Tagaytay is our go-to/quick vacation spot whenever we feel very stressed and toxic. Last year, Gus and I decided we needed a break from our heavy workloads and a trip out of town was the solution. I was craving for some juicy, crunchy crispy pata and hot bulalo at the same time, so we knew Tagaytay was the place to go.
Based on our quick research, Josephine is the most frequented bulaluhan in Tagaytay City. I know there are more famous bulalo houses in Tagaytay, but given the time that we had, Josephine's was the #1 most recommended by people we knew. So we drove all the way to Tagaytay just to grab a hot bowl of bulalo.
Unfortunately, when we got there, they didn't have bulalo anymore. It was understandable, given that we got there at around 9 PM already, but still disappointing. We decided to order the closest thing to bulalo we could have: Beef Nilaga.
It wasn't bulalo, but their beef nilaga still made the trip worthwhile. The soup was served hot, with generous portions of both beef and vegetables. The serving was big enough for four people to share. Aside from the beef nilaga, we also ordered crispy pata.
Their crispy pata (Crispy Pork Knuckles) was good! The skin was really crisp, and the meat, soft and juicy. It was flavorful inside out. Plus, their soy-vinegar dip was done right, it complemented the pata well.
So, we might not have gotten what we went there for, but it was still a really good meal. Josephine does live up to its reputation -- excellent Filipino food. We enjoyed our meal so much that we decided to have dinner there again, this time, during our anniversary weekend. For our Josephine Experience Part 2, read ahead. :)
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Since we really enjoyed our first Josephine meal last August, we decided to have Josephine for dinner again. This time, during our anniversary weekend. We finally got our bulalo, and had crispy pata plus seafood this time. 
The bulalo was delicious! Just like the nilaga, the serving was generous and good enough for 5-6 people. The soup was served hot, but given the cold Tagaytay temperature, you'd have to eat quick if you want to savor the goodness of the hot bulalo soup. The beef shank, bone marrow, and vegetables also had generous portions. It was well worth the P450.
Just like our first crispy pata experience, our second was also great! It was still crisp on the outside, juicy and soft on the inside. Now I understand why people keep coming back to Josephine. Their dishes are ALWAYS good.
As for our new dish of the night, we had seafood. We tried their grilled milkfish. Something new, but still safe. It doesn't look much, I know. Good ol' milkfish, grilled to perfection. I wasn't really expecting much from it since I've tasted grilled fish before and most of the time, it was either bland or it had this really fish-like taste. But this one was different. The meat absorbed the flavors of the spices and vegetables inside it that there wasn't even a hint of any fishy taste.
Apart from the plain rice that we had, we also tried their Shanghai Rice. Since we had soup and something fried and grilled, I didn't really enjoy it. If we had other dishes or if we had it separately, it would probably have tasted better. But according to my brother, it was good. Not great, but not bad either.
Again, Josephine did it. The food was excellent, each dish is worth every penny you spend. There is one downside though -- the service isn't as efficient. The waiters weren't attentive, it took some time before all our requests and orders were attended to. The waiting time was around 30 minutes.
Price Range: P300-P500/person
4 out of 5 for Josephine Restaurant (simply because we had to wait too long)
Josephine Restaurant
Km. 58 Gen. Aguinaldo Highway,
Maharlika West
Tagaytay City
For their full menu, please click here.
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