because of the terrible traffic going to Tagaytay. We got there around 2:00 PM I think. And since this was an impromptu trip, we did not have any reservations with any hotel or lodging. Instead, we tried our luck in 5R. We came to know of this place because we stayed at Keni Po last 2008 (which is just beside it). Luckily, they still have rooms available. The room we got was on the second floor along the hallway. It was a basic room with A/C, TV, hot & cold shower AND WiFi. Good thing I brought my laptop. :) By the way, for this basic room, we paid Php1,200 for an overnight stay.


Here's some pics of 5R and our room:

 the facade

BF was craving for a burger so we had dinner at Army Navy

Freedom Fries Php60.00

HIS: Bully Boy Burger Php235.00

Triple quarter-pound natural beef patties, topped with fresh crispy lettuce,

tomato slice & onions, mayo & ketchup on toasted sesame seed kaiser bun.

MINE: Starving Sailor Sandwich (Rib Eye Steak) Php225.00

Thinly sliced Rib Eye Steak or Chicken topped with green bell pepper,

toasted and served with salsa Jalapeño-cheese spread, green bell peppers and 

caramelized onions

Need I say we were both full after the meal? :p But of course there's always room for dessert, so we dropped by Java Jazz which is very near 5R to grab some sweets.

He ordered hot Chocolate Eh and we shared the Sub-Zero Cake in English Toffee that I ordered.

Basically it's an ice cream cake and it's really, really good. 

Java Jazz also offers lodging. I think it's Php950 for a fan room and Php1,400 with A/C with breakfast. What's good about them is that you can check in at any time and check out 24 hours later whereas most accommodations' check in time starts at 2:00 and check out is at 12:00 noon.

They also have a mini gallery and some merchandise like these cute shirts.

The following day, we had breakfast at Bag of Beans and wow! they are expanding. Last time we were there, I think they only have tables in the garden. Now they have another hall to accommodate bigger groups.

I love this accent wall on their hall.

I find it amusing that the canopy looks like the bottom of a garlic clove. :p

OUR BREAKFAST

I had Bacon n' Eggs Php275.00

Crisp strips of bacon & two eggs style (served with bread and butter)

White Mocha Php95.00

He chose the traditional Filipino breakfast of Tapsilog Php195.00

Pork tapa served with two eggs and garlic fried rice

Paired with his favorite Caramel Machiatto Php95.00

After our wonderful breakfast, we bought some fruits, headed back to 5R to rest again *teehee*, packed our things, and checked out by noon. Of course a trip to Tagaytay wouldn't be complete without getting some pasalubong from Rowena's. I bought two boxes of Blueberry Tarts and two boxes of Chocolate Mousse (which tasted a bit sour). Too bad I wasn't able to take pictures of it, but here's some shots from their store.

You can pass by Rowena's on the way back to Sta. Rosa. You won't miss it. :)

For lunch, we decided to check out the restaurants in Solenad, Nuvali. Aside from restaurants, there are also office buildings in Nuvali. But I think what most people go there for is the water taxi ride in the man-made lake with swarms of Koi that the kids love to feed.

We had lunch at Pig Out (part of the Bistro Group who are the operators of TGI Friday's, Italianni's, Fish & Co., and Outback). The resto was kind of weird because it's a grill house (although there's only one waitress wearing a cowboy-inspired outfit) but they have Korean-inspired dishes on the menu. Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, since we were still full from the breakfast we just ordered one entree and rice.

Beef Ribs Spicy Seoul Style (Solo) Php435.00

Korean style grilled spicy sweet ribs in sesame chili sauce

Kimchi Fried Rice Php345.00

Korean style fried rice with beef strips, local sea scallops, kimchee and sesame

Although we're used to paying for more than a thousand bucks per meal, this meal was a tad expensive for us considering we only ordered one entree and rice. But then again, I think the rice was meant for 3-4 people. Overall, the food was good but I wouldn't be so eager to come back soon because of the price.

Obviously, we skipped the usual touristy stuff and only did two activities in this trip: binge eating and sleeping. :p After all the food we ate and the expenses, we both joked that we are now more stressed than we were before haha. I did not want to touch any more food after this gastronomic trip LOL.