Tagaytay
Cafe Crawl: Bag of Beans (Twin Lakes)
Okay, so this is not your typical Cafe Crawl since you would have to trek about 1.5 hours (on good traffic conditions) out of Manila for this. I know Bag of Beans has become synonymous to Tagaytay, but this particular branch was interesting enough to visit. It was also the stopover we took coming from a shoot in Batangas. It’s way past Tagaytay City and already in the Laurel vicinity so don’t bother looking for any landmarks anytime within the city limits.
The interiors of these newer branches is a bit more manicured from the original one most of us know. The original Bag of Beans was an eccentric motley of extended areas seemingly to have mutated out from a simpler makeshift home / restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, that place has a character of its own, and still worth to eat in if the waiting time is still bearable. This country theme befits places like these pretty well, though gets more faux the longer you stare at them. It’s not something that bothers me though. The bakery / country store + cafe combination has been the staple formula for most if not all places in Tagaytay too. If you’re satisfied with your meal, there’s a big chance you might just swig off knick knacks from their store on the way out.
Service
Food is above average, and servings are good for two (2) people. It also came out fast, which is a big factor to me. Though the waiter who serviced us wasn’t that knowledgeable of the menu offerings and had to go down the kitchen just to ask for the soup of the day. It’s a slight pet peeve of mine, and I tend to look for these nuances. Not a deal-breaker though; maybe it’s this OC side of me kicking in every now and then. Asides from that, service was quite attentive.
Price-wise though, it has become more expensive in exchange for the ambiance.
Photo Gallery
Verdict
It’s something I don’t mind going out of town for, time and traffic notwithstanding.Check out my youtube channel for your regular glimpse behind the scenes! While you’re at it, drop buy the online store and get goodies from your favorite models!
For those interested in my commercial work, check out pointblankstudios.net and follow us at @pointblankmnl in IG.
Travel Bug: Estancia, Tagaytay
Every now and then I would write stuff on food and travel when I feel like it, so this is one of those articles.
It was one of those sudden clutch trips friends decide to take over the weekend. Surprisingly alot of the usual hotels were booked, but good thing we found this one having a vacancy. Estancia has been that one of those hotels with an interesting facade along the highway. It seemed to be a long-time fixture on every Tagaytay trip, but I never bothered checking the place out until now.
The facade (which I didn’t get the chance to take a picture) has that Greek vibe to it, but such motif only lasts until the lobby. The rest of the place though was decent-looking but totally off-design with the architecture that greets you when you first arrive. Not a deal-breaker especially if you’re just after a good night’s sleep. It was just a bit weird seeing Swiss (?) chalet exteriors in the lower floors.
We arrived rather late, and their restaurant seemed like ghost town. Famished from the trip, we took the chance of still ordering. Unfortunate for me, the food they served was half-cooked, though it was quickly replaced with another full set of the meal I ordered this time a bit on the burnt side. It’d gladly take the latter over something raw any day. Food in the restaurant was something you’d find in any typical Filipino grillery place. I was a bit disappointed expecting something that matches the facade at least.
One thing noticeable though is that the staff don’t seem to be well-trained enough in the finer points of hospitality. They go about their assigned tasks and are quite pleasant, but you wouldn’t see anybody going out of their way to please guests. A simple gesture of asking the bill in their restaurant, one waiter would tell you nicely that it’s not his job to give you the bill. He then gingerly points his hand towards a co-worker.
The property is actually sprawling down the mountain side and passes through several properties through the back. It is big, and you have the option to take a golf cart to your room. Too bad it was only until 10PM, and we didn’t make it by the time we finished late dinner.
The rooms were spacious and toiletries were abundant I would have to say. It’s enough to fit in six (6) people if you’re really pushing it. But everything in the minibar has a charge, even the water. I was tempted to walk on the highway and stumble upon the nearest 7Eleven, but I was too tired to even bother. The chips on the minibar would suffice.
Photo Gallery
If there was one thing about accommodations for me, breakfast must not suck. Breakfast was their saving grace fortunately. Food was mostly a mix of typical Continental and Filipino dishes. I sort of gave up looking for anything Greek-related at this point, and I don’t really mind if it’s not in theme. The omelettes and French toast eventually outweighed my disappointing experience with their grilled salmon the night we arrived.
Verdict
If you don’t mind ignoring the finer points of hospitality then this place is pretty decent. I would recommend this to a younger crowd coming for a swim, get plastered in their rooms and wake up to recovery food the following morning.Check out my youtube channel for your regular glimpse behind the scenes! While you’re at it, drop buy the online store and get goodies from your favorite models!
For those interested in my commercial work, check out pointblankstudios.net and follow us at @pointblankmnl in IG.