Finding the Hidden Mushroom

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.

Close up photos of the artworks and other details.

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!

The Hidden Mushroom is located at Bo. Pulong Saging, Silang, Cavite.

Check out their Facebook Page here or call 0917 823 7389 for reservations and inquiries.

A Re-visit to NURTURE WELLNESS VILLAGE

Yep, true to form, yours truly was too lazy to plan any trips during the recent long Easter holiday weekend. But, true to from, wanderlust stirred; and a daytrip to Tagaytay was conceptualized a few days before the holidays. 

One of our stops was Nurture Wellness Village (formerly known as Nurture Spa). I actually had been to this place before, more ten years ago; and remembered the unpaved dirt road we navigated then, as well as the sense of remoteness in getting to the place.

Well, ten years is quite a long time, and things have definitely changed. From Aguinaldo Highway, the road turning into Nurture Spa was concrete, and numerous arrows pointed to various housing developments in its vicinity.

Fortunately, it is still in a quiet corner of Tagaytay. And the facilities at Nurture Spa have been developed over the years, so there are more massage rooms and overnight accommodations now. Check out the lush greenery:

Their swimming pool, being 4 feet high, is not ideal for doing laps; but absolutely perfect for hanging out and chillaxing on a hot summer day. 

Warning, though: The tiles at the bottom of the pool are quite slippery.)
 

Here's a closer view of the pool:

We had booked their Ginhawa body massage, so at the appointed hour, their staff escorted us to our massage room. More lush greenery, look! ;-D  

 One of them mentioned that the total area of Nurture Spa was one hectare in total. My friend PM and i looked at each other quizzically, and debated whether one hectare was equal to 1,000 square meters, or 10,000 (or 100,000!?). Obviously, our math skills were also on holiday ;-D


Here's a photo of how the rooms look like from the outside, with their native feel. 

The massage proved to be excellent, with the masseuses solicitously asking if the pressure was correct, etc. It was actually hard to get up from the massage bed when it was over, i felt like i wanted to sleep there forever!

Nurture Spa is full of quiet nooks and crannies where one can pass away time reading, or simply sitting and ruminating. Check this out:

Another one perfect for an afternoon siesta :D

So I would say that an overnight stay at Nurture Spa would be great, if one wants a quiet 'get-away' from it all. This is somewhat aided by the poor Wi-fi signal within the spa (and even if you use your mobile data plan, reception can be wonky too.) 

And oh, i saw this lovely lass on the grounds as she was on her way to the pool. For a brief, shining moment, yours truly ceased to be GUS and transformed into WEHUS (Warm Erudite Happy Urban Slacker), and came away with her contact info. 

Address: Nurture Wellness Village Pulong Sagingan, Barangay Maitim II West Cavite, Tagaytay, Luzon 4120, Philippines
Mobile: +63 918 888 8772
Telephone: +63 2 710 9786
Email: info@nurture.com.ph
Website: www.nurturewellnessvillage.com

G.U.S. NITPICKS!! (V. 16)

ANTONIO'S TAGAYTAY


Another year, another birthday.

Since my extensive list of Things-to-Change-for-the-Better-about-Myself-Before-I- Turn-Another-Year-Older (Item No. 1 : Stop being so grumpy) had pretty much been left unchecked and totally forgotten, why not celebrate anyway with a visit to Antonio's, widely acknowledged as THE fine-dining destination in Tagaytay?

It had been more than 2 years since i was last here, and i was curious about: whether they have made any changes in the menu / interiors / etc.; and whether the food (oh, the food!) was still up to the same lofty standards.

Right off the bat, we got some answers. Their entrance gate and parking area had been upgraded. The interiors were pretty much the same as before, which is good, since they have quite a lovely place. You will be seated either in the outdoor dining area, or near the pond teeming with koi fish, or inside the high-ceilinged dining room.
Let us let the pics below do the talking:









Onwards to the food. The menu has been expanded, with more choices of entrees and desserts.

The way it works at Antonio's is this: You order a set menu, inclusive of House Salad, Soup of the Day, Entree, Dessert and Coffee or tea. Your choice of entree will be the price of your set menu.

We started off with 2 appetizers (Note: Not included in the set menu), Portobello Mushrooms [not pictured] and New Zealand Mussels [see pic below]. Regretfully, i forgot to note down their full descriptions; but both were pretty good, especially the mussels.






House Salad, also known by its fancier name, Antonio's Fresh Mesclun Salad from the Garden

I normally steer way clear of salads (or any kind of greens, for that matter), but this was an exception. After all, rarely does one get served a salad with raspberry vinaigrette and blue cheese. Very, very good.

According to our server, they have their own farm in Amadeo, Cavite for their supply of organic greens and garnishes, which is also sold to leading hotels in Makati.

Up next was the Soup of the Day [not pictured]. From previous experience, i felt their soup is their weakest point. It is invariably a cream-based soup, whether of mushroom, pumpkin, etc., and invariably the cream overpowers the ingredient.

Today was, regretfully, exactly the same. The Cream of Prawn Bisque was a tad too salty, and had this rather off taste which didn't go down well in our table. Most everyone gave it the thumbs-down; as for myself, i just finished half before giving up. Strangely though, my niece liked it and drank more than 2 cups!

Now for the entrees. The food was generally exceptional, so to avoid being repetitive, i'll just mention if something went wrong or is of special interest:




Roasted Duck Breast infused with Truffle, Seared Foie Gras on Braised Red Cabbage (PHP1,500)




Grilled Gindara, Prawn & Scallops on Chorizo Bilbao Rice with Parsley Chimichurri (PHP1,450)

The prawn was overcooked, and there was only one scallop (not "scallops" as written on the menu), which was rather bland in taste, too.




Antonio's Trio, Beef Fillet on Plancha with Black Pepper Sauce, Grilled Sea Bass on Truffle Mashed with Salad Relish, Honey Glazed Lambloin Gratinated with Goat Cheese (PHP1,600)

Looks like something you'd see on Iron Chef America, huh? It was almost like a degustacion menu-type of dish. My sister felt the portions were just right, and you get to sample the best of what Antonio's can do.




Grilled Marinated Lamb Cutlets with Lemongrass Chimichurri (PHP1,450)

The drinks (Note: Not included in the set menu) were equally faultless. Their House Dalandan juice (PHP150, refillable) is simply superb, with just the right balance of flavor and sweetness without being cloying; and the Fresh Herbal Tea (PHP100, one pitcher) was not bad, either. It came in this really nice-looking pitcher, which had my other sister inquiring where it can be bought.

Ah! Now for our favorite part of the meal, desserts!



Panna Cotta with Fruit Coulis

I thought it was almost too pretty to be eaten, hehe. Extremely good! I only wished the portion was 3X larger!




Profiteroles with Chocolate sauce

Not really that special, according to my sister-in-law, who takes her desserts very seriously.



Antonio's Flourless Chocolate cake

We also ordered the Caramel Cake, Vanilla ice cream with roasted Pecan; and
Dark Chocolate Souffle with Cardamom Creme Anglaise [both not pictured].
The former was just so-so, while we were more divided in opinion on the latter. I thought it was really tasty and satisfying, but not everyone else appreciated the synergy between chocolate and cardamom.

After such a hearty meal, nothing's better than to laze around and relax (and ponder the meaning of life? Haha). Check out this really cool sofa:





To wrap things up, a visit to Antonio's is pricey (expect to spend between PHP1,500 to PHP2,000/pax) and takes more than the usual amount of effort. I'm talking not only about the long drive from Manila, but also the fact that you have to reserve ahead (they will NOT entertain walk-in customers under any circumstances).

But so what? The place is charming and romantic (i attended a wedding here before, and it was as perfect as can be), the Tagaytay breeze balmy; and most important of all, the food lives up to its billing, and is amongst the best you can find.

A return visit BEFORE my next birthday is definitely in the cards!



(Antonio's is at Bgy. Neogan, Tagaytay City. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 917 8992866)

G.U.S. NITPICKS!! (v. 14)

LA ESQUINA SPANISH RESTO


My bon vivant friend D. texted me out of the blue, dangling the opportunity of a free meal at this place in exchange for being his designated chauffeur/gofer for the day. Not one to pass up the chance to freeload, yours truly woke up early and fetched D. (aka "Bossing") at the duly appointed time and place.

This resto boasts of the famed chef Ed Quimzon as consultant, and Bossing kept on raving about it on our smooth, traffic-free journey to Tagaytay. Hence, my appetite was whetted, and my expectations quite high.

We were joined by his 3 Japanese friends for this lunch. Bossing had pre-ordered the dishes, so i engaged in getting-to-know-you chitchat with his friends while waiting for the food to arrive.

Heres how it went:



The Chorizo Splendido may have lacked presentation (doesn't it look like they just dumped the pieces into the bowl, and that's it?), but i can assure you it was definitely not lacking in flavor. Fiery hot and spicy, and bursting with tenderness! i think i could have eaten 4 or 5 orders of this.



The Gambas La Esquina were firm, nicely complemented by the cream-based sauce. Although i think they could have served the sauce on the side, perhaps?



We were then served Molo soup (not pictured), which the others all liked, but which i found a tad too salty.

Next up was the Pollo Iberico (above), which was particularly tender and juicy. I didn't fancy the potatoes though, they seemed a bit squishy, if you know what i mean.



Above is the Paella Cristina, named after their patroness, Cristina Ponce. I thought this dish was disappointing. It just tasted quite ordinary, and forgettable. . .definitely nothing to write home about.




We were served both Lapu-lapu and Mahi-mahi with sweet banana, presented identically (above). Thus, there was some confusion as to which fish was which. In fact, i forgot whether this pic was of the lapu-lapu or the mahi-mahi!

I had misgivings whether this combination would work well, but oddly enough, it tasted really good! Props to the chef.




Ahh, my favorite part. . .dessert!! Bossing was not fond of sweets, and had to be cajoled to order this Leche Flan and Apple Crumble Cheesecake. This leche flan tasted quite superb! Great, firm texture, with the right amount of sweetness. . .not cloying at all. And the presentation was great as well.

Sana [Wishing, hoping, praying] i could have taken home a whole slab of this. . . (hint, hint) eh, Bossing? :-D

Bonus: Through La Esquina's glass windows, you get a view of the Splendido golf course, designed by the great Greg Norman.




Oh, and one last thing. In lieu of a pic of the resto's interiors, i decided instead to include this pic of their restroom. This steel bucket is rather cool, no? And in keeping with their Spanish theme, too.






(La Esquina Spanish resto is located at the clubhouse of the Splendido Taal Residential Golf & Country Club, Tagaytay. It is open for lunch and dinner only from Thurs. to Sun.)