Antonios Cuisine Reigns Supreme...

I returned to Antonios just one week after having dinner there and I have to say: it is really one of the best restaurants in the Philippines and one of my favorite places to go. I'm lucky that it is in Tagaytay, if it were in Manila I'd be going at least 2-3 times a month and that would really hurt my wallet..

We decided to do lunch instead of dinner so we could take the kids. A party of 20, we arrived around 12:15. They had prepared 2 long tables for us, one for adults and one for the kids. I had pre arranged this before and requested the breakfast menu for the kids.

In our table, we were 7 and proceeded to order our appetizers. Since I had just been there, I decided to order different/new appetizers that I haven't tried before (except the Steak Tartare, which is a standard when I go there). We had: Tempura Scallops with Mango Orange sauce and Lumpfish Caviar, Steak Tartare and Portobello Mushroom with balsamic Garlic.

The Tempura Scallops were served with a creamy and refreshing Mango Orange sauce and little caviar, which gave this dish a salty kick at the end. A very refreshing and light dish. As for the Steak Tartare, what can I say that I haven said before? For me it is still the best Tartare in Manila (still need to try others and I will rate them once I've tried them). My only challenge now is to just find creative ways of taking pictures of this dish :)... The Portobello Mushrooms were huge and lightly coated with a balsamic glaze. It had Parmesan cheese which gave this dish good contrast.

With the Salad I ordered the scallops tasting. 3 pcs of Scallop cooked in different ways: Seared, with sesame seeds and wrapped with crispy prosciutto. My favorite was the one wrapped with the Prosciutto. The salty crispy ham was perfect with the soft scallop.

Since I am a man of habit, I could not resist and had to order the Duck Leg Confit (On Garlic Grartin & Pigeon Peas w/ Grand Marnier Beurre Blanc). We also had the Grilled Angus Prime Ribeye Steak and Herb Roasted rack of Lamb w/Cardamom Beurre Blanc.

The Duck, served with Potatoes gratin and Pigeon Peas was perfect. Just the right crispiness outside while still tender on the inside. Just how all duck leg confits should be. The steak, served on a hot plate with oil and garlic was excellent, although I found it a bit too oily, still very tasty and cooked perfectly (medium rare). I was not able to try the Lamb although M told me it was very good. It came with a Curry Rissotto.

For Dessert I had my usual Felchlin Maracaibo Spicy Chocolate Ice Cream. Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with a kick of Chili at the end. Again a perfect way to end a meal.

Til my next visit to Antonios....can't wait to go back there again soon.....