“Ah, thank God for the long weekend!”—I thought it would never happen. Dark skies, sporadic heavy rains, and the downcast gloomy atmosphere almost spoiled the fun! We have planned to go to Tagaytay for a “mini vacation” for the very rare long weekend, but the weather seemed to be not cooperating. We were all excited, then, saddened by the last minute changes. It was such a major downer! Due to the bad climate condition, we opted to ditch our initial plan and just roam around Metro Manila instead.
Totally bummed out we were for our hearts were already all set for Tagaytay! But, thank goodness, Mr. Sunshine beamed over the cloudy skies. Ahhhhh…We suddenly felt giddy and excited again like kids at the candy store!
“There goes Mr. Sunshine! Ayan na! Tuloy na!!! Tagaytay, here we go!”
“There goes Mr. Sunshine! Ayan na! Tuloy na!!! Tagaytay, here we go!”
Being close to Manila
But our trip had turned out to be a bit stressful! Everyone from Manila Para aque
Arriving in Tagaytay, we we’re already starving like crazy! As the one in-charge with the itinerary, I led the hungry pack at Tootsie's for a late lunch!
And the stressful events continued…
Tootsie’s was a full house! We needed to line up and wait for 35 minutes to get a table! But the gracious owner of the restaurant was really accommodating and made the wait more bearable. She was very apologetic for keeping us waiting and was really hands-on in making sure that everyone’s enjoying their lunch. For this, I give Tootsie’s a high five for good customer service!
The restaurant offers home-cooked style meals. Most of the dishes on the menu are the usual Filipino favorites like Kare-kare, Lengua, and other dishes that our Lolas would usually cook during Sunday lunch or on special occasions.
We were supposed to order for Kansi Bulalo, but it was unavailable during that time. Instead, we ordered the regular Nilagang Baka. Well, it was unspectacular, plus it wasn’t served piping hot like I want. I’ve certainly tasted yummy Bulalo and Nilagang Baka around Tagaytay, but that would be another story to tell.
There are other special dishes on the menu but we weren’t really feeling adventurous with food that day. We’re so famished that we just wanted to fill ourselves up and get over with our hunger pangs; and so we ordered the usual, familiar dishes.
The Chorizo Adelfa was nice. The fat rendered from the fried crunchy chorizo tidbits when drizzled over hot steaming rice was heavenly! Haha... I couldn’t resist it!
We also ordered Manang Jo Tadyang Inihaw—thick slabs of grilled spareribs. For me, it didn’t have the full flavor I expected and I think the meat needed to sit on its marinade for a little longer. But, it was amazingly tender and I loved the smoky flavor. The onion slaw that went with it made all the difference! In fact, it complimented the chorizo as well.
Another item on our order list was the fried tilapia. The plating was awesome, though I’ve seen it several times in other restaurants, it was still stunning. How they did it I think was just amazing. (Sorry, I didn’t get to take pictures of all the dishes we ordered. I was so hungry and just ate!)
Finally, among all the dishes we’ve ordered, my top pick was the Kilawing Puso ng Saging. It was a little special compared to what we cook at home because at Tootsie’s, it had shrimps.
On a final note, I would certainly recommend Tootsie's Tagaytay! The rustic, country-style look of the restaurant makes you linger for a while and enjoy it’s laid-back, homey atmosphere and of course, crave for the classic Filipino comfort food they offer. I just can’t wait to come back—hopefully when Tagaytay is less crowded—and try their other dishes.
'Till we meet again,Tootsie’s!
Tootsie’s Tagaytay
J. Abad Santos, Cor. Aguinaldo Higchway, 4120 Tagaytay
City , Philippines
(046) - 4834629 / 0917-TOOTSIE
