Last Saturday was decidedly lazy. My sister came over to Batangas for a visit and I wanted to take her someplace new in Tagaytay on the way back to Manila. My friend Jake has a penchant for looking for new places to eat via Google and came across a newly-opened restaurant called Marcia Adams' Tuscany. Interesting.
We headed up to Tagaytay at around 11:30 and were driving really slow (my sister and her boyfriend were in a car behind us so I couldn't speed up). We missed the restaurant on our first attempt to locate it and ended up somewhere past Ville Sommet and had to turn back when we realized that we probably drove past it. It's not that I wasn't paying attention, the restaurant had no sign!
Neil(or Neal)Adams was waiting for us at the entrance and explained to us, half apologizing, that they were not officially open yet but are accommodating diners anyway - sort of a dry run, hence, the absence of a sign out front. I actually found it charming that the host greeted us at the gate - it made me feel like an actual guest at someone's home and not just some casual diner out for lunch.
Since I love all things Mediterranean, I was instantly charmed by the place. The interiors were simple, rustic, and sleepy - all the ingredients for a perfect late lunch. We were first led to a lounging room that had a view of the rolling countryside as well as Bataan Bay. If we had come later, we would've caught a glimpse of a gorgeous sunset, says Marica Adams, who came straight out of the kitchen and introduced herself to us. Again the charming feeling of being an actual houseguest permeated the air. The whole place was intended to have the look and feel of a Tuscan villa - sans vineyards cum sugarcane fields.
Marcia Adams explained that she did not want to become too commercialized and was trying to carve her niche in the Tagaytay dining scene via the slow food movement (the opposite of fastfood). So what's on the menu? Well, there is a set 4-course meal that consists of soup, salad, a main course and dessert. I had the Aegean salad which had grilled pears (yum! my first time to eat them), mixed greens, cottage cheese and roasted pistachios. The soup du jour was pumpkin soup with yoghurt and a pinch of cinnamon (my favorite spice next to Victoria Beckham...kidding). I had Shish kebabs for the main course which was served with couscous (alternatives are organic rice, Egyptian rice or lentils) and I must say, my romance with lamb has gone on to the next level! The most interesting dessert choice was the grilled orange with vanilla ice cream - just because I've never had grilled orange before. The strong, citric flavor of the orange married so well with the subtle sweetness of vanilla that it made me wonder why I've never had this combination before!
Marica Adams also offers a selection of wines but since we had a long drive ahead of us, we opted to have ginger beer instead (it tastes like ginger ale, only better). I know, beer and non-alcoholic seem incoherent but the "beer" in ginger beer means that the drink has gone through the brewing process. It's a drink that can get dangerously addictive but procuring it seems to be a challenge - the only other place I've found this product is at the Shell Station in SLEX.
Right after dessert, Marcia Adams sat down and chatted with us while we waited for our tummies to settle down. She intimated that she was not only responsible for the menu, she also had a hand at the restaurant's architecture and interiors. She also shared that even if they are not really open yet, plans of expanding to a spa and bed & breakfast are already under way. She says, however, that she does not plan for the place to grow too big and too commercialized and intends to keep it small, charming and most importantly, personal.
As to my plans of coming back...well, I'm already salivating at the thought of trying out Marcia Adams' Moroccan fish stew, grilled aromatic pork, or amalfi prawns (provided that I lose my allergies)!
For reservations: 0917 801 1456
Street Address: JP Rizal St., Brgy. Sikat, Alfonso, Cavite (same turn as Ville Sommet)
