The family has been eager to escape the city and find solace in an al fresco cafe after a whole year of being locked at home.   Antipolo being one of the nearest provinces outside Metro Manila was an easy choice for us and apparently, for many others too as most cafes were crowded for the weekend.  

Fortunately for us,  Cafe Agusta was able to accommodate us for a quick lunch. 

 

Cafe Agusta is very spacious.  It has an air-conditioned indoor cafe area which most guests preferred. 

Our visit was just barely after Christmas so decor were still there.  

While the coziness and coolness of the cafe was inviting, we stuck with our preference and chose the indoor al fresco area instead.

The Bar by Cafe Agusta

There's also an air-conditioned bar with an al fresco area.

I can imagine this place to be livelier at night....

especially, the al fresco area which was now under the intense heat of the afternoon sun.

The cafe overlooks Antipolo which was still full of greens. 

Food

The food took almost an hour to arrive so we were able to explore all areas and realized that the best time to dine there for the santorini al-fresco area with overlooking view would be around sunset to night time so it wouldn't be so hot.

There were a lot of unavailable items in the menu so we weren't explore as much as we hoped and ordered several of the same items. 

 

Salad

Insalata Agusta (325 php)

For starters, we had the Insalata Agusta.   The price was very reasonable for this good-for-sharing  bowlful of mixed fresh greens, green beans, corn kernels, tomato, cheese, grilled chicken drizzled with its homemade orange dressing.  

 

P.S. For those who have a bit of an OCD for cleanliness, the tableclothes in the indoor al fresco area are noticeably stained and don't seem to be replaced regularly. 

 

Pasta

 

Creamy Pesto with Grilled Chicken (350 php)

The Creamy Pesto with Grilled Chicken is a delicious plateful of cream pesto pasta with generous strips of chicken breast. 

Main

♥ Salpicao Di Manzo (460 php)

The Salpicao Di Manzo is the priciest selection in the menu and also a must try! It was served hot with fragant garlic aroma.  The beef tenderloin cubes were so tender and juicy that every bite was so pleasurable.  It is also comes with vegetables and steamed rice.

♥ Chicken Parmigiana (325 php)

The Chicken Parmigiana is our favorite amongst our orders. The light tangy homemade creamy tomato sauce together with the cheezinesss (of mozzarella and parmesan cheese) perfectly complements the crunchy breaded chicken breast.  The chicken breast was also soft and juiyc to bite and not dry or tough at all.   

 

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict

The food and ambiance made our trip to Cafe Agusta worth it.  But, the service could be improved more.  Honestly, the patience of my companions was really tested while dining here.  

During our visit on a weekend lunch time, it was packed with families, group of friends and couples. 



Food


Salad

Concha's Garden Salad (260 php)

When I think of Garden Cafe, I think of two things: veggies and coffee.  So I though of ordering their salad.  Here's the Concha's Garden Salad with overcooked hard-boiled egg, pungent onions, cucumber , tomatoes, lettuce and honey-mustard dressing.  Considering that this is in Tagaytay, I'd say there are better places to order a salad. 

Appetizer

♥ Tokwa at Baboy (230 php)

The Tokwa at Baboy was pretty good!  It had a lot of garlic which I appreciated.


Main Course

Grilled Tanigue (300 php)

For an ordinary Grilled Tanigue dish, I'd say that the price is too much.  But since I was hungry, I finished this in a jiffy.



Cold Drinks

♥ Lemon Cucumber (180 php)

 For drinks, I had the Lemon Cucumber.  I liked this among all our orders. =)


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Not sure if it was just the Cliffhouse branch but for now Concha's Garden Cafe has failed to meet my least expectations so I probably wouldn't try it again.  Well, that is subject to change of course... like if Alden in person is there by the entrance. =D  But kidding aside, the food could still be improved.  The service isn't so good either.

Everything seems fast-paced except for the stressful heavy traffic.  In the busy business district of Makati, I found refuge for comfort at After All Bar & Grill.

My young apprentice has been having financial, family and health problems so  I thought I could bring him here to chill out a bit. 

He shared that it was his first time ever to stop by the City of Makati.  He has passed through Makati but never actually visited it. 

After All has a bar but...

that's not really what we went after.  My apprentice is a musician.  Even at his teenage years, he plays in a church band and earns a living as a guitar tutor.  After All lets guests play if they want to.  I tried to encourage my young trainee but he was too shy.

Food
So, we just got on with the food.

Mains

Filipino Fiesta

♥ Crunchy Pork Sisig (280 php)

We started off with their After All's best-seller: Crunchy Pork Sisig.  We loved this!  He even had extra rice just for this!


Tapas

♥ Romanian Deviled Squid (210 php)

I found the Romanian Deviled Squid really interesting.  And, it was cooked perfectly tender too!

♥ Glazed Balls of Fire (210 php)

My favorite for the night is actually and surprisingly the Glazed Balls of Fire.  The buffalo sauce complemented the tender and succulent meat balls well.

Beef Salpicao (330 php)

Now, steak lovers will surely be delighted with their Wagyu Beef Salpicao.

Crispy Shrimps (250 php)

The Crispy Shrimps is a superb beer match.

Calamares Fritos (240 php)

And, last but not the least of our order is the Filipino favorite Calamares Fritos.

Drinks


Rum

 

Calibre (150 php)

For drinks, we tried the Calibre which is Cuban libre infused with lime and sugar.  It was pretty smooth. 


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
The pricing and food quality at After All Bar & Grill has exceeded my expectation.  Being located at SM Jazz which is a highly commercial and prominent area, I expected it to be more pricey.  I also loved the ambiance with great music.  The only thing that didn't satisfy me was the service.  Albeit having a few customers, we found it difficult to call the attention of the servers.  And when I told the server that the dish was a bit rare, he didn't say anything and just went away.