Tucked in the heart of bustling Makati City is a a eatery owned by The Gustavian. The name is Brasserie Boheme. The name might not be apropos since the restaurant is surrounded by commerce. However, inside Brasserie Boheme, diners feel detached from the city. It offers a brief oasis to the busy city life.

Ambiance

As I mentioned earlier, Brasserie Boheme is cozy. It is well-lighted, cheerful, and relaxing despite the hustle and bustle of the country’s business capital. The interior design is modern, with large rectangular tables and booths, ambient lighting, and plates inspired by Picasso, or at least I think so, since it is located at Picasso Boutique Hotel.

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Tagaytay is a quick getaway from the city for us Metro Manila urbanites. In less than 2 hours travel time, we are rewarded with breathtaking scenery, cool weather, and good eats. I’ve recently discovered one of the best eats in Tagaytay, nay, the Philippines and it is right smack in the middle of Tagaytay City. It was a pleasant surprise because I ate at Fire Lake Grill by accident when the restaurant in front of it was full. I thank my lucky stars that it was.

Ambiance

Modern interior

Fire Lake Grill is located in Cliff House Tagaytay which is a serene complex with an American feel to it. Fire Lake Grill customers may choose to dine inside the restaurant which has huge bay windows for unhindered view of Taal Volcano and Taal Lake. Those who want to enjoy the breeze may eat al fresco.

Huge windows

The view from Fire Lake Grill

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Service

Chef and owner Paul Huang has taught his staff well. All of them are courteous and friendly. The service is efficient although customers really have to wait for the steak to get cooked. The food is worth the wait though.

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Food and Price

Some might find the restaurant pricey but I say every centavo is worth it. I ordered the House Iced Tea which I really loved and 220 grams US Angus Ribeye. I have to say Fire Lake Grill’s steak is the best steak I’ve ever tasted in the Philippines. It is very tender and the light but tasty marinade enhances the taste of the Angus beef. I’m not that much into steak but Fire Lake Grill’s make me want to come back for more. The 220 grams isn’t so bad as well. The size was just right for me.

House Iced Tea (P75)

US Angus Ribeye 220 grams (P890)

Steak size in proportion to my size

My friend Eloisa ordered the Fetuccini pasta in black truffle cream sauce and with Italian garlic sausages and shitake mushrooms. Of course I had to taste it. The truffle cream sauce blends well with the sausages and mushrooms. The taste wasn’t too strong nor too light.

Fettuccine pasta in black truffle cream sauce with Italian garlic sausages and shitake mushrooms (P320)

Prices are subject to government taxes and 10% service charge.

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Fire Lake Grill

I was able to talk to Fire Lake Grill owner and chef Paul Huang and I was urging him to open a branch in Metro Manila. However, Mr. Huang said he doesn’t have immediate plans for another branch because he wants to focus on Tagaytay and I guess he loves living there. Too bad for me. I really have to go to Tagaytay to eat their steak again.

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Fire Lake Grill
Unit 3 Cliffhouse Tagaytay
General Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, Cavite
(046) 4132069 and 0927-9144604

http://www.firelakegrill.com/

This afternoon, I had a late lunch at Terry Selection in Podium. I’ve been to Terry’s before but only to buy from their deli. Back then, their space dine-in customers can only accommodate a few tables but they expanded the place now which is a really good thing.

The food they offer is a bit pricy so I settled for a sandwich, a bowl of soup, and my staple Coke Light.

Crema de Calabacines al Queso

The soup I got, Crema de Calabacines al Queso, is sublime! It’s pureed green zucchini with a touch of cream cheese. The croutons were cooked perfectly but I couldn’t figure out what kind of bread was used. For Php 160, I highly  recommend this!

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Mess

Yes, the sandwich is called Mess but it must be a family joke because it sure isn’t messy. It’s a combination of pepper salami, smoked pork ham, Tomme de Savoie cheese, tomato, lettuce and their special dressing. It comes with potato chips and mayonnaise. The meats are delicately salty and the veggies are very fresh. Mess is Php 295, expensive for a sandwich and they have other sandwiches which are more pricey.

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For a restaurant in a mall, Terry Selection goes beyond my expectation. I wish the restaurant is cozier because I found the design too utilitarian. Perhaps their other branches have a more homey feel. I’ll try to order a better meal the next time I go there but I must prepare at least Php 1,000 to enjoy it. Still, I definitely enjoyed my humble meal.

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Terry Selection
Basement Level
Podium Mall, Ortigas Center

Last December 26, 2008, I went to Tagaytay for a Plurkfiesta. Our first stop was lunch at Manos Greek Taverna where we shocked the staff with our number (there were more then 20 of us).

Among the food our table tried are the following:

Elliniki Salata

Greek Salad/Elliniki Salata

An appetizer which consists of tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, green pepper, onion, feta cheese, Kalamati olives, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Manos’ version is very fresh and is a delight to the palate. Their feta is tastier than the ones I buy from the grocery and the tomatoes are very fresh and I suspect organic. It’s a perfect appetizer before the Greek main course.

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dolmades

Dolmades

It is another appetizer which is made of rice, onions and Greek herbs all wrapped in grape leaves. Manos serves it with their homemade Tzatziki, a sauce made of yoghurt, garlic and olive oil. Although the dolmades has rice, it’s not very filling so it makes a fine appetizer. Probably if I ate it all by myself I would be full but it’s good enough to be a meal in itself. 

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Saganaki

Another appetizer made of  baked shrimp, feta cheese, bread cubes, tomatoes sauce, and olive oil. Their tomato sauce is very fresh. The feta adds an oomph to the tomato-based dish. This isn’t my favorite appetizer because it’s too sour for me but I still liked it.

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Last December 20, 2008, I joined The Ultimate Kapampangan Show-off organized by Ivan Henares, Spanky Enriquez, Ivan Man Dy, and Anton Diaz. It was a whole day affair which started from 6 AM and ended at 12 Midnight. There was a breakfast stop at Everybody’s Cafe, church tours, the on-board contests, etc. but the 5-hour lunch deserves a separate entry.

We were warmly welcomed by the Tayags in their gorgeous home. Their property which provided a much-needed refuge from the Pampanga heat, is filled with sculptures and greeneries. The house itself is very organic since the materials used were mostly from wood salvaged from torn old torn down Churches and homes.

Mrs. Tayag provided us with a delicious thirst-quencher of Dalandan juice with muscovado sugar ice cubes. One glass is just not enough.

Served with the Dalandan juice is crackers with several toppings to choose from: crab fat, pesto, and I forgot the other one.

This was followed by lumpia with their special Oriental sauce and a salad of ferns, eggs, and other kinds of greens.

lumpia

salad

Everything I’ve mentioned so far could have been a meal in itself but those were just appetizers. Since Spanky has been raving about the 5-way lechon on Plurk, there was no way in hell I would say no to the next part of the meal.

Hello, Mr. Piggy!

The lechon was cooked on the day of the tour so it was very fresh. 

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