tahanan bistro

booked a reservation for our anniversary dinner. sasadyain mo talaga! it's so easy to get lost while finding the place but as soon as we walked into the gate, my girlfriend was awed by the picturesque compound, the cactus collection, and of course, the woodwork! the whole experience was so fulfilling :)

first course:
i chose the iraya set menu so my starter was the gising-gising dumpling. i wish the sauce had more flavor, but the dumpling itself was good for such a light fare. tine's was the rellenong pusit where everything tasted good together - the arugula, the lemon, the soft baby squid! (i liked this more than my starter hehe)

second course: danggit salad (common to all sets) - you can barely see any danggit but the taste was so prominent in a good way. it was a good balance with the quinoa and lime vinaigrette.

main course: tine's was the pork binagoongan with greek yogurt, baba ganoush, and a side of crispy flat bread. she/we enjoyed it so much she even joked she'll never eat my binagoongan again :( mine was the beef shank bistek which, honestly, wasn't as flavorful as i hoped it would be. plus, the marrow was missing! (biggest disappointment over the dish)

fourth course: palate-cleanser sorbets - we were given calamansi juice, guyabano, melon dew, and mint sorbets. we loved this!

dessert: tine's dessert was the loaf slice-looking cornbread bibingka with carabao milk ice cream. i was expecting it would taste sweet because it looked like french toast but it was very bibingka-y. it was salty and crumbly and went great with the ice cream!
my dessert was the chia seed fruit salad with cashew biscuit. the biscuit was the best part of the dish! it tasted like a really delicate butter cookie. while i get that any sweetness was to be provided by the fresh fruits and the biscuit, it could've been better if the cream was a bit sweet too because i barely noticed the chia and cream layer.

bonus: because it was our anniversary dinner, we were served an extra dessert on the house! it was a really fluffy banana care with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. this was better than my fruit salad imho.

verdict: if you have to personally choose between the iraya and mayon menus, choose mayon! its appetizer, main dish, and dessert were more smile-inducing than iraya's.

overall, 10/10 come back every time the menu will change quarterly! highly-recommended! good value for money :)

ps: our bill was p3,300 (2700 for two set menus, 330 for the drink, and another 330 for service charge).

it was our 2nd time here. celebrated our anniversary again because we had a good dining experience during our 1st visit last year. this time around, food was still exceptionally great. only missing was the same good service. we were not asked if there was any occasion we are celebrating so there was no greeting (which they did when we first visited). they served the popsicle and dessert together so we needed to hurry eating our popsicle while the ice cream for the dessert is melting. upon receiving the payment, there was no acknowledgment of the amount and no “thank you”. while leaving, no one assisted us going to the gate. thinking if we will still go back for the 3rd time. the place and food are tops while service could be better.

the food is good and the place is very relaxing. you can visit the museum of wooden artworks crafted by the owner itself while waiting for your food. i highly recommend to check the menu before booking if you have any kids that you would like to bring with you 😊

it's my second time eating here after a year. ordered the mayon set. the setlist had its strong points, but maybe a few things that could be improved.

i really liked the rellenong pusit because despite the portion and deceiving simplicity, it packed a lot of flavor. every ingredient of this dish really complemented one another.

kinda the opposite though for the binagoongan. the baba ghanoush and yogurt seemed a little lost and overpowered by the tomato puree, and the shrimp paste was almost non-existent. still good, loved the well-crisped pork belly. i'd call it a pork marinara though, not binagoongan.

but, lastly, and above all, the dessert! based on this and my previous experience, i am confident and can safely say that tahanan bistro desserts are always gonna be special. the ube, heavenly as usual. the bibingka, an indulgent yet delicate almost bread pudding, but still has the same home-y taste and texture of a bibingka.

great ambience! would've loved more candles. wear pants because mosquitos.

review as of july 2019

a place to go outside of metro manila if you find yourself aching to leave the city. while there is no view of the city skyline you find yourself lost among nature (and art). the hardwood furniture combined with playful filipino dishes simply makes for a pleasant sunday brunch.

i loved the mayon set menu, but unless you visit shortly after this review...mayon may not be the same (dishes change every six months)

food, service and ambience is over all super great. it's a place where you can get time away from stress and traffic of manila. great place for intimate get togethers or romantic dates. super clean because you can't go inside with your shoes on. didn't get the names of the servers pero they are attentive to what we need plus they really know the food and the place. will definitely come back!

celebrated my birthday here and props to the owner of the house and restaurant! the place is sooo beautiful, very clean. you need to take off your shoes before entering the main restaurant. a bit warm though coz it's not air conditioned. so best to go at night :)

we enjoyed the food especially the humba and the pares pasta. and the lava cake is sooo delicious. best dessert i've tasted.

servers were very nice and polite. i really love the interiors plus the gallery. will definitely go back!

the place looks exquisite and the view is very inviting. food is not that great for the price, it's just the view you'll enjoy. place is very clean as you need to remove your shoes to enter. it's also a mini museum where you can have a small tour around and also check the pond with giant fishes

we went last december 2018. all the dishes tasted really good. staff were accommodating and polite. we loved the quiet and intimate place even it was raining when we were there. please also note that you need to take off your shoes before you enter the house.

we celebrated our anniversary here.
food is superb and it really showed the artistic effort. looked “bitin” at first but because there’s more than one course, nakakabusog na rin.
staff were very friendly and they gave us a tour around the house/museum.
medyo nakakailang lang kasi di ako sanay na binabantayan ng waiter/staff habang kumakain. 😅 maybe because we were the only customers. we went here for lunch but the staff said the place/ambience is better during dinner service.
pricey but worth-it. 👌🏼

loved how well-curated the meal was. as an industrial designer, i was in awe of the craftsmanship and design of the entire place.

the staff were super attentive, and were friendly enough to give me a tour of the “house.”

it’s a bit far from where i live, but i do have plans to come back.

the food and ambiance deserves a five star rating. i had the arayat and kanlaon set. my god. the pork humba was superb. but the highlight of the night was the ube lava cake. i can’t get over it.

service 4 star. they were friendly and accommodating naman but not very attentive to the needs of their diners. well maybe because 2 lang ang servers. anyway this is my experience so kebs.

i was a bit disappointed with how their manager handled my reservation. she was not very responsive. it’s my first time here so i had a lot of questions but the important ones weren’t answered. she rarely picked up her phone. so when we got there, ang dami palang restrictions. buuuut if you’re just a small group i don’t think hindi kayo magkakaproblem. so if you’re a huge group, kulitin niyo siya.

🐽 food: banahaw and kanlaon meal sets were equally delicious! serving per set is good for 2 persons. we were so full!

🍹 drinks: we ordered wine during our first visit and tried their lemongrass iced tea when we came back. the lemongrass iced tea was refreshing.

🍴ambiance: it was really romantic and peaceful. it seemed like we were not in manila. it’s also owned by an artist. you can see the wooden interiors made by him — each uniquely designed. there’s no aircon, although the place was well ventilated. that means fresh air everywhere too!

👫 service: staff were friendly and accommodating. they also follow up once in awhile to make your visit more pleasant.

💸 price: each set is about php1,200 and each per person needs to order 1 set. that includes salad, appetizer, main course, and dessert already — with generous servings.

my family and i would like to give tahanan bistro a perfect 5star for a sumptuous and delightful dining experience they provided to us. reservation was easy. we were the only customer who reserved the place that day so we had the chance to dine-in and enjoy the vip treatment from our great waiters, miguel and ralph. i highly recommend their quality service for they know very well their craft and the history of the place they are working. we learned a lot of information.
the set menus were priced php1,200 per head. we had their 3 set menus and it was phenominal. western plating was used combined with filipino cuisine. aroma was mouth-waterung. the taste of every food served was like asking for more because it was seasoned perfectly. we dont have favorites. we cant really choose because we loved everything. try their ube lava cake and saging pancake. we feel like professional chefs or chef judges of the tv show "masterchef" at that time. everytime miguel and ralph serve the food, they elaborate well the ingredients and the elements in the plate. also, the place had the best view of angono, laguna de bay and muntinlupa. ambiance of the place was elegant. its actually casual fine dining but we felt we were in a 5star fine dining restaurant somewhere overseas but with a filipino-twist. the place was full of trivias that was really unbelievable and informative. furthermore, after our dinner, we had a little tour of the gallery of mr. benji reyes, the home-owner/founder of the place. being served and toured at the same time was really worth it for the price paid alone. before i forget, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary and my mother-in-law's birthday and got a complimentary desssert with a greeting for free! just remind the restaurant of these celebrations because they really love to give compliments with it. i definitely recommend this place for relaxation and fine-dining experience outside the metro. #romanticdate #casualfinedining #reataurantwithbestview

first, the place is very far from home (im from the south) but the resto will welcome you with its relaxing ambiance, the view away from the city and the artisically-comforting food.
it is interesting though, the food is like a molecular gastronomy wherein the food doesn't taste what it looks like. i ordered a fusion of sinigang and chicken tinola. what amazes me was that, instead of the soup being the usual soup (ill try my best to explain huhu). the sinigang was not served in a bowl, the sinigang base was on the rice with the chicken. basta, it was cool. and their pork with bagoong is the best, well their way of serving can deceive you but it was one of the best food experiences i've had. the art of making their food really impressed me.
far from the city, a very private and relaxing place. the place is full of art as well, woods and sculptures.