Buffet at Cafe on the Ridge

As I mentioned in my previous getaway entry, I will be posting a separate blog entry for our dinner buffet at Taal Vista. Since I have had the same breakfast buffet here twice, I decided to make a comparison entry on Taal Vista's Cafe on the Ridge breakfast and dinner buffet. 

Cafe on the Ridge's breakfast buffet is not impressive, to be honest. It had the basic dishes we would expect in a typical Filipino home breakfast table -- fried rice, bacon, tapa, fried fish or daing, champorado, arroz caldo, fresh fruits, and cereals. But it lacked variety. Both times we were there, we saw and ate pretty much the same dishes we did the first time. We didn't even bother taking pictures of all the dishes because our pictures would look similar with our first visit. 

1st Visit

Wait! I am not saying it wasn't satisfying. All I'm saying is that I wouldn't pay PhP699++ for a spread like that. Some dishes were actually good, notable. A couple of our favorites include their champorado, scrambled eggs, and fried fish. The champorado was not so sweet and not from a box. It was traditional, home-cooked champorado made with cacao. Gus really liked the scrambled eggs, and as he is an egg person, when he says it's good, I trust him. The fried fish was crispy and just right. It wasn't too salty or too bland. But even if there were exceptions, we think the price for their breakfast buffet is too much. 

2nd Visit

Day 1 of 3: Revisiting Tagaytay -- Taal Vista Hotel

Gus and I were supposed to go to Taiwan this summer, but unfortunately, the Taiwanese Embassy denied our visa application. Since we already had a 3-day leave from work, we decided to find an alternative summer getaway. Fortunately, I stumbled upon Taal Vista's tweet about the Ultimate Vacation Package. For PhP12,100, you get to stay overnight in one of Taal Vista's Premier Lake Wing rooms, which has a perfect and beautiful view of the Taal Volcano, and another overnight stay at Pico de Loro in Hamilo Coast, Batangas. It sounds a bit pricey for a 3-day/2-night holiday, right? But let me give you the breakdown of their regular room rates.

Taal Vista Premier Lake Wing Room = PhP8,000-10,000 (depending on the day -- weekday/weekend, peak/non-peak, with or without breakfast buffet)

Pico de Loro Premier Lagoon View Room = PhP6,699 + PhP500/head for non-members/guests of members

Had we availed of separate, regular rates for each room, we would've spent around PhP17,000. This is a PhP5,000 saving!

Day 1 of 3: Cecil's Cafe

1st Stop: Cecil's Cafe

Cecil's Cafe was the first stop on our 3-day vacation getaway. Gus discovered it by accident while he was browsing through various travel blogs. We didn't know whether this stop would break or make our first day on the road. We've been going to Tagaytay since college, but not once did we notice this quaint little cafe on the side of the Sta. Rosa Road. Being the adventurous duo that we are, we decided to just try it out and see if we made the right choice.

Cecil's Cafe is located along the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road. You can find it on the right side, if you're coming from Manila, just a few blocks after Nuvali.

Josephine Restaurant: Before and After

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. :)