By Jonalyn Fulo Fortuno
It’s the time of year again when the hunt for the best dining deals takes precedence on your to-do list. There’s nothing that says “Valentine’s Day date night” like a carefully planned dinner in a restaurant that offers the ultimate in romantic indulgence.
For the old-school romantics who don’t mind a long drive in search of that special restaurant, Tagaytay is a treasure trove when it comes to dining hubs that offer sumptuous gastronomic spread with a romantic setting to boot.
But finding the perfect place to dine out might not be as easy as typing “Best Restaurants for Valentine’s Day” on your search bar. While Google is rife with dizzying options as to what fancy dining hub would earn you extra points in the romantic department, it could be a bit challenging to actually pick one, especially when every date place is seemingly superior to the last. Hence, the best thing to do is narrow down your search by creating a checklist of factors to consider: the kind of view a restaurant provides, the vibe that it brings and, most important, the cost of its special menu offerings.
For those who have this kind of checklist, Sisterfields in Tagaytay might just be the one. The newest concept restaurant of The Cravings Group, it takes pride in its farm-to-table culinary creations with menu that is primarily dedicated to sustainable cuisines. It is conveniently inside the premises of Summit Ridge Hotel, which, we all know, offers the best viewing point of Taal lake and volcano.
Now, why does the Sisterfields fit the bill? One reason is that Chef Noel de la Rama, an acclaimed New York-based personal chef, has personally supervised the creation of the Valentine’s Day set menu, which will be served on February 13 (yes, a day before Valentine’s Day). As he puts it, the menu would portray a pairing or a “celebration of couple’s love for each other” through an array of entrées. For appetizers, Chef Noel prepares Rosemary Gougeres and Mini Cheese Puffs. Soup and salad to be served are Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup with Crispy Kale, as well as Hearts of Palm Salad with Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Corn on Baby Greens, Green Goddess Dressing.
For the main course, the entrées include Surf and Turf, Braised Beef Short Ribs with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Frilled Giant Prawns with Herbed Butter, Sautéed Haricot Verts (French Beans) and Grilled Asparagus. Gracing the dessert plates are Pineapple Soufflé with a Tarragon Crème Anglaise, and Sisterfields Rocky Road Bites. Couples can savor all these without breaking out in a cold sweat once they get the bill. The Valentine fare costs P2,000, which is not a bad dining deal at all.
But it’s not just the food offerings that convey a taste of, well, romance. According to Marketing Communications Manager Christine Bautista, it’s going to be a Floral Valentine theme, so couples can expect a lot of floral elements that would blend well with soft lights and music, making the night extra special. After all, you could never go wrong with flowers on a date night, right? And that classic night stroll after a romantic dinner never gets old either.
Not just a table for two
However, the restaurant will not be made exclusive for dating couples on the said date. This is good news to some, especially for families and barkadas who want to celebrate the love month through a food pilgrimage. But first, they would have to make early dining reservations, as the restaurant is consistently packed on special occasions, especially on Valentine’s Day.
Christine says that what they’d noticed in Tagaytay, Sisterfields, in particular, does not only draws couples, but also families and groups of friends who are constantly on the lookout for a unique foodie experience. To be able to cater to such clientele, the restaurant anchored its concept on three important tenets: farm-to-fork, which underscores the organic selection of fruits and vegetables in Tagaytay; pasture-to-plate, which serves the best of Batangas beef and Tagaytay’s tawilis; and crop-to-cup, which gives coffee lovers a taste of Di Bella coffee.
“It’s a good challenge for me to create a menu for Sisterfields. Besides the steady availability of sources, quality ingredients and the dishes’ final outcome are highly important for me. As much as possible, we want to serve only the best in terms of taste and quality,” Chef Noel added.
Image credits: Normarei Villamater