tahanan bistro

when i entered the restaurant, i was blown away by how private and cozy this place was. i loved the wooden furniture and the numerous lamps that brightened up the place. this is perfect for romantic dates or intimate gatherings. 

there were three options for the set menu, all priced at php1,200. i ordered the tindalo set menu which included potato soup, mixed vegetables (pinakbet), chicken risotto (tinola), a homemade watermelon popsicle, and purple yam (ube) and cheese for dessert. they tried to do their own take of traditional filipino dishes by adding unexpected twists which was great, but there was too much going on in the dishes to the point that it was confusing. the chicken risotto was also too salty, i couldn't finish the entire dish. the dessert though was an entirely different story. the combination of ube and cheese was totally unexpected but they worked perfectly together. 

lastly, i'd like to commend the restaurant staff. all of them were great-- cheerful, polite, fast, efficient. i had an enjoyable dinner, thanks to them.

the place is very cool, cleab, it so homey & you can even hear gushing of water. 👍
the personnel here is so nice & friendly too bad i'm too shy to ask their names but they are so accommodating & they also took us for a tour of their gallery. uuh 😍
the food i love the soup, dessert & everything. 😍

the place is crafted with love, art and good food. thae staffs are very friendly ang accommodating. food service is superb!

a very nice ambiance. i love it!

the restaurant really has fantastic food! you really get what you pay for. the restaurant has great ambiance because the place is overlooking laguna de bay, matched with a beautiful interior. after your meal, the servers can take you on a mini tour around the place. probably the best restaurant i've been to!

the food was incredible! it comes in a set meal with appetizer, main course and dessert. i tried the kamagong set and it was truly delicious from the appetizer until the dessert! the ambiance of the place is calm and artistic. feast your eyes at the garden, vintage collections, paintings or sculptures while you wait. don't forget to reserve beforehand because that is there policy for their customers. happy eating! 😊

today, i had the most amazing pre-birthday lunch in tahanan bistro. this garden-home restaurant is one of the most beautiful casual fine dining place i've ever been. they're located in the hills of antipolo, overlooking an expansive garden and forestry with a view of laguna de bay. the dining area is set with floor to ceiling sliding doors, bringing the outdoors closer to you.

tahanan bistro is the home of artist benjie reyes. after studying in melbourne, his daughter keesha and her partner chef kevin tuason came back home and opened tahanan bistro. they offer three set menus for 1,200php which you can choose from: kamagong, ipil and lauan. oh, and the names of their set menus are inspired by the surrounding trees that can be found in tahanan, and their menu changes every quarter! 👌🏻

the set menus is a 5-course meal which pays homage to philippine produce, it consists of an appetizer, salad, the main, a palate cleanser, and dessert. the boyfie opted for the kamagong and i chose the ipil:

kamagong set menu
🌿 dinuguan - pork blood stew, steamed rice cakes, crispy pig ears, beer-battered quail eggs
🌿 ukoy - crispy shrimp cakes, green mango, jicama, carrots, cashew, house-blend vinegar dressing, anchovy extract
🌿 kaldereta - slow-cooked beef rib, kaldereta sauce, gremolata, gnocchi fritti, carrots and olives
🌿 narangha - orange slices, roasted pistachios, house-made ricotta with mint leaves
🌿 ube - purple yam and white chocolate lava cake, cheese ice cream and sweet pastry crumbs

ipil set menu:
🌿 quezo de bola - edam, gouda, focaccia, vegetable batonettes, crispy gnocchi alla romana
🌿 ukoy - crispy shrimp cakes, green mango, jicama, carrots, cashew, house-blend vinegar dressing, anchovy extract
🌿 valenciana - chicken ballotine, red bulgur, roasted garlic, longganisa, capsicum, quail eggs and mango salsa
🌿 narangha - orange slices, roasted pistachios, house-made ricotta with mint leaves
🌿 champorado - pinipig, cacao sauce, candied sun dried herring, italian meringue

naturally, being the foodie that we are. we tasted each other's food. everything was amazing! i loved the kaldereta, the beef was cooked to perfection, it was so tender and full of flavor. watching the beef easily separates from the bone was so satisfying. the gnocchi fritti went well with it.

let's admit it. no filipino meal would be complete without rice. enter the valenciana, this one is wonderful play on the tastebuds! i think they used brown rice, and it was perfect with the chicken, longganisa and quail eggs! i haven't even finished half of this yet and i was so full already. it was just a bit of a struggle to separate the capsicum (a.k.a. bell pepper, lol!).

also, i am not a fan of salad. period. but their ukoy salad is delicious! the shredded jicama, green mango and carrots topped with cashews complemented the fried ukoy really well. it's not a complicated salad which i liked. and it made me eat healthy for once. 😂

now the dessert, i cannot choose what i liked the most between the champorado and the ube. both were just sinful and amazing! the ube white chocolate lava cake with cheese ice cream was the 💣! it's an interesting play on your classic lava cake. this was the boyfie's dessert but i was so sooo tempted to switch desserts with him! haha! but then i tasted the champorado, and i was torn. i think it was the best version of champorado i have ever tasted. not too sweet and you can taste the cacao perfectly. the candied tuyo added a nice kick to it!

the set menus doesn't come with a drink so we ordered for a pitcher of their lemongrass iced tea. the pitcher was served warm because it was freshly made. service here is impeccable! there were only two of them serving an estimate of 18 people, including us. they were very friendly and attentive, you don't need to call out their attention if you need anything, they anticipate it perfectly. annnnnd, they gave me free dessert to celebrate my birthday! hehe. it's banana fritters with vanilla ice cream, too bad i wasn't able to take a picture 'coz the ice cream melted too fast! ☺️

overall, it was a very intimate and relaxing afternoon. away from the hustle and bustle of the city, tahanan bistro provides a quick escape with a wonderful fine-casual home dining ambiance. they're a 32-seat bistro with a breathtaking view and amazing art surrounding the place. very laidback and chill. it's perfect for people who just wants a break from the city. oh, and their seats are special benjie chairs! ❤

they are by appointment only. if you decide to visit them, make sure to book a table 2 weeks in advance. also, use waze to get there. they're up in the hills of antipolo that you'd easily lose your way, but we got there with the help of waze just fine.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ amazing stars!

is not too late to have that romantic date, besides its still february right? as our love food crawl with fellow zomato foodies continued, we visited another great venue for all the couples who want to have that intimate romantic getaway, tahanan bistro. tahanan bistro is a 17 yrs old classic house that was turned into a casual dining place.

this year, i decided to take my mom on a pre-valentine dinner at tahanan bistro in antipolo. the restaurant, which is being co-managed by keesha reyes and her partner chef kevin tuason, is situated in a house owned by her father, benji reyes. even with the help of waze, we still had a hard time looking for the place. it took us more than an hour to find it but it was worth it. the house was indeed spectacular and offers a breathtaking view of the city.

before you step inside, you will be asked to take your shoes off so i suggest you make a little trip to your favorite nail salon first before going here.

the restaurant is by reservation only. i had to book our table 2 weeks in advance by messaging them thru their facebook account. they are only open on fridays - 6:00pm-10:00pm and on saturdays/sundays from 11:00am-4:00pm and 6:00pm-10:00pm.

food
we were asked to choose from 3 set menus which change every quarter. the 5-course menu is priced at 1,200.00 net. i chose the lauan set menu and my mom opted for their best-seller, the kamagong menu.

i loved the presentation of each dish served. although, i must admit that i did not enjoy the food that much especially the main course (i had the laing). i was expecting something special from the dish but i found it bland for my taste. however, we loved the ube lava cake served with cheese ice cream from the kamagong set menu.

overall, we had a nice time at tahanan bistro. the place was amazing and the staff were accommodating. i would like to visit the place again next quarter when they come up with a new menu.

it was my first time at tahanan bistro. it's bali indonesia-inspired wooden door welcomes you to the restaurant which upon entry will give you such a breathtaking scenic view. the said establishment reminded me of two things: my grandma's ancestral in the province and kalui restaurant in puerto process city, palawan.

upon entry you'd be obliged to leave your shoes and walk barefoot on the shiny wooden floor. i only have good words for the ambiance and the interiors. as for the food, it's not entirely filipino fare. rather, it's a fusion of western and asian dishes with twists.

i love their version of caldereta. so enticing to look at, yet so deliciously good as well. i also liked the fact that they're using blue ternate flowers which research says could help improve memory. the ube lava and cheese ice cream for dessert was also such a hit. the warm ube lava + cold cheese ice cream scoop perfectly complements each other.

the ukoy was also given with a different twist. crisp and deep fried, it's given a unique treatment with lemongrass, turnip and shredded unripe mangoes in vinaigrette. it gives off a refreshing taste on one's palate.

the champorado was a bit sticky but tastes good just the same. the fresh seafood pasta wasn't bad at all. it tastes just right, leaving an umami flavor.

overall, i would highly recommend tahanan bistro to friends who'd like to celebrate a special occasion and looking for a really nice place to try, especially if you're going to "pop the question" to your significant other. it's got one of the best view and relaxing resto i've ever been to. it's got huge koi fish and even has a rattan/wooden bed which makes one want to lie down after eating much. there's also an art gallery so your eyes can also feast with all the exhibits downstairs.

one thing i am sure of, tahanan bistro will not only please your eyes but your tummies too.

eat here and your family will thank you for it. going up to tahanan bistro is definitely worth it.

“welcome home”

was what greeted us for an episode of a food crawl at a hideaway in a place called tahanan bistro – it’s forgivable if you haven’t heard of the place. it’s tucked away in antipolo adorned only by a texture of repurposed wood.

a massive doorway acts as a portal to an equal parts familiar and tranquil exterior of the unassuming restaurant with a large koi pond with even larger koi adrift in the pool.

true to their nature of calling it ‘tahanan’ guests were asked to remove their shoes before entering into a medley of wood and steel. the theme continues on towards the interior and decorations as pieces of artwork of wood carvings, statues and statuettes pepper the ambience of tahanan bistro.

the head chef, chef gino, with his girlfriend, co-founded the concept of tahanan down to the small details of serving up filipino ingredients cooked with western techniques.

we started with a serving of an ukoy salad. the ukoy, a breaded, deep-fried, baby shrimp treat sat atop an array of stringed root crops dressed in vinegar and shallot slices and cashew nuts- a fancy atchara in local speak. the modest assortment of flavors were properly balanced with a good crunch from the ukoy and soft notes from the vinegar-ed salad with hints of surprises from the nuts and zing from the dressing.

following the belly-setters were chef favorites of beef rib caldereta, and a healthier take on a paella valenciana.

the heartiest of the options, the beef rib kaldereta, was pleasingly breakable – falling off the bone, with just the right amount of seasoning. the gnocchi fritti refreshed the palette with a nice crackle over the gremolata that danced over the tenderness of slow-cooking ribs dressed in the home-hitting kaldereta sauce.

the paella valenciana was proportionately simple and new in red bulgur (a colored relative of wheat) with chicken ballotine seasoned with roasted garlic, longganisa, capsicum, quail eggs and finishes with a dollop of mango salsa for a touch of acidity within the savory tones.

we ended with a deconstructed apple crumble set around a pana cota, champorado, and an ube lava cake ala mode.

the apple puree on the side of the apple crisps set around the pana cota hit on familiar notes with an interesting portion of apple jelly for texture and the pana cota for a creamy finish.

the champorado hit home with the creamily rich tsokolate choc full of crunchy pinipig in contrast to the smoothness of melted tablea complete with a twist candied sundried herring, tuyo, and edam crisps to cap off the flavor profile.

finally, the fan favorite, as we were told, was a purple yam, ube, cum white chocolate lava cake set beside a scoop of cheese ice cream to properly balance the warmth of the purpled oozing goodness.

overall the tahanan bistro served up the senses of home done by mom on a hiatus from the states served in reasonable portions with a touch of calm.

the menu changes every 3-4 months to keep the food interesting and the chefs, themselves, updated with different techniques.

the five course meal with set you back p1,200 per person complete with a warm smile from the owners.

tahanan bistro is located at 22 loresville drive, lores farm subdivision, san roque, upper antipolo. they are open from 6 pm to 10 pm on fridays and 11 am to 4 pm, 6 pm to 10 pm o saturdays and sundays. reservations are required at +63 9258801487.

taste: it was definitely a delight tasting the kaldereta and champorado of tahanan. these were definitely the must try of the place in my opinion. the champorado was presented so well and the taste delivered. the kaldereta, softened to almost melt in your mouth point. 

price: think date place or you want to impress balikbayan relatives or boss but not kill your wallet level. 

ambiance: perfect! cozy but not pretentious.

a destination restaurant that is sure to make you want to go to antipolo, tahanan bistro offers breathtaking views and homey artistic ambience with its classy filipino cuisine.

we started off with ukoy, crispy shrimp cakes over a salad of green mango, jicama, carrots, cashew tossed with in a vinaigrette.

then we had pappardelle with laing sauce, shrimps, clams and fish fillet.

followed by the kaldereta of slow-cooked beef ribs, gremolata, fried gnocchi and olives.

a favorite was the valenciana of red bulgur wheat, longganisa, chicken ballotine, quail eggs and mango salsa.

desserts were ...
the mansanas, vanilla panna cotta, apple purée, lemon whipped cream, ginger bread crumb and apple jelly.
champorado, pinipig in cacao sauce with tuyo and italian meringue.
and the favorite was the ube and white chocolate lava cake served with cheese ice cream and edam cheese crisp.

valentine's might be done for 2017 but there's still a whole year to bring your special someone or the whole family or barkada to this hide away.