Grace Park by Margarita Fores

A cousin based in Connecticut, USA came over for a quick visit. Her being such a great lover of things New York prompted me to look out for something new and something nice that she would probably like. Good thing we learned about Grace Park, the newest baby of the indefatigable Margarita Fores with several restaurants already to her name such as Cibo, Cafe Bola and Pepato.

So, off we went on a drizzling night to One Rockwell where Grace Park is. As I entered the glass doors of Fores' latest food haven, I saw her in a good chat with another lady. She saw me come in and she smiled. I thought it was a sign of good things to come.

As I was being led to the table I earlier reserved (call 843 7275 or 0917 513 8945), I saw the Head of our company on a dinner date with his beautiful wife. I walked up to him, said "good evening" and had a brief talk. That must be another sign that my decision to try out this new place is correct, I told myself.

Here is a glimpse of Grace Park. Thanks.

one of the dining areas of Grace Park - there's one on the ground floor

and one more on the loft, at the far end of this photo; notice the ingenious 

use of the dried twigs to accentuate the overhead lights and the herbs on 

the table held together by paper not by a pot or a vase; gave me an idea

enjoying the veggie salad to start with

light dinner by choice, had scallops to go with the salad

pasta in truffle oil - i know that truffle oil is supposed to be

good but i don't know, truffle oil always smells like petrol to me :-)

hands down winner - muscovado beef belly; will have this

again on our repeat visit

in the end, we all loved Grace Park; we will be back soon

Sunday Lunch at Antonio's

Antonio’s is where we take our guest/s out for a great lunch. It’s always a hit. And no, I’m not talking about Breakfast at Antonio’s nor Antonio’s Grill.

Overall ambiance is excellent – an old house nestled in lush greenery and caressed by Tagaytay’s naturally cool air; service, personalized.

this part here seems like a recent addition to the original 

dining area where I first dined in the early 90s

with our special guest from Piedmont, Italy - Sr Chiara

Sr Chiara, taking her time to admire the place

I told Sr Chiara that her provincial home

used to have tiles like these

All these, of course, come with a price. But let’s not talk about it. The assumption is, when one goes to Antonio’s he/she should be ready to spend.

when in Tagaytay, it never fails to have some salad as we

are assured of the freshness of its veggies

an order of an 800-gram steak is perfect for the three of us 

enjoying lunch together

Price notwithstanding, no regrets dining at Antonio’s. It has always been a pleasant experience. It is one restaurant that I can keep coming back to.