This was JX’s first time to go on an out-of-town trip so I’m back to square one on how to travel with my one and a half month old JX. I need to review my travel 101 manual! I was kinda hesitant to bring JX to Tagaytay but it was either I bring him with me or me & JX would just stay home and I didn’t want to bum around the house anymore. I also wanted him to breathe fresh air including me and AD. And so, the preparation begun. I had to pack the day before to ensure that I won’t forget anything and again, in the morning of our departure, I had to add more because I won’t take any chances in forgetting something important. Okay, enough of that! That’s another topic to be discussed in the future.

Off we go to our destination….and this was what greeted us…

Our first stop: Chateau Hestia in Tagaytay. Soft opened last 11 November 2007. Open on Friday to Sunday. By Reservations Only. Walk-In guests may be accommodated but will be subject to food and seat availability.

This outing was planned for HubbyBubbly brother’s birthday. This is how we usually celebrate one’s birthday…going to restaurants/ places that we haven’t been to especially on special occasion such as this.

While waiting for the food to arrive, (they practice slow cooking by the way) I felt like being in Baguio because of its wood interiors and the cool weather. I miss going to Baguio! Places like these are such a treat…AD truly enjoyed running around the garden that he totally ignored his kiddie meal. He had so much energy in him that even Johannes took noticed of. The weather was a plus factor for AD too. He said that there was aircon all around. He didn’t sweat at all after running around. Not much mosquitos during the day, I’m not sure during nighttime so bring your insect repellant with you just to be sure. I do!
Here’s what we had…

Food photos (Clockwise, Left to Right):

Johannes, one of the owners of Chateau Hestia, serving their locally produced Dalanghita Cello (Filipino’s version for their lemon cello) for us to taste. I didn’t get to taste this though because of the alcohol content.

They serve European set menu (P540) where you can choose the entree’ of your preference. Drinks not included. Buko juice is available for drink-all-you-can (Hey! I didn’t know about this!) for P60 and a glass of wine for less than P100. If I’d known that the buko juice was drink-all-you can, I would’ve stayed longer and drank more than a glass!

Carrot and Ginger Soup. Served warm and healthy. Carrot blended with ginger that you can taste its zest after every spoon of this soup. The sliced Thai sliced cilantro gave the soup another twist.

Mixed Greens Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette. Another healthy starter. The vinaigrette dressing lightly coated every side of the leaf. My MIL loves this kind of dressing.

Paprika Chicken with Dumplings. Tender and juicy meat. This was HubbyBubbly’s meal. Before I can ask for a piece to taste, it was gone. Was he that hungry or the dish was delicious that he can’t stop to eat it?

Pork Goulash with Dumplings. Pork was tasty with its sauce. As the meal progressed, I was trying to pinpoint what Filipino dish was similar to this but can’t remember. Would’ve love this with rice because of the sauce. I’m a rice and sauce person.

Panna Cotta. Creamy dessert with cranberry jelly on top to add flavor to it. A nice way to end the lunch.

Kid’s Set Menu costs P190.

Spaghetti Bolognese with Pizza. Johannes added sweetness to this spaghetti to somewhat cater to Filipino kid’s taste but I don’t think Filipino kids would love this so much as they love Jollibee’s spaghetti. The pizza crust was the thick one. I don’ t think this would also be a sellout for kids. Nice try. But I think Johannes would still want to maintain to serve European dishes instead of fusion ones.

Rolled Chocolate Pancake. Innovative style of a crepe. This is a hit in our family! I personally would love to have more of the hazelnut filling. We can’t get enough of this that we had to ask for more from Lolo’s share.

For group lunch/ dinner, you have to call in advance because Johannes doesn’t want the place to be full. They are still on the soft opening period as of this moment so they change their menus every 2-3 weeks depending on their food supply/ availability from suppliers until they can decide on their regular menu. As mentioned, they practice slow cooking so they anticipate that guests would stay from lunch time until late afternoon or midnight to enjoy the food, company and the ambiance that Chateau Hestia provides.

You want more information?  Check out Our Awesome Planet’s A Chateau Hesta Birthday Celebration
Chateau Hestia, Tagaytay

Johannes Zegethofer +63 918-9305372

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 8th, 2008 at 10:46 am and is filed under Outing, Food Trips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.