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Dark chocolate velvet cake with cream cheese filling

JT'S MANUKAN GRILLE TAGAYTAY

A few years back, Joel Torre, an artist by heart and a true-blooded Bacolodian, brought the taste of Bacolod to Metro Manila. Now, JT’s Manukan has gone up in high altitudes in the breezy highlands of Tagaytay!

Together with my two fellow foodies, we have strolled up to Tagaytay to check out JT’s new branch and reached our destination just in time for lunch.  And yes! As usual, we arrived very hungry, with clenched teeth and growling stomachs, so ready to devour! Ahhh… another gastronomic delight waiting to explode!

But we were awestruck by the airy atmosphere of JT’s Manuakan Tagaytay. We were for a moment drawn to the serene atmosphere of the restaurant and almost forgot about food! The place is just so relaxing with wide spaces, a coy pond, and a roof deck! Imagine that! The cool vibe just makes you wanna linger with an ice-cold drink on your hand while gently swinging in a hammock! This branch is totally different from the ones we frequently visit in San Juan and Ortigas!

Okay, time to order!!!!

I personally love batchoy and my foodie buddy was at that time craving for kansi! So, for starters, we ordered two soupy dishes -- the one I love and the one being craved.

Served piping hot, the kansi soup warmed up our tummies and filled us with instant delight.  Simply delish! According to the owners, the key ingredient to this yummy, savory soup dish is being sourced out directly from Bacolod. What gives JT’s kansi it’s authentic Bacolod flavor is the “batwan,” a fruit used as a souring agent similar to “camias,” “sampaloc,” and “caramay.”

Then, there was batchoy! Ahhh…. Batchoy, I love… my comfort food! A dash of sukang sinamak gives the soup an added depth of flavor! Try it! 

Now, for the main course, we ordered JT’s bestsellers:

The pecho was tender and grilled to perfection. It’s golden and toasted outside, and the meat was moist and tender inside.

And of course, we had our favorite street foods served probinsya-style!  We had barbequed baticolon (gizzard), isol (chicken ass, baby! Haha!), atay (liver), and corazon (heart)! Literally, “gout on a stick!” Yummy! Haha!

The inihaw na liempo is also a must-try! We couldn’t just resist the protein intake that we had to order for more carbs! Extra garlic rice with lotsa chicken oil drizzled on top please! Awesome! Haha.

As they say, every delightful meal always has a sweet ending! And so, for desert, we had JT’s lehe flan! It was firm and had that nutty, caramel flavor I liked! Another must-try! 

JT's Manukan Tagaytay certainly gets my seal of approval! Unlike other commercialized inasal food chains that have been increasingly cropping up in almost every street corner of busy Metro Manila, JT’s Manukan modestly keeps a few branches.  I think that is the secret behind how the restaurant is able to successfully maintain the authentic Bacolod flavor of the dishes they serve.

Getting there: click here for directions