Antonio’s Grill

For the last day of our Tagaytay weekend, I was able to finish my Antonio’s restaurants series by going to lunch in the third and last restaurant under the helm of renowed chef Tonyboy Escalante. Compared to Antonio’s and Breakfast at Antonio’s, Antonio’s Grill is certainly simpler and more understated.  But this doesn’t mean quality is compromised in any way.

Compared to its sister restaurants which serve continental fare, Antonio’s Grill is Filipino food all the way. And just like the other Antonio’s restaurant, Antonio’s Grill does what it does well, placing itself in the upper ranks among the Filipino restaurants lining up the busy main Tagaytay Ridge road.

 

The ambiance is no frills —Antonio’s Grill doesn’t have airconditioning, but just fans and air coolers. It would have been lovelier if the weather was just a bit cooler.We were seated in the outdoor balcony area and there were flies buzzing about.  But then again, one can’t be pesky since things like this are perfectly normal in this part of the world—even in cool Tagaytay.

 

So it’s a good thing that in Antonio’s Grill, it was not so much the ambiance but really about the food. We ordered Fried Hito (P290), Chicken Inasal (P110) and Grilled Spareribs (P280), with a cups of garlic rice (P110 each), ube milkshak (P190) and ice cold Coke zero for me (P60). Click here for Flickr album of menu and prices.

 

Surprisingly, the dishes and their presentation were no-frills, home-cooked goodness, but with the sophistication coming from knowing (and tasting) how well the food was cooked. Everything tasted as good as it can be for such familiar dishes—-the liempo was juicy and tender and the inasal was just perfect. And the fish was perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. And even the garlic rice was good, and even better with a sprinkling of anato oil to go perfectly with the inasal.

 

Oh, and we didn’t even order one of their bestsellers, the sizzling bulalo (P680) since it was too much for us (but I just took a picture from the table next to us as it was being served).

 

Antonio’s Grill is certainly more expensive compared to other Filipino and grill restos in the Tagaytay ridge area. But as in all other Antonio’s restaurants, the quality of the food makes it all worth it. There is nothing worse than going to a Filipino restaurant/grill, ordering good old liempo, and getting a bad taste in one’s mouth with meat that was not prepared well, or not tender, or not grilled well enough.But in Antonio’s Grill, one gets home cooked, familiar dishes but without compromising on the quality due to commercialism. It’s just like going home and being served by the family manang or cook and eating down to earth and well-loved dishes, and filling the soul with warmth and tenderness.