Green ATS

This will be our first post in a while since I dislocated my shoulder last December.

We celebrated Valentine's in Tagaytay and we stayed at the T House. But that will be for another post, as this post will be about our post Valentine's lunch last Saturday at Green ATS, also in Tagaytay.

*Some of the pictures are in night time (during our first visit) because Kim forgot to take some pictures in our recent visit because as usual her hunger got in the way. :/

View from our seats

There are a lot of places in Tagaytay that serves bulalo, some on the affordable side and some on the higher end of the price spectrum. Green ATS falls under the former.  Green ATS also is a little further than most of the restaurants in Tagaytay. So, why travel further just for some bulalo which can be found in other restaurants too? Simple. Bulalo with Fillings.

Bulalo with what? Bulalo with Fillings. 470php.

This is Green ATS specialty and take on the popular beef soup that Pinoys love to sip on during cold weather. They still have the normal bulalo on their menu, but when you dine here, you have to try this! We promise, you won't regret it.  Well, your heart probably won't but hey we're only young once! So what's so different with this bulalo? For starters, it has "fillings." There's chopped up greens, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms with it. Okay, so it might have a little extra to it other than the normal lettuce but what makes it really special is that the beef shank is deep fried! Yes deep fried! So this makes a little more deadlier than your normal garden variety bulalo but also makes it that much more special. The deep fried shank and it's fillings are served separately from the broth. The beef was so tender that it almost melts in your mouth! It is also seasoned perfectly. The broth was very flavorful since the beef shank was cooked in it until the fat has melted into it. And of course the bone marrow! No bulalo would be complete without bone marrow. It's sinful but it's also the single most flavorful and richest part of this dish. Best to eat it with rice while the soup is still piping hot.

We also ordered Crispy Tawilis. 150php.

Tawilis is a freshwater fish native to the Taal Lake. They are small but they pack flavor. The saltiness of it is a perfect complement to the richness of the bulalo. It also can be perfectly eaten on its own, together with steamed rice and dipped in white vinegar.

Green ATS provides a great view of the Taal Lake, and also very good food at affordable prices. It might be a little further down the road than most restaurants, but since you've already made the trip to Tagaytay what's a few more kilometers?

Green ATS
Tagaytay - Nasugbu Highway, Tagaytay City
(It is after Taal Vista and right before Breakfast at Antonio's.)

Jek's Kubo Bulalo at Ulo- Ulo

August 13, 2013

By now everyone knows that Maginhawa Street (and it's neighboring streets) is a great stretch of foodie heaven. You have your katsu, pizza places, burger joints, milk tea shops, tex- mex restos, etc. But what I have noticed is that there seems to be a dearth of Filipino food themed restaurants. Sure there's your standard carinderia's here and there, but aside from Pino there's really no other nice restaurants that serve mostly local fare.

Enter Jek's Kubo Bulalo and Ulo- Ulo.

We forgot to take a photo of their actual signage up front!

We have noticed this "eatery" since last year, but haven't had the chance to eat here before since it was always full and parking is sometimes a b*tch in Maginhawa. I use the term eatery loosely because it's not your average kanto carinderia but more definitely more affordable than most upscale restaurants. Hmm, maybe we can call it a high end eatery.

You order from the counter like most eateries, and pay there also. Their menu consists of three groups: Specialty, Kubo Favorites and the daily menu. Their specialties are the two dishes mentioned in their name -- Bulalo and Ulo- Ulo (Sinigang sa Miso). Both are good for sharing for two people, but can also be manhandled by one hungry person on his own with no problem Then the Kubo Favorites, in which all menu items already come with rice. Then there's a daily menu that changes from day to day (duh). After ordering, you can take a seat in their yellow and gray themed tables and chairs, either inside or outside. We found it more refreshing to seat out and eat al fresco since the place isn't equipped with an AC inside. Then you wait for them to serve you your food!

We ordered the following:

We shared an order of Bulalo.

Bulalo. 150php.

Okay we really didn't share since I ate most of this with my plate of rice. For 150php, this is really good value for money! The beef was really soft with just the right amount of fat, and came with a piece of bone with bone marrow in it. It also had corn and some vegetables. I loved how the veggies were still very firm and had nice snap to it. Of course, a good soup is what make a good bulalo. And Jek's Bulalo broth is very tasty.

Kim ordered her own Salpicao.

Salpicao. 90php.

At first glance the serving might seem small, but this is a single serve dish meant for one person and not for sharing. The beef is served with some finely chopped garlic on top, and with salpicao sauce/ sarsa on the side. Aside from the rice, it also comes with some carrots and baguio beans. Kim loved that the beef was tender and not rubbery. She also noted that the garlic flavor was just right and not overpowering. Having the sarsa separate from the beef meant that the customer has control if she wants to add some more to the beef. Kim only tried to put some to try it out, since the beef was already flavorful.

For drinks we opted to get a Buko Shake from their own stand, Jek's Bu-ko.

Buko Shake. 30php.

This was really good considering how cheap it was compared to most mall buko stands. And the bottle reminds me of those buko shakes prevalent in Boracay.

Cleaner than your average carinderia and the food definitely tastes better. It might be more more expensive, but the prices are justified with the food they serve. So if you're looking for a hearty Pinoy meal, Jek's is your best bet in the Maginhawa area.

Jek's Kubo Bulalo and Ulo- Ulo
#77 Maginhawa St., UP Village
Quezon City
(02) 434 7362
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeks-Kubo-Bulalo-at-Ulo-Ulo/445767328790161

Sky Ranch + RSM Lutong Bahay

June 22, 2013. Saturday.

Impromptu road trips are always fun. And this post is born out of an impromptu road trip one drizzling Saturday. What was supposed to be just a quick drive to Nuvali to check out the outlets there, made it all the way to Tagaytay. Once we were up in the foggy and wet weather of Tagaytay, we decided to go all the way out to the Sky Ranch.

 

Sky Ranch is a new amusement/ entertainment complex just right beside Taal Vista. And it houses the Sky Eye, which is the tallest ferris wheel in the country at 207 feet high. There are also other rides inside the park, but we just chose to ride the Sky Eye since it was the main attraction and riding everything would be costly. Entrance alone to the park was 100php per person, and the ferris wheel was at 150php per person.

Like the MOA Eye, each gondola of the Sky Eye was air-conditioned. It was already breezy outside, and it was certainly cold inside. But maybe the air-conditioning was put there for those who would want to ride during the hotter days. Since it was foggy outside, the view was limited but it was still a great one as you are able to see the Taal Lake and neghboring establishments from up high. I imagined the view would've been more spectacular had it been a clear day.

After riding the Sky Eye and walking around the still unfinished park (it looks like they're still adding more attractions in the future, including a zipline over the ridge), we decided to look for a place to get dinner. Kim wanted to try the sizzling bulalo of Green ATS, but I didn't want to drive all the way out there on wet, and poorly lit roads, so we settled for RSM Lutong Bahay since all other places looked packed.

We ordered the following:

Inihaw na Liempo

I don't know why we ordered this since this is a dish you could get just about anywhere, but it seemed a good idea at the time. Anything inihaw always goes well with al fresco dining.

Ginataang Kuhol

Kuhol is escargot for the more culutured (haha!). I love this dish and since this isn't available in most restaurants, I always make sure to order this when I see it on a menu. The kuhol was still a little sandy, I think it wasn't washed and rinsed enough but other than that it was really something we enjoyed. This was great with the steamed rice.

Sizzling Bulalo

This is what Kim was looking forward to. We were a little disappointed since what they offered was more akin to Bulalo Ala Pobre, but once we tasted it our dismay was alleviated a bit. The beef was really tender and went well with the gravy on top. Despite it being a good dish, we will still make time to go all the way to Green ATS for their genuine Sizzling Bulalo.

RSM Lutong Bahay
Tagaytay Nasugbu Highway,
Tagaytay City, Cavite
http://www.rsmlutongbahay.com/