Merienda at Café Breton

For our post-Valentine’s Day celebration, the hubby and I had a double date with my parents in Tagaytay. After our buffet lunch at Celina’s Café and Restaurant where we feasted on mostly Pinoy food, we strolled around Sky Ranch and when it was time for merienda, we headed over to The Cliffhouse to enjoy French crepe and coffee at Café Breton.



The first Café Breton branch I’ve been to was the one at Paseo de Sta. Rosa in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna. I remembered loving their La Pinay crepe (P180) then so that’s what I immediately ordered for us to share. Actually, it was just my mom and I who ate most of it because our two guy companions were not really fond of crepes. Haha.



My mom said the crepe was yummy and I couldn’t agree more. The combination of the sweet crepe, the fresh mango slices, the chocolate sauce and the vanilla ice cream was really delicious and comforting.

We also got some drinks. My parents had a cup of Cappuccino (P90) each while the hubby settled for Chocolate Milk Shake (P125). I, on the other hand, went for my favorite Banoffee (P130).


freshly-brewed Cappuccino



Among them, it was my drink that stood out. Imagine cold espresso with blended banana and caramel syrup finished off with whipped cream. It was sweet, creamy, fruity, milky, nutty, caramel-y and chocolate-y with a slight hint of bitterness from the coffee. It was pure bliss in a glass!


Banofee on the left, Chocolate Milk Shake on the right

All in all, it was a good merienda for all of us. I liked the fact that Cafe Breton has been able to keep their prices affordable all these years. The cozy ambience of the restaurant, the quiet atmosphere inside, the attention to detail in the design of the interiors and the personalized service of the staff added up to give us a pleasant dining experience there. What a great way to re-energize ourselves before going home!


with my parents at The Cliffhouse stairs

Cafe Breton
G/L The Cliffhouse
Aguinaldo Highway
Tagaytay City


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Eat and Drink All You Can at Celina’s Café and Restaurant, Tagaytay

For our post-Valentine’s Day celebration, the hubby and I had a double date with my parents in Tagaytay last February 15. We arrived there in the morning and when lunchtime came, we had an eat-and-drink-all-you-can at Celina’s Café and Restaurant along Aguinaldo Highway. It was one filling lunch that gave us enough energy to explore the different tourist spots in Tagaytay later in the day.



During our visit, the main buffet spread featured Pinoy dishes such as Kare-Kare, Lechon Kawali, Chicken Inasal, Fried Chicken, Stewed Fish, Stewed Mussels, and a few more viands. There were also Sinigang soup, white rice and Bolognese pasta in the line-up.


my plate


these siopao and siomai were forgettable and you'll be okay without getting them

Right beside the main buffet was the salad station that had just the basic greens, local cherry tomatoes, turnip slices and carrot slices with thousand island as dressing.



Just across the salad station was the dessert station with mini cupcakes, fresh fruits and some desserts placed in small glasses.



The drinks included in the buffet were iced tea and orange juice (the powdered kind).

What stood out in the buffet for us were the Lechon Kawali (tender, crispy, juicy and well-seasoned) and the Fried Chicken (lightly-breaded, crispy, juicy and tasty). The rest were just okay, something you can easily replicate at home. I would have raved about their flavorful Bolognese pasta but I found the spaghetti overcooked.

I was initially hoping we’d get lucky and find some shrimp or crab dishes in the buffet (just like what I read from blog reviews before) but there were none.

The restaurant has an open-air setting and when you walk several steps to the viewing deck, you’ll get a nice view of the famous Taal Lake.



Aside from that, I can’t say anything more because the building where the restaurant is standing looks dilapidated to me and their restrooms are in bad need of maintenance. Like, seriously.




our group

All in all, I think we generally enjoyed our dining experience at Celina’s Cafe. The staff were attentive and friendly and we were able to eat a lot because they keep refilling the food in the buffet stations. Unlike in other buffet restaurants where once the food in the chafing dishes have run out, the refills come few and far between.

P.S. The price of the lunch buffet was P325 per head. Please take note that they only accept cash as form of payment and they add 3% city government tax to your bill.

Celina’s Café and Restaurant
Unit 3 Vista Point Complex
5915 Aguinaldo Highway
Brgy. Kaybagal, Tagaytay City

(+6346) 483-0916


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First Time at Bag of Beans, Tagaytay

Yesterday turned out to be fun. The hubby and I, along with my SIL, drove up to Tagaytay for some chilling out and food-tripping after hearing the Sunday mass at our neighborhood parish. We revisited our favorite Mushroomburger and spent a delightful afternoon at Bag of Beans, one of Tagaytay's best dining spots. It was our first time at the lovely restaurant, which we would find out later, currently offers breakfast and lunch buffets at competitive prices.


Since we already had brunch at Mushroomburger, we just had desserts at Bag of Beans. Upon entry to their main branch (they also have another branch at Tagaytay Crossing!), we were wowed by their beautiful garden setting complete with nice table setup, huge bird cages, ornamental plants and shady trees.





I even spotted a bakery on one side that sells fresh bread, pastries and their signature pies.



We chose one of the indoor tables because it was very cold at that time and ordered food as soon as we took our seats.





My SIL had their sinful blueberry cheesecake (P150) and iced mocha frappe (P115) while the hubby and I shared their popular shepherd's pie (okay, this isn't dessert but we just had to try it!) and a tall glass of frozen chocolate (P115).

My SIL was satisfied with their blueberry cheesecake. She said it had a nice, creamy texture and the sweetness was just right. Her only complain was that it looked like it came straight from the freezer (everything was frozen including the blueberry topping so she had a hard time at first to slice the cake with her fork) so the freshness factor was definitely absent. But still, she said she liked it.



Our shepherd's pie was served warm, though it was also evident that they just reheated it. Earlier at the bakery, I saw packs of various pies inside the ref there and I'm guessing it was part of the batch. No big deal, though. The hubby and I enjoyed the nice combination of ground beef and mashed potatoes. The ground beef was well-seasoned and the mashed potatoes had a fine texture and the grated cheese on top of it surely added flavor.





Bag of Beans didn't scrimp on the chocolate they put in our drink as I could really taste its richness. But, it was too sweet for my liking so I don't think I'd order it again.



While eating our food, we took advantage of the free wifi which was surprisingly fast despite the volume of people in the place.

All in all, our experience at Bag of Beans was enjoyable and relaxing because of the delicious food, cozy ambience and the complimentary wifi. Kudos also to the staff for their friendliness and attentiveness during our short stay.

With the great number of people we saw dining at Bag of Beans yesterday, one can easily say it's thriving. I hope we could come back soon to try their lunch buffets because we saw a lot of families having their lunch at the main hall.



Getting to Bag of Beans main branch is easy. Just drive straight to the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Road until you reach Jollibee-Mendez. Bag of Beans is the next establishment you'll see on your right. It's also just across Swiss Chalet Homes. Happy food-trippin'!



Bag of Beans
3650 Aguinaldo Highway
Mendez Crossing West, Tagaytay City

(+6346) 413-2724


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Lunch at Café Platito (The Cliffhouse, Tagaytay)

During our recent Tagaytay weekend, I made sure we checked out The Cliffhouse, Tagaytay. It’s one of the best places to visit in the city if you wanna get a good view of the famous Taal Lake. These days, the Cliffhouse serves as a tourist attraction in itself with its beautiful garden landscape and row of restaurants. We went here on a Saturday noon, took a lot of photos and settled for lunch at Café Platito, the first restaurant that caught our attention.



Café Platito sat beside The Inn (the only hotel in the complex) and was right across Café Breton. It was a quaint little dining place with very limited items on its menu. There were a few tables provided for al fresco dining and a few more at the indoor dining area that seemed to double as a souvenir shop.



The fiancé had their Boneless Bonoan Bangus meal (P218) while I settled for their American Beef Burger meal, P198. For drinks, I had a pink lemonade while the fiancé got a regular Coke aside from his complimentary orange juice (for his Bangus meal).



To be honest, I found their food servings quite small. Even the drinks looked kid-size. And to think their prices are on the steep side. Sadly, the taste didn’t make up for these shortcomings.


pink lemonade, P75


orange juice (complimentary)

My burger was nothing special: two small beef patty with cheese, mustard and ketchup on a ciabatta bread. I liked the use of ciabatta bread (for added texture) but didn’t like the fact that the burger was only made tasty by the mustard and the ketchup. The fries that went with it weren’t even crispy to begin with. At P198, I thought it was overpriced and definitely not a good deal.





The fiancé’s Bangus meal had three sunny-side up eggs (for cholesterol overload?), garlic rice and two pieces of daing na bangus. I tried the fish and it was okay, tasty and went well with the rice if I may add. I also ate one of the sunny side-up eggs just so the fiancée won’t have a cholesterol overload. Haha. Again, at P218, I thought it didn’t offer good value to our money.



Sorry, but Café Platito didn’t live up to our expectations. It was a good thing they had polite servers that were easy to deal with. Had it not for them and the nice ambience, our dining experience would’ve been terrible.



I might dine again at Café Platito to find out if they would improve for the better, but not anytime soon.

Cafe Platito
The Cliffhouse Complex
Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Highway
Tagaytay City


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