Match/Book

Pickled Mustard Leaves & Tomatoes In Egg

Ingredients:

pickled mustard leaves

tomatoes

garlic

eggs

salt to taste

oil

1. Untangle the pickled mustard leaves and cut into bite sizes. Slice the tomatoes and dice the garlic as well.

2. Brown the garlic in oil then saute the pickled mustard leaves and tomatoes.

3. Once the tomatoes and pickled mustard leaves have turned tender, add the egg that has been lightly salted. Saute some more until the eggs have thoroughly cooked and your done. It's that simple.

The Laperal House

Since the first time I saw the Laperal House in Baguio City, I have been in love with it. The house, also known as the White House, is a gem of turn-of-the-century architecture. It is just too bad that it is more famous as being one of the most haunted places in the city.

Even the house' interiors are beautiful swathed in rich chocolate wood, with large windows that let in the light to showcase its gleaming balustrades and airy rooms. Straight in from the front door is a parlor with a dining room that seats around 20 people beyond it. The first floor also has a sitting area with a fireplace to the right. The second floor boasts balconies in its front rooms. A beautiful white corridor at the back with a window framing the mountain scenery outside leads to yet more rooms. A narrow staircase made with more of the same rich chocolate wood leads to the third floor, which has an attic room.

My fervent wish is that they could repurpose this beautiful house into a high-end bed and breakfast. Still, I guess its reputation will make it difficult to market. In any case, I am very glad that after all these years, the Laperal House is now open to the public. It is a glimpse at a more poetic past that we can only dream of visiting.

Stormy Skies

The Schoolhouse

Apung Belen

I grew up with my grandmother. I still lived with my parents, but I came from a two-income family. The family business took up much of their time, so my dad asked my grandmother to stay with us during my childhood. I also spent my summers in Tarlac with her.

She is gone now, taken from us by the big C. Still, my childhood memories are intrinsically bound to memories of her. The most powerful of these memories would be the memories of her cooking. I remember her dishes and the sights and smells of these mouth-watering comfort foods... from something as simple as sautéed pink salmon in egg with a hint of calamansi to her more exotic salagubang (beetles) that she would tie with a string and let me spin "para mahilo" then steam over rice.

My dream is to own a small restaurant where I can share the best of these flavors to the rest of the world. I want the world to appreciate burong mangga and burong mustasa cooked with egg or her famous adobong tuyo (adobo flakes). I'd like people to taste her different types of sinigang, the souring agent changing with each type of meat so as to enhance their flavor.

Someday this dream will come true. Until then I keep her flavors alive by cooking them here at home. I hope someday I have the opportunity to cook them for the world.

Kambal Mini Resto And Bulaluhan

I admit that I'm adventurous when it comes to places to eat. I especially love roadside "carenderias". I find them charming in their banality. One such lucky find in Tagaytay would be Kambal. Kambal in Tagalog means twins, so I'm guessing either the owners are twins or they have twins. The name aside, the food upon first inspection showed promise. Looking into them from the glass case common to these roadside diners, they looked absolutely yummy.

I must confess, the adobo was a little too sweet for my tastes. It had more of an asado feel to it. The beef caldereta also left much to be desired. The house specialty though, the bulalo, was a revelation. Not needing much of the marrow's flavor to hide any imperfections, the stock itself was flavorful enough to carry the whole dish. Being situated in Tagaytay, they had no problems using Grade A beef and the freshest greens. The freshness of the greens added another dimension to the dish... crispness. Another favorite would be the tawilis. The availability of this fish in Lake Taal ensured its freshness as well. Lastly, there was the luchon kawali. Okay, okay. It takes vast ammounts of stupidity to bungle up this dish which is innately good, but the crispiness of the pork skin was absolutely sinful.

All in all, flying beetles diveboming onto the table notwithstanding, the whole Kambal experience was a treat for my palate... And P1,000++ for all 12 people, it was a welcome treat for my wallet as well.

Lilyboy's Bed And Breakfast

 

Sometimes going off the beaten track is the icing on the cake when traveling. Such was the case when I discovered Lilyboy's Bed and Breakfast and decided to book a two-day stay on a whim. With most of my Philippine based family members in tow, we trooped on up to Tagaytay. Lilyboy's did not disappoint. Not only did the houses possess their own individual innate charms, but different nooks and crannies within offered different experiences and imbibed you with different emotions as well. If you're one for character over the commonplace, Lilyboy's will not disappoint.

Sky Fun Amusement Park

When I think of Tagaytay, I revert back to my teen self during the late 80s and early 90s. It takes me back to a time when I first learned to drive. EDSA and the South Luzon Expressway were still not the hot mess that they are today. Those were the days we would drive during free days to Tagaytay for lunch at Taal Vista to enjoy the cooler weather and soak up the country ambiance.

Admittedly, much of Tagaytay has changed. Even Taal Vista has shed its Marcos-era architecture for a more updated, albeit humdrum, feel. Still, some innately Tagaytay traits have undergone a facelift that upgrades rather than downplays these. One such place would be the horseback-riding park near Taal Vista, renamed Sky Fun Amusement Park. Up until fairly recently, this was still a muddy patch of land where several horses begged to be ridden to have a respite from their seemingly purposeless lives. Now it has been totally updated into a theme park with rides and food stalls. Gone are the mudtraps that used to give me hives, except for the horse-riding area. Instead the place is cemented, with tiny open cottages with tables for weary legs and rides that range from a large carousel to the largest ferris wheel in the Philippines, aptly named Sky Eye, where you can see all the way to Metro Manila on clear days.

So you see, not all change is bad. It's just a matter of upgrading the upgradeable and letting what does not need upgrading be. Located in the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Via Tuy Road, Barangay Kaybagal South, Tagaytay City, Sky Fun Amusement Park is a definite must-try.

In front of the carousel

The Philippines' largest ferris wheel, named Sky Eye

Hanging around