Breakfast at Antonio's

One reason why my close friends told me that my birthday spans the whole month of June is because my cousin's birthday is also on the same month and she always celebrate it with me, for every single year since we were young, thank you Ate Judy for making our month extra special always! 

That day, we went to Tagaytay early in the morning to buy some groceries and goodies that we will bring to a elderly home care that we usually visit and give donations to. We visited the grandmas and grandpas and they were so happy to see us. We were not able to get close to them but we just waved and seen them from a distance due to this pandemic. After saying hello and dropping our donations, we went to lunch. Ate Judy treated me and two of our best friends to a fancy all day breakfast place in the city.

The place was packed but protocols are strictly enforced, including social distancing between parties and individuals while they dine. Signs are also placed up to encourage people not to talk too much especially to converse less while eating to minimize the spread of droplets. The place was gorgeous situated on top of the Tagaytay city Caldera. The restaurant was well ventilated. It's indoors but all the windows are open so I don't know if I can say it's al-fresco? We also saw construction being done at the back were their 100% al-fresco dining will be available soon.

Coming Soon: Dining with an unobstructed view of Taal Lake

Let me go through the dishes we had. We started with a small plate of Truffle French Fries which were amazing! I have read from some blogs that Truffle is an acquired taste but I fell in love with it when I first tasted something with it thanks to my cousin Ate Carmeline that introduced me to a pasta dish with it about a decade ago. These fries were made perfectly crispy with the perfect hollowness on every piece that made it felt like you were eating potato chips in block form. Coated in truffle and salt paste, it was a heavenly welcome!

Truffle Potato Fries (Php 180)

In this age of the pandemic, sadly, we cannot share our dishes with each other but I'll share with you the dish I had and those that my friends enjoyed. Let us start with my order. It was hard for me to choose with the full array of sandwiches because I am a sandwich monster. But lucky was I that when I chose a burger, the waiter informed us that burgers are not available at that moment! So I opted for their Roast Beef Sandwich.

Roast Beef Sandwich (Php 570)

Served with French fries on the side, I made a request to our waiter if I can switch them with potato crisps since I saw it from the other table and they look divine! So the sandwich came and I was super excited! It was plated with a small saucer willed with roast beef drippings so of course, I tried it first without it. The slices of USDA sirloin were very tender and juicy, plus the melted provolone cheese adds amazing texture! But I have to be honest It was really bland. So I tried it with the drippings, still bland. I added some salt, sadly I can only taste the seasonings that I added and not the dish at all. I was really downhearted because the beef's tenderness were top marks, but the taste was just absent, at least for me.

Sautéed Corned Beef (Php 500) 

Served with rice and two sunny side up eggs, this was the birthday girl's order. It smells really good when served. Since my cousin is a very small eater, she portioned her corned beef so we can snatch spoonfulls from her plate to taste. I like it, at least more than my sandwich because it was tastier! My friends were even joking me as to why I don't taste anything from my order and that maybe it's not the sandwich! I was quite scared if you know what I mean so tasting this garlicy dish was quite a relief.

Beef Tapa (Php 535)

This was our friend Lea's order, typical Filipino breakfast, served extra classy. Soy and garlic marinated sirloin served with rice and eggs. We missed Lea so much because she just came home a few months ago from years of working in Kuwait, and it's always a pleasure to have her as she makes up most of her missed years with us. Here's to more brunches and meals with you Lea!

Bistek Tagalog (Php 590)

Okay so this is my favorite out of everything we ordered. This was Rjay's dish - Tenderloin beef marinated in soy sauce, garlic, black pepper, olive oil, and calamansi. Calamansi is our version of the lime but is much smaller and tangier. It is one of the most Filipino ingredients on any Filipino dish and can also be made into juices and as a condiment itself. Back to the word favorite, I did not get to taste this but with Rjay's word, it was good. Why did I like it, well just look at how it was plated! 

Lea, Rjay, Steve, and birthday girl Judy

We capped our delicious lunch with their homemade ice cream flavors but sadly, we forgot to take photos of it because we were super excited when they arrived! But just to tickle your sweet imaginations, we had scoops of Mixed Berries with Banana, Dark Chocolate with Peanut Butter Cups, and Banana with Caramelized White Chocolate. How good were their housemade ice cream flavors? Well it painted rainbow colors to my greyed out experience from the Roast Beef sandwich haha!

Unmasked for Breakfast at Lunch!

To my ate Judy, I wish you only the best in your new year. I hope that you continue to grow happy and truly joyful from the inside out. I am very excited for the next chapter that will surely be a big adventure for you. Just so you know, I will always be here for you in every step of your new venture and beyond. Keep being that compassionate and a person full of empathy that spans out beyond the people she knows.

Never Stop the Party!

Steve

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Breakfast at Antonio's

Tagaytay City, Cavite

(046) 413 0738 / (046) 404 6199

0909 234 7304 / 0925 706 0837 / 0917 163 8374

www.antoniosrestaurant.ph/breakfast-at-antonios/