One Saturday earlier this year saw yours truly, accompanied by the mystical Stella, driving out towards Tagaytay. We were checking out a place called The Hidden Mushroom (THM), described to me by Stella as a "weekend home converted into a small vegan resto and arts place".
I'm sure you're wondering, "I haven't heard of this place before!" Well, you're not alone. Apparently, THM opened less than a year ago and is admittedly still a work in process, according to owners Oshan and Ria. This is the reason why they haven't been doing much marketing for it yet.
It proved to be quite a charming place, with a built-in homey warmth. Sort of like hanging out in your friend's cozy sala, which just happened to have eclectic art scattered here and there.
Check out the photos below of the dining area. I particularly liked the vibrantly-coloured tie-dyed fabrics hanging overhead, as they really gave a relaxed, almost surfer vibe to the place. [Disclaimer: I don't surf, so this is what a non-surfer thinks what a surfer would think. Keri lang :D]
Take a close look at the photo above. The 'sofa' is actually composed of sturdy wooden pallets, with pillows and mattress piled on top. Nice touch, i must say.
There is also an outdoor seating area, which i think would be a great place to hang around at night especially under cool, breezy weather; and hear the birds chirping while imbibing some beers.
Parking inside the compound can be a problem, though. I estimate 5 - 6 cars will be a tight squeeze already.
Now, on to the food! The menu is composed of a fairly limited selection of soup, fries, tofu fries (described as 'extraordinary'), burger, mushroom rolls, salad and various rice meals (i.e. mushroom tapa / tocino / sisig / Shanghai rolls and burger steak). Think of it as simple, home-cooked food that happens to be vegan.
We tried their 5 Leaves Iced Tea (PHP90.00 per pitcher), brewed from their own herb garden. It was light and refreshing, with a slightly pronounced pandan after-taste.
Below is a 'groupie' of all the food we ordered, haha. The mushroom soup was frankly not quite appealing visually, but it provided great warmth to the stomach, and had this surprise spicy kick. Good deal at PHP60.00 per bowl.
My mushroom burger proved to be a winner! Slightly charred burger patty with good consistency. At only PHP75.00!!!
Meanwhile, Stella ordered the mushroom tapa rice meal. She found it to be 'tender and tasty', better than other similar dishes she has tried before (she is a practicing vegan). The sauce was not overpowering and not too sweet. Great value at PHP100.00 only.
Dessert was simply hot chocolate "tsokolate eh", i.e. the thick kind (made from tablea sourced from the local area). Photo shows with milk (mine) and without milk (Stella). Either way, the hot chocolate was smooth and soothing and full of goodness and sweetness and light!!! PHP75.00 per cup.
Here's Stella enjoying her hot chocolate :D
The Hidden Mushroom also makes their own chocolate bar. Right now, it is a 70% Dark Chocolate with coco sugar; and there are 2 - 3 variants in the works. Oshan described it as "having a wine smell". They warned it doesn't contain cocoa butter; hence, not as smooth texture as the usual commercial chocolate.
And they also make cocoa nibbles. Once you get started, it is hard to stop and you might end up eating the whole pack!
And since they grow their own mushrooms, it follows they sell fresh mushrooms, and frozen marinated mushrooms as well. I bought a pack each of the Mushroom Tapa and Mushroom Tocino for later cooking at home, and both were quite tasty.
According to Oshan, most customers are locals who are looking for a relaxing place to hang around in. They are open until 9:00PM.
As for future plans and directions for THM, the owners are still debating whether to add some animal protein dishes for non-vegans, as being purely vegan can limit the appeal of this place.
Another possible direction is to offer pottery classes (aka the 1990s move "Ghost" :D), and other types of art and healing workshops. In fact, they are in the process of acquiring their own kiln. They sense an opportunity in this regard; as truth be told, save for 'destination' restaurants and staycationing in hotels and looking at Taal Volcano view, there is a lack of other activities to do in Tagaytay.
It will be interesting to go back in a few months' time and see what these ladies are cooking up!
Check out their Facebook Page here or call 0917 823 7389 for reservations and inquiries.
2 comments:
Thank you for posting this. We've been wondering about the food. We're planning to go there this July and try the pottery workshop. :)
thanks for dropping by, April! :D
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