New Dining Destination: My Country House Tagaytay

Tagaytay has always been a good weekend destination for those looking for adventure, the cold weather, and good food. The touristy spots are a given, I don't go there much because of the sheer amount of people. I'm part of the statistic who basically mind crowds and prefer a more quiet, less stressful location. There's still plenty of that in Tagaytay, and it's so awesome that travel there only takes an hour and a half (depending on where you are in Manila). 

On Sundays or special occasions, I often go to Our Lady of Lourdes Paris Church in Silang Cavite or Pink Sisters Convent and Chapel. Then after a holy hour, we often have lunch in nearby restaurants because yes, Tagaytay is a food destination. There's a new restaurant off the beaten path and it's called "My Country House". This is around 10 minutes away from the highway (if you're coming from Lourdes Church) and can be searched on Google maps here.  

Much of the furniture here include heirloom pieces from the previous owner. This is a country home, one that you can visit every now and then since it's only a few hours away from Metro Manila. 

 

 

 

 

 

The interiors felt like your Tita's house (na nakaka angat angat sa buhay lol) that you would actually go to and enjoy time with family and friends. It's a mix of wood, comfy chairs with green, white and yellow accents. It's also well lit, perfect for brunch/lunch, even dinner.

This is the view from the restaurant. It's clear green grass on some parts, filled with tropical plants and the actual forest around the perimeter. They hold events here like weddings and parties, prolly could hold 300-350 pax. Those intimate weddings you're dreaming of might just fit. What I also like about this place is their Silkie Chickens that roam around the property, they're very friendly and would make a nice activity for kids to interact with.

Got to talk to Chef Arnold Gozon who politely asked about the dishes served, staying on top of the game and very open to suggestions.

My Kale Drink, freshly baked bread with flavored butter, plus table side Kale and Romaine Caesar Salad to start off the meal

We started with the Cheese Gougeres, Seared Foie Gras Canapes and the Miso Bagna Cauda. If you had to choose, get the Foie Gras of course! The Burrata is comforting too. Everything else is fair game.

My friends had the Saffron Seafood Paella while I got the Steak Rice (because my allergies wasn't having it!) It was comforting to have that together with the mains. Yes, get the Steak Rice!

The Chef personally prepared a 21 Day US Dry Aged Rib Eye Steak for us that afternoon, and yes, it was so worth every slice I had. It was even better with the roasted garlic on the side and the optional mushroom or spinach sauce. This is meant to be shared, but who's stopping us from having this all to ourselves right? 

One of My Country Home's specials, this is Country Chicken Relleno. This was something that Chef Arnold Gozon prepares on Holidays/Christmas, but thought why not serve this labor of love in the restaurant. Make sure you have this with the sauce on the plate and roasted garlic, you need to arrange a perfect bite.

This is Chef Arnold Gozon's personal favorite, the Melting Salmon. It's soft, melts in your mouth salmon that's been cooked in oil like a confit, then lathered with miso sauce, and an Asian herb relish. Even those who didn't eat salmon actually enjoyed this, so try this out yourself!

If there's something I'd recommend, it will be this Lengua Estofado. Although usual Lengua dishes fall into rancid/organ like flavors, this one doesn't do that. It's very soft, you would mistake it for rump chunks that's been cooked for hours. It's also ultra creamy which makes it a whole lot different than your usual lengua. Best on for me.

So if you're thinking of spending the weekend at Tagaytay and feel the need for something special for your friends, family or better half, go check out My Country House at 115 Pulong Sagingan Street, Maitim 2nd West in Tagaytay. I would strongly suggest you go and reserve first before going there to make sure they've got ample seats and be ready for you. Just call or text 09178751154. They accommodate walk-ins.

Ciao! I'll be back there very soon!

JR De Guzman in Manila to do LATER THAT EVENING in June

MYX is bringing Filipino American comedian JR De Guzman at the Theatre at Solaire this coming June. You've been with him all throughout the pandemic and also to through different social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok. He has entertained a LOT of people in the US and different countries, and this is a good time to do it in the Philippines.

JR De Guzman says "I'm a comedian and I think I have the greatest fans especially after the show when the Titas set me up with their daughters. They'll show me the pictures and when I say I have a girlfriend, they'll just say.. that's okay! then proceeds to hit on me themselves!"

 

He mentions one of his most viral songs about interracial babies, and says it was about a friend who owns a comedy bar, she had a kid who's African American and White. A lot of people connected with it because they are in the situation. There will be several people opening for him too like his friends Ryan Puno and Red Ollero, who also did their share of Tita encounters during the mediacon.

 

JR adds "Experiencing comedy in different countries means doing what you know in local context. Having music is helpful because it's very universal. You just have to do shows there, that's how you adapt, you have to travel.That time I bombed a set, I blame Alex, he was really good. I wanted to erase that story, but I kept on mentioning it. That was a valentines day, they asked Alex to come back to the stage because I bombed it. I know I could do it well, hopefully to make it to the end of my set. I built my base online during the pandemic, I think it was digitally good, but I need to do live, when I did it, I got COVID, it was just God punishing me. At that time, it was a silver lining, I learned how to edit, get a camera, that was the good part of it."

If you want to see the sexy guy do his stuff on stage, head on to ticketworld.com.ph and secure them seats now. It's surely going to be one heck of a funny evening!

MUST WATCH: Hit Korean Movie REBOUND in PH Theaters May 3

Just got off the advanced screening of hit Korean movie REBOUND starring Ahn Jae-Hong (who also appeared in Reply 1988), Jeong Jinwoon (who's in Dream High 1 and 2), Jung Gun-Joo (who's in TV drama True Beauty in 2021), Kim Taek (who was a Prince in TV drama The King's Affection), Kim Min, and Lee Sin-Young (who also was in Crash Landing on You and several dramas). This film is based on a true story about a high school basketball team who used to win championships but had a long stretch of losses and almost didn't continue to their basketball program. They had to resort to getting an inexperienced coach (an alumnus of the same school) with a skeleton team that had no interest in the sport. Some eventually quit, for multitude reasons, and the coach had to scout a few players to exist and join tournaments versus other schools. 

They ended up with 6 players, and this starts the grueling task of making the impossible, possible. I definitely liked the story. It's also the personalities of the different players that will get you hooked. Aside from that, it's a journey, and really... this is the first time that I saw a cinema where people who were watching were clapping and rooting for Busan Jungang High School. I'm sure it's the innate Filipino love for basketball, that story of the underdog who's trying to win on the court and in life. Will they win in the end and make their dreams come true?

This is being released in the Philippines by 888 Films. For me, this scores a well deserved 8/10 for the story and entertainment value. It's something you should DEFINITELY watch if you're a fan of KDrama and Korean TV shows. Plus points too because it is based on a TRUE STORY. Make sure you stay to see the ending because it'll surely pull heartstrings. I hope Filipinos troop to cinemas, because even as a skeptic going inside the theater, I really appreciated it! Again, it shows in cinemas on May 3!

Thank you to Ms. Sylvia Sanchez and Sir Art for inviting us to this screening! I'm telling my friends!

The BIGGEST Collaboration Happened: Shakey's and Potato Corner

What's your favorite potato? Well, that's going to be a huge debate, but instead of competing with each other, a collaboration between Shakey's and Potato Corner just happened this Labor day. We know Shakey's just got the iconic mojos back in circulation after a long hiatus because of world potato supply issues. Aside from that good news, they're now partnering with an equally iconic brand Potato Corner to put FLAVOR with your favorite Mojos.

Today marks it's first day and you will be able to enjoy it in Barbecue, Sour Cream and Cheese flavors. Thing is, this is going to be only available for a limited time so what's there to do but order now. You can get the SOLO size Php 209, the Basket of Flavored Mojos for Php 429 and the Flavored Mojos Supreme for Php 579.

Pro Mojo Monster tip: If you want to experience 2 flavors, ask them to do half and half so you can try two flavors in one bucket or supreme. For more information about this, go to your nearby Shakey's store for dine in, take out or delivery. Please don't disturb me for a couple of days, because this will be my lunch and dinner LOL.