This Week in Tagaytay (August 15 to 21, 2016)

It will be another cloudy week in Tagaytay, with occasional rain showers and thunderstorms. The highest temperature will be 28°C, during the weekends, while the lowest will be 22°C.

Coffee lovers, foodies, and wine enthusiasts would be delighted to attend the Coffee Food Wine Fest 2016 at the Wind Residences Clubhouse in Tagaytay. It is a two-day event with free admission, happening on August 20 to 21, which will start at 09:00 AM until 07:00 PM. The event features both local and imported products. Different exhibitors of gourmet food, coffee, and wine will hold free food tasting, coffee and wine sampling, and educational talks.

Prince Multisports Events will hold the Tagaytay Cross Country Mountain Bike Challenge on August 28. Registration is still ongoing this week, and until August 20, interested individuals can register for PhP700. The race track, starting from Akle St. in front of Sky Ranch, will include Sampaloc Road, Talisay and Brgy. Bagong Tubig, Laurel in Batangas. The proceeds of this event will go to Brgy. Bagong Tubig Elementary School.

Before leaving Tagaytay, many people pass by these pasalubong stores to bring home some local delicacies. One would be delighted to know that these stores have expanded into restaurants, so visitors can now hang around a little longer.

Rowena’s Pasalubong House started out as a simple pasalubong take-out shop along Tagaytay-Sta. Rosa Road. Rowena’s all-time pasalubong best-seller is buko (coconut) tart, currently sold at PhP200 per box with nine pieces. Other recommended pastries are the strawberry and blueberry cheese tarts, which can be bought at PhP45 per piece.

Rowena’s second branch and restaurant opened at Hillcrest Plaza, near Tagaytay Rotonda, with a view of the Taal Lake. While keeping a special corner for Rowena’s delicacies, the restaurant offers its specialty dishes, Rowena’s special bulalo (beef shank soup, PhP613), Rowena’s special laing (taro leaves in coconut milk, PhP207) and Rowena’s pinakbet con lechon (mixed vegetables and roast suckling pig, PhP254). Their own coffee blends also come from locally produced coffee. They are open from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily.

Amira’s Buco Tart Haus also started as a stop-over on SVD Road along Aguinaldo Highway for people to take home some local delicacies. Amira’s specialty products are buco tart (PhP170 per box) and nilupak, a local favorite afternoon snack made from cassava. In one corner of the shop, goods from the local government initiative One Town, One Product (OTOP) are also displayed for sale.

D’ Banquet was established by the same owner of Amira’s, which is now a pasalubong center and restaurant in one. The restaurant’s recommended dishes are spicy kalderetang bibe (duck stew, PhP350), spicy adobong bibe sa gata (stewed duck in coconut milk, PhP350) and binagoongang boneless crispy pata (boneless crispy pig knuckles with anchovy sauce, PhP550). Just a few minutes away from Amira’s Buco Tart Haus, D’ Banquet is open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM on weekdays, and 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM on weekends.

Although rain showers are expected this week, one should not be discouraged because the country’s second Summer Capital still sparkles with beauty on cold, foggy, or rainy days. Tourists can hop on to the Sky Eye at Sky Ranch in the nighttime and view the city among the clouds, with the city lights more prominent than ever.