Breakfast at Antonio’s

As early as Friday morning, we were off on our three-day weekend, and this time, we made it a point to try out all the restaurants under the helm of Chef Tonyboy Escalante, the man behind the internationally acclaimed Antonio’s Restaurant. Antonio’s is the only restaurant from the Philippines that made it to the 2010-2011 Asia’s Top 20 list of the Miele Guide, which is the guide to Asia’s top restaurants.

The first morning of our weekend indulgence  started of course with Breakfast at Antonio’s, which is a spinoff from the original Antonio’s.   Here, they serve all day breakfast, which was a delight for a breakfast lover like me.

Breakfast at Antonio’s started out being housed in a totally different location from Antonio’s as you will see in Our Awesome Planet‘s post here but later on, they moved  it to the same compound as Antonio’s in Barangay Neogan, Tagaytay City. During weekdays (except Mondays when they’re closed), the setting of Breakfast at Antonio’s is at the main area/pavilion where Antonio’s is located.

At first, I was somewhat disappointed that I won’t be able to see (and feature) the breakfast pavilion but I realized that it was also my first time to be in Antonio’s during the day and it also held a different sort of charm than being there for dinner. And luckily, my travel companion also able to return to Breakfast at Antonio’s the next day (but this time for lunch) and he was able to see and take pictures of the new breakfast pavilion).

From the main pavilion, we get a view of the breakfast pavilion, which was undergoing minor repairs for the coming weekend.

Being at Antonio’s for breakfast is really a chance to step out of time. The ambiance is superb. Everything was picturesque, with the beautiful morning light amidst all the greenery of the huge open windows. And the best thing about it was that it didn’t feel like we were in a restaurant but more like we’re visiting the grand house of an old friend who happens to be super rich and yet genteel and well-bred. 

The female staff are wearing black and white maids’ uniforms and this only added to the feel of being in a hacienda.  We were one of only three groups of diners who were there, which also made me feel like we were guests of the house instead of a restaurant. 

I died and went to breakfast heaven. Afterwards, we went around the grounds, took some pictures, skipped lunch and we didn’t eat anything else until our afternoon snack due to our super heavy and great breakfast. The next day, while I was having my hair and makeup done in Canyon Woods for my friend’s wedding, my “associate” went back to Breakfast at Antonio’s “on assignment” to cover it for lunch. The following pictures were taken using my iPod Touch.

Here are shots of the Pork Barbecue with Peanut Rice (P300) with French Toast (P295) and a cup of cappuccino (P150).  As with our breakfast the previous day, the food was superb and worth it.