FOODTRIP(80): Zomato Goes To Taaleña Tagaytay

Last March 3, 2016, I was invited by Zomato for an exclusive foodie meet up at.. guess where??? At TAGAYTAY!! Of course, I wouldn't pass this chance to be able to try restaurants outside Manila.   
 Taaleña is a Filipino cuisine restaurant located in Tagaytay. According to the owner, they've been running this restaurant for already 10 years. 
Place is very spacious and has a nice Filipino themed decors. 
The restaurant has 2 floors.  
You'll pass by the nice stairs going down the first floor.
The first floor was unoccupied when we went there. The garden or open space is also located on the first floor. 
You'll see the dining area, kitchen, bar and the balcony on the 2nd floor. 
We sat at the balcony, overlooking the beauty of Taal. 
Dishes were immediately placed when we get there. Yay! 
Here's what we ate: 
*Appetizer 
Crispy Tawilis (Php210)  - Crispy. Crunchy. Easy to chew. Yummy. 
Crispy Crablets (Php220)  - I do have allergy to seafoods especially if not fresh. I ate lots of their Crispy Crablets as it was tasty and delish. I can say that their crablets were fresh as I didn't experienced any allergies. And yes, definitely my fave from their restau!! :) 
Sizzling Pork Sisig (Php275)  - Their sisig was okay, just like a normal sisig we eat. 
*Salad 
Mangga & Bagoong Salad (Php125)  - The mangga was a bit sour for my taste or maybe because they lack saltiness to their bagoong? I was looking for something more salty and sweet from their bagoong. 
*Soup 
Bulalong Batangas (Php555)  - I was able to taste the Bulalo soup and yes it was really tasty even for the soup itself. Take note, it wasn't warm when I tasted this one but it's still good. 
*Entree: 
Adobo sa Dilaw (Php265)  - You might ask, why yellow? Why does it look like a curry? It's because it they put on Turmeric for this adobo dish. I appreciate that it was tasty but I can't help but to think that this is an adobo and not a curry. 
Crispy Pata (Php595)  - For me their Crispy Pata is a bit dry. 
Fried Chicken (Half - Php340, Whole - Php650)  - Same as crisy pata, I find this dish a bit dry. 
Kare Kare (Php450)  - I love Karekare so I was really expecting a lot from this dish as it looks appetizing. But their Karekare lacks the peanut taste and it's a bit liquidy. For a karekare, I want something thick with the peanut taste with it. I find their bagoong not too salty for my taste. Though I really liked the veggies included. Mixed 
Pansit (Pansit Bihon & Canton Php260)  - No need for calamansi as their pansit itself is already tasty. This is also one of my fave dishes from them. 
Tortang Talong (Php215)  - I dunno what other ingredients they used for this as I find this one tasty than my usual tortang talong. Yum! 
Steam Rice (Php45) 
Buko Fried Rice (Php265) 
Calamares Fried Rice (Php230)  - From the name of the dish itself, I was expecting more calamares flavor on the rice. 
*Dessert 
Fruit Platter (Php195)  - I really liked the fruit platter for the last dessert served. After eating a heavy lunch, I find the fruits very refreshing to eat. 
*Drinks 
Taalena Iced Tea (Php75)  - I liked that their Taalena Ice Tea is very tasty and has a distinct flavor. Most of the foodies find this iced tea very delish but I find it a bit sweet for my taste. 
*Extra 
Suman sa Lihiya (Php115) 
Leche Flan (Php115) 
Ube Macapuno Medley (Php140) 
Suman sa Gata (Php115)  - I find ALL of the desserts served very GOOD. Not too sweet for me. But the best one for me is the Suman sa Gata that comes with a chocolate dip. Grabe heaveeen!!!! 

Sharing with you some clips from that day:

The were also lots of positive thoughts I wanna share about this restaurant. 
1. I'm a very picky eater and I'm not into Filipino foods but surprisingly, Taaleña offers us different Filipino dishes to which I did liked.  2. They still have wide variety of Filipino dishes to choose from besides from what we ate.  3. The food was served immediately upon our arrival and all of us took photos of the dishes before eating. Even though it took us a while before we ate the food, all of the dishes served were still good. Even the Bulalo was good even if it's not that hot anymore.  4. We didn't use any condiments as the dishes were already good as it were.  5. The ambiance, the breezy wind and the view at the balcony is a great factor for me.  6. The 3 musicians who sang for us were very entertaining for me. They really represent how Filipinos are, musically inclined and jolly.  7. And last but not the least, the owners were very nice, approachable and hospitable.
Honestly, I've read negatives reviews of their restaurant even before we came to this place. So I wasn't really expecting that much from their restau. But suprisingly, I think most of us find their dishes really good. Very nice place and superb foods from  Taaleña. This place is perfect for balikbayans, foreigners and for family. But of course, I would really recommend Taaleña to everyone. 

Thank you so much Zomato for bringing us for an out-of-town trip at  Taaleña in Tagaytay. And Thank you also to the owners of Taaleña for being so kind to us. Can't wait to be back :)
Taaleña Located at: Casa Taal, Kilometer 54, Silang Crossing West, Aguinaldo Highway,Tagaytay City Phone Number: 02 2469069 ext:846 Opens at: 8AM - 10PM Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Taalena.Restaurant/