For the first time, my whole family stayed overnight out of town. We stayed in the same hotel, now Lake Garden Hotel, where I stayed 5 years ago. We came to Tagaytay a bit late, around 830pm. Originally, we wanted to be in the mountain city by 4pm, but on our way to my grandmother’s house, the hospital called and a patient showed up; and this patient wouldn’t want to see any resident – she only wanted to see my wife. So after dropping by my gradma’s house in Paranaque, off we go to Welcome-Rotonda.
After taking a few minutes rest in the hotel, we went out to hunt for dinner. First we dropped by this Greek resto along the road but found the menu too expensive
for our taste (I would say that Cyma, in Eastwood, is more effective looking at the size of the serving). We decided to check out restos in the National Road going to Nasugbu; since I am not familiar with the place, we took the beaten path – the resto strip. We were too tired, that we just wanted to grab something to bite and we were also worried that our daughter was starving (apparently not, we found out later). So we found Leslie’s, which is the same resto that my wife and I visited several years back.
We were seated near the entrance of the resto since there were no available seats on the other end. The place was full of customers, and mostly were composed of groups of friends or family (this should’ve given us a hint how big the servings are). We ordered Bulalo, a local specialty in the area, Calamares, Fried Kangong, and strawberry milkshake for my kid and my wife. The price is around PHP360, which is reasonable for a big serving. We also asked the crew if we could order sunny side-up for our daughter – after checking with the
kitchen, she told us that this is possible.
While waiting for the food that we ordered, I noticed that my daughter is restless. I brought her at the other end of the resto, overlooking the Tagaytay ridge. We could see the lights in Talisay (lakeside town of Batangas). I noticed that there’s no enough security barrier to prevent kids from falling into the edge. I was careful enough to ensure that Caitlin doesn’t go near that place – she wouldn’t actually. CAitlin just ran around the open area, and she also checked the souvenir shop.
When the orders came, my wife and I immediately realized that it’s for a group of 5 or so. The fried Kangkong was crispy and went well with mayo dip (which was really for the Calamares); it also had toppings of 3 big pieces of Lechon Kawali. I started with this, savoring the taste of the veggie and the mayo dip, and you could hear the crackling sound of the Kangkong leaves. Just the way I like it. Suddenly, this food item goes to my bucket list. The serving was huge that I realized I had to stop eating it since it’s occupying part of my stomach that was reserved for the Bulalo and the Calamares.
The Bulalo beef was tender and easy to eat, and the veggies that came with it were not overcooked. The fat, though not too many, easily came off. It was a bit salty but not too much to overcome the taste of the beef and the veggies – I would say, it was cooked appropriately for my taste. The soup was excellent considering it was a bit cold that night, though, it cooled quicker than expected – it might be the altitude. I had fun pouring the soup on my steamed rice, just like the way I would do it back home.
The Calamares was also tender and went well with the mayo dip. I would’ve preferred more creative dips, but this is a Pinoy resto. My wife and I almost ate half of the servings. My daughter also tried one piece, but didn’t finish all of it; she wasn’t able to finish her egg, instead wanted to go around and play with the large Santa behind us.
What is peculiar about this dinner was I never missed having a bottle of beer. I was staring at the place where they serve the beer from, and I never craved for my usual shot of alcohol (wine is a different story). And for that, I am happier than ever.
We were only half-way of what we ordered when we had to call it a night (later on while driving back to the hotel, I realized that my BP was hitting the roof). I think it was more of gluttony than any thing else. My wife felt a bit guilty on what we ordered. So we diced to take the left over with us. She also planned to have the beef for breakfast.
Later when we got to the hotel, I gave the fried kangkong to the hotel crew (there were only 2 of them). Later the next morning, when we had our breakfast in Jollibee, I ensured that my wife ordered mayo for the Calamares. Unfortunately, the beef had to go.
I noticed that Leslie’s has still additional seats at the edge and 4 or 5 cottages on the other end of the resto. The former is not lighted, perhaps it’s for big occasions. Furthermore, the open area on the 2nd floor is not well maintained (or perhaps it was dark) and I think it’s only a view deck. This area is connected by a short hanging bridge connected to the car park (which, in my experience, I never ran out of every time I drop by Tagaytay).
Leslie’s Restaurant Tagaytay offers a bang for the buck for groups of people who like to have variety of lutong bahay. Don’t go there if you are a couple, unless you like throwing left overs.
