Antonios Tagaytay, still the best....

We had our yearly Christmas dinner with our group of friends (it's the second year we do it in Antonios) and it was great. We left Alabang around 5PM and we all rode the Digiprint Bus. We had thought of riding the bus that way we can relax on our way up to Tagaytay. Also we decided to have cocktails. For starters, we opened 2 bottles of Homenaje Rosado (rose wine from the Navarra region of Spain). This wine is a no brainer..very crisp and easy to drink. Went very well with our Manchego cheese and Parmigiano Reggiano with balsamic glaze.

We arrived at Antonios at around 7:15. Perfect timing for a dinner that I thoroughly enjoyed. As we arrived we were seated. We had another bottle of Homenaje Rosado. We had also brought 2 bottles of Ondarre Reserva Magnum (form Rioja) which I had them open to let them breathe a bit.

Antonios is a place that never disappoints me. I've eaten there probably 6-7 times and I've never had a bad experience. I normally order the same food always and quality is always consistent and service is excellent.

Anyway lets move on to the food...for starters we ordered Steak Tartare(Certified U.S. Beef Tenderloin), Escargot Bourguignon and Roasted Bone Marrow with Parsley Salad and Onion Marmalade.
Three excellent dishes (actually we had 2 orders of the tartare). The Steak Tartare was perefect as always. For me, this is probably the best Steak Tartare I've tried in the Philippines. I would do anything to have the recipe ... The Bone marrow, as you can see, cut in half then roasted with parsley and Olive oil. This is a very rich dish but extremely tasty. I think you can only have one bite of this...more is just too much for the body. Escargot was also excellent although I prefer the escargot it Je Suis Gourmand. Never the less the dish was great.

For the Salad that comes with the Entree, I chose the Foie Gras Potato Truffle Tempura add on. Excellent as usual, it was crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside. And if you thought this was enough..no...add the pan seared Foie in the middle and Truffle oil...to die for...

For the main course, I usually always order Duck Leg Confit (I'm a creature of habit) but this time, a I looked at the extensive menu, the first item I saw was the Kurobota Pork Belly (With Pineapple Horseradish compote and Gratin Potato), and that what I ordered. The Pork Belly (size was quite Small but its very rich and fatty so a small piece is enough) was deep fried. It was so tender that I could have cut it with a spoon. The combination with the Compote and Potato was perfect (the sweetness of the Pineapple gave it a good contrast). But I think that the dish lacked a bit of sauce or a glaze to it since it was quite dry. Still a great dish and very much enjoyable.

For dessert, I had my usual Chocolate Chili Ice Cream. Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with a nice surprise at the end....the kick of "sili". I love this dessert..the combination of dark Chocolate and Spicy Chili is just insane..

I've always said this and will continue to say it..Antonios for me is the best place in Town...Great food, great ambiance and good service...What more can I ask for? No wonder MIELE guide voted Antonios Top 10 Restaurants in Asia....

PS I apologize for the low quality of the pictures. I was using my camera but it was just too dark. I would have cranked up the ISO settings but the shots would have come out too grainy.