Wazzup Pilipinas!
Enter Hacienda Isabella, a much-lauded
location for weddings, photo-shoots and vacations, tucked away in Indang Cavite
off Tagaytay City. It’s a huge land owned by Kuh Ledesma with villas maintained
by about 30 housekeepers and staff who are glad to serve guests the Filipino
way, unhurried yet sincere.
Last weekend, with Wazzup Pilipinas bloggers,
we had the chance to experience dining and staying in at Hacienda Isabella.
Click here for the review of our close encounter in the hacienda.
This blog post is another part of the review which specifically talks about food.
This blog post is another part of the review which specifically talks about food.
Review of
Hacienda Isabella's Food Fare
Ambiance: ★★★★★
The first floor of main house of the hacienda
houses the kitchen and dining areas where about three groups of guests can have
meals from breakfast and lunch to dinner.
The dining tables are made of wood that look
like they can stand eons because of the materials used. The designs of the
interior was magnificent, full of displays of collected items, framed excerpts
of inspiring thoughts and nice architecture all throughout in consistent theme.
The color that's most evident here is brown,
which invokes warmth stimulating the appetite. Therefore I sense that it's a
good color chosen for the dining place. This neutral tone also appeals to be
simple, friendly and comforting. I can quickly associate it with all ethnic and
organic items that are nurturing and at the same time comforting.
With everything inside making us exclaim
"wow" deeply in our heads, having meals in Hacienda Isabella is truly
a grand experience.
Service: ★★★★★
As shared in the blog post of Roch would indicate that
service here is top of the line. All members of the staff are gracious and they
make you feel honored. Special mention to Victor and Marq. Victor toured us around the Hacienda Isabella and made sure we had everything we need while Marq was the one who fetch us from our meetup point in Manila. Victor took care of us from start to end of our stay at Hacienda Isabella, and even told amazing stories. The Hacienda Isabella was even made more interesting thanks to his stories.
Food: ★★★★★
We came in late afternoon last Saturday, and
we had dinner after touring around the villas. We didn't know about the food
available on the menu but only trusted the keepers to serve us with their
best-selling food viands.
Next, a bowl of pasta landed our table with two choices of tomato-based sauces: bacon and tinapa (fish). The taste of the tinapa for spaghetti was unique and almost every one of us liked it better than the former. My friends know that I'm no spaghetti lover but this no-ordinary sauce was right off the bat different from anything I've tasted before. The fish used was fresh as it didn't have a spoiled smell at all. When put together with the pasta, sprinkles of Parmesan cheese helped to improve the flavor.
For starter, we had the pumpkin soup which
tasted good but quite watery for me. I prefer pumpkin soups which are creamier
and thicker in texture. Nonetheless, their version was okay as it was light and
satisfactory to fill our hungry stomachs.
Another starter was the fresh green salad which comprised of different ingredients for our own choices: corn kernels, raisins, a bowl heaped with lettuces, walnuts, Parmesan cheese, chunks of apples, jackfruit and mangoes. Two types of salad dressings were given: vinaigrette and Caesar. These two appetizers seemed to already make some of us feel full.
Another starter was the fresh green salad which comprised of different ingredients for our own choices: corn kernels, raisins, a bowl heaped with lettuces, walnuts, Parmesan cheese, chunks of apples, jackfruit and mangoes. Two types of salad dressings were given: vinaigrette and Caesar. These two appetizers seemed to already make some of us feel full.
Next, a bowl of pasta landed our table with two choices of tomato-based sauces: bacon and tinapa (fish). The taste of the tinapa for spaghetti was unique and almost every one of us liked it better than the former. My friends know that I'm no spaghetti lover but this no-ordinary sauce was right off the bat different from anything I've tasted before. The fish used was fresh as it didn't have a spoiled smell at all. When put together with the pasta, sprinkles of Parmesan cheese helped to improve the flavor.
Another main dish was the roasted or grilled chicken. They served us three whole chicken for all 12 of us so that makes a quarter piece for each one of us. The chicken was delightful in taste both in and out. They must have seasoned it at a very well number of days. I loved the flavor which seems to be better than the commercial grilled chicken available in Manila. We were definitely full but still must find room for the dessert later.
For the dessert, we had sweet potato fries (kamote
fries), completely and evenly coated with sugar yet with decent sweetness. they
were nice and crispy, not puffy. These delights became our companion while
talking by the pool before going to sleep.
In the next morning, we had Filipino-stle
breakfast at 8:30AM after "warm-up exercises." Our food consisted of
fried rice (with bits of ham and egg), pork tocino, fried milkfish (bangus),
omelet with sliced onions, red bell peppers, and ham. Suman and latik (sticky
rice with sweetened coconut jam) ended our meal with a bang. Oh, I could have
eaten more if it wasn't too heavy!
After three hours, lunch was served with portions to match. Feast your eyes on mushroom soup, chicken/pork adobo, chop seuy, fried cream dory with lemon sauce, rice with pandan leaves, and buko salad with fresh coconut strips, nata de coco, raisins and walnuts. My favorite would be the dory! It was just heavenly, perfectly fried and moist. The batter didn't lose its crunch quickly and the fish was soft on the inside and the sweetened taste by the lemon advanced the dish to the next level of goodness.
Price for Value: ★★★★☆
If you have a few extra money lining your
wallet and time to burn, there's only one place to be right now: Hacienda
Isabella for any meal of the day. I don't exactly have the prices of their food
because they didn't have an available menu for customers at that time. Diners
are to set an appointment to book an arrangement of the meal, so you would know
the rates when you contact them through the numbers below.
We have just given the info that a day-tour
plus one meal cost PHp 1,500 per person so my rating for this section is based
on that.
Just expect that a prominent location like
Hacienda Isabella won't serve low-quality dishes and they won't fail to give
you the best. As long as you can afford to pay for a 2013 price tag, everything
would be neat! :D
Hacienda Isabella
8 Carasuchi Street Brgy. Carasuchi, Indang
Cavite
Contact Numbers: (02) 625-2453, (02) 531-0688,
+63917 813-9065, +63920 953-9488
This post
was written by Rochkirstin Santos (http://rochkirstin.com/), an IT person by profession; foodie by
nature; wushu athlete by training; dancer by heart; writer by passion; hasn't
met a piece of cake she didn't like. :)
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
A beautiful place to bring your family and enjoy a great time with great food.
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