Blair Mitch's Debut Post:
Chillin’ and Grillin’ at Antonio’s

I call Tagaytay Detox Central. And when I say detox I don’t mean a trip to the fat farm or going cold turkey on some vice.

My version of Detox is escaping harried, hectic Manila and heading off to Tagaytay. Where life goes slow-mo, people stumble into long, leisurely lunches – everyone’s relaxed and the pace is decidedly drowsy. Even the resident volcano is dormant, for crying out loud.

I was looking for some alone time and culinary diversion with hubby Christian. We were booked in Discovery Country Suites, a rather charming bed and breakfast. More so, we were set to eat the weekend away in three formidable new restaurants: Antonio’s Grill, Buon Giorno and Fire Lake Grill.

For my debut blog post I will feature Antonio’s Grill. The rest will come in succeeding posts.

We arrived just a little past lunch and drove straight to Antonio’s Grill. It is Chef Tony Boy Escalante’s latest venture, the first two being high-end Antonio’s (where the wait list can probably rival French Laundry) and the more relaxed (and still pricey) Breakfast at Antonio’s. I read somewhere that Chef Tony Boy is a secret grill fanatic fulfilling his little grill fantasies with this new place. I just wished that he named it something a little less generic, but I guess branding it “Antonio’s” has to add for something.

Anyway – I was titillated to see that this one had way more affordable prices. I guess I’ve come to expect stiff sums dining at Antonio’s. The waiter told us that Bacolod cuisine was the specialty and so Blair Mitch wisely decided to order La Paz Bachoy, Chicken Inasal (throw in some indispensable ensalada and garlic rice for good measure) and Vanilla Ice Cream with Dulce Gatas for dessert. Hubby stuck to his old reliable, Grilled BBQ Pork Spare Ribs to serve as blank canvas by which he can gauge how well The Grill would deliver.

We were far from disappointed. In fact we were floored by how Chef Tony Boy practically transformed common dishes into absolute masterpieces. The Chicken Inasal and La Paz Bachoy we have been used to eating all this time was crap. This was the real thing.



First, the La Paz Bachoy – the sweetish broth sprinkled with delicate morsels of chicken, liver and crunchy chicharon. A brilliant yellow egg yolk resting atop plump (should I daresay happy?) noodles. Christian laughed in wonder when he slurped his first spoonful. It was magical. We ate the bachoy in silence, in reverence almost.

Then came the Chicken Inasal. Its dramatic entrance marked by a waft of pure bliss. The Inasal was served with anato oil on the side, to be drizzled on the accompanying garlic rice with a pinch of salt. I was having a little dance of inasal-ensalada-garlic rice-inasal-ensalada-garlic rice with my eyes closed. Christian was having his own little epiphany beside me, singing praises about the tenderness of the grilled spare ribs with the sweet bbq glaze serving as perfect complement – but I could hardly hear him. I was in Inasal heaven.



I was seriously contemplating whether or not I would make a go for the chicken bones, making “papak” whatever flesh was still hanging on it when dessert came.

While the Vanilla Ice Cream with Dulce Gatas was good, it was nothing compared to Christian’s showstopper of a leche flan pick. I know – leche flan almost sounds boring, right? This one was thick and sticky with the consistency and chewiness of a cassava cake. Oh lordy – it was wonderful. We improvised and spooned vanilla ice cream on top and were beside ourselves in joy. The poor Dulce Gatas was promptly ignored like the prom wallflower.



The bill was also a delight. To begin with the Chicken Inasal cost 109 pesos. I spend more on a mediocre lunch in our office building caf with definitely not even a tenth of the satisfaction. The La Paz Bachoy (which can be split by two people) is 120 pesos. And the leche flan cost 60 pesos. I almost wanted to give the waiter a kiss.

Antonio’s Grill makes the drive to Tagaytay worth it. It might just be the fabulous Saturday lunch you’ve been meaning to take.

Next feature will be Buon Giorno, noted food stylist Linda Floro’s first restaurant offering.