Of Fried Chicken and Pasta--The Sta. Rosa and Tagaytay Food Escapade

Sta. Rosa in Laguna and Tagaytay in Cavite are popular weekend destinations for many Metro Manila residents. With Sta. Rosa just being less than an hour away from Metro Manila and Tagaytay just an hour and a half away by car, it's no wonder stressed city folk flock to these places on weekends to unwind.

Tagaytay, undeniably, is known as a food haven with so many restaurants and cafes that are worth raving about. Sta. Rosa, meanwhile, which was previously just known as a stopover place for Tagaytay-bound vacationers, is fast becoming a weekend destination in itself, with the opening of an Ayala-owned community called Nuvali, which is home to a decent-sized shopping center called Solenad, a number of restaurants, shops, cafes, or whatnot. It is also home to Republic Wakepark, a popular wakeboarding destination which eliminates the need to go all the way to Camarines Sur for watersports activities. 

I just celebrated my 20th birthday and for the wekend, we decided to spend the night at the Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay. This blog post will cover our food adventure in both Sta. Rosa and Tagaytay. Enjoy, and bon apetit!

Part 1: Rose and Grace Restaurant (Sta. Rosa, Laguna)

The restaurant's facade

Their awards on display

Some snacks for sale

Rose and Grace is a cafeteria-style place. You queue up at the counter, and just point to the food you'd like to order. Their fried chicken is a must-try! 

Food presented cafeteria-style

Bulalo

Fried chicken served with prawn crackers--you just HAVE to try it!

Ginataang Langka

Rose and Grace also has another branch located at Sto. Tomas, Batangas. For more information, visit their blog or contact them at 049-541-1073 (Sta. Rosa branch) or 043-778-1052 (Sto. Tomas branch).

Part 2: Starbucks Coffee's Oreo Cheesecake

My "birthday cake" this year--a slice of Starbucks Coffee's Oreo Cheesecake

Part 3: Buon Giorno Caffe and Bistro (Cliffhouse, Tagaytay)

This is definitely my favorite restaurant for the trip. I've heard of this place before and based on the feedback from other people, this place is really worth trying. We did try to eat here during a trip to Tagaytay last year, but the waiting time to get a table was about 40 minutes and we just couldn't wait anymore, so we settled for another restaurant nearby instead (where the food wasn't really so great). 

Buon Giorno!, by the way, is located at Cliffhouse, home to a few upscale restaurants and cafes.

Inside the restaurant

The menu

TIP: If you're planning to eat here for dinner, I suggest you arrive by 6pm as the place gets really full starting at 7pm onwards. Waiting time could last up to an hour if you arrive late.

The Buon Giorno Special salad

Crostini

Carbonara

I loved the cheese on the Lasagna!

Pepperoni Pizza--loved it!

This place was perfect! Everything we ordered was definitely delicious and satisfying. It's too bad I couldn't even finish everything since I was already so full. I would surely recommend this place to anyone. The on-and-a-half hour drive is worth it.

Part 3: Rowena's

A trip to Tagaytay wouldn't be complete without making a stopover at Rowena's, where you can get the best buko tarts. This place is always packed with people each time we drop by, and the fan base just keeps growing. 

Just look at that line!

A box of their famous buko tarts

Blueberry Cheese Tarts--also worth a shot

Crispy (and spicy!) Salmon skin

Part 4: Sumosam (Solenad, Sta. Rosa)

Sumosam is a Japanese restaurant chain owned by actor Marvin Agustin. Sumosam already has several branches in Metro Manila, and has expanded to Sta. Rosa, as well as Cebu, Subic, and Davao.

The restaurant wasn't really so full of people

Pork Tonkatsu

Helpful tip: Use the sauce. It'll definitely help make things better. ;) 

Till the next food trip!