HOW would you like to go up to cool and picturesque Tagaytay City and enjoy an exquisite brunch in a cozy, comfy country home away from home like Discovery Country Suites?
A lovely country home turned hotel with only seven guest rooms to maintain its intimate and homey ambiance, Discovery Country Suites recently introduced a new weekend brunch menu at Restaurant Verbena. Available every Saturday and Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the new brunch menu offers country style fares that are sure to satisfy the cravings of guests who want to take their mornings easy and enjoy a nice, full meal at their own leisurely pace.
Served in generous portions and plated beautifully, most with edible flowers sourced from farms in Tagaytay, the country style breakfast offerings include Corned Beef Breakfast Sandwich, which is house made corned beef with melted onions, fried egg, White Cheddar and Parmesan fries; Country Ham, which is house made country ham served with sweet corn pudding and Redeye gravy; Steak Frites, which is a huge USDA Beef Tenderloin with Bordelaise sauce, served with petite organic greens and paprika-Parmesan fries; and Brunch Burger, a juicy grilled USDA Angus Beef Patty layered with crispy double smoked bacon, Cheddar, tomato, an over-easy egg and paprika mayo, served with Parmesan fries.
The cured meats are, as Restaurant Verbena’s executive chef Celmar Ambida puts it, house made. “The ham, for one, is made here. We brine it for two weeks, and then it is cooked over slow fire for 16 hours. I believe in slow cooking because it brings out the natural flavors of the meat we’re cooking,” explains Chef Celmar, a Batangueño who learned how to cook from his grandmother at a young age.
For meat lovers, another must-try is the Pork Belly Benedict, which is Chef Celmar’s Filipinized version of the famous breakfast fare, Eggs Benedict. His version has a generous piece of crispy pork belly (think lechon, lechon kawali and bagnet!) taking the place of bacon, layered with pickled red onion, soft poached eggs and salted egg Hollandaise. Then there is Prosciutto & Soft Eggs, a simple fare with 63 degree eggs, shaved Prosciutto ham, asparagus and basil pesto on freshly baked English muffin.
Those who want to indulge in seafood for brunch may opt for the Smoked Salmon (generous slices of premium smoked salmon layered with farmers kesong puti, pickled red onion, Tagaytay tomatoes and capers on house bagels) or the Bouillbaisse (a combination of Chilean seabass, salmon and snapper fillets, shrimps, mussels and clams poached in a Provencal fish broth, and served with rice pilaf and saffron aioli).
Other items on the brunch menu that may tickle the fancy of diners who love eggs are Spanish Broken Eggs (house made chorizo, tomatoes, peppers, soft eggs and house made sweet potato chips) and Eggs en Meurette (soft egg poached in red wine, mushroom duxelle, garlicky toast and Cabernet bacon jus).
Each of the savory brunch menu items are quite interesting and would be lovely to enjoy with butter croissants, Danish pastries, duck fat biscuits, hot pandesal and banana bread, with fresh fruits and a glass of juice or a cup of freshly brewed coffee, tea or hot chocolate—all of which are included with any order from Restaurant Verbena’s exquisite brunch menu.
What makes this new brunch menu even more exciting is the dessert buffet that also comes with it. Yes, an entire buffet table filled with every delectable cake, dessert and sweet indulgence that you can think of!
An idea of Discovery Country Suites’ resident manager Rhea Sycip, who is also a talented pastry chef, the dessert buffet includes such irresistibly delightful selections as Red Velvet Cake (a very Southern indulgence), Strawberry Shortcake (layers of soft, fluffy sponge cake with cream and Benguet strawberries), Apple Pie Skillet (classic American apple pie baked and served in a skillet), Amadeo Muffinettes (which combine chocolate and Amadeo coffee), Hello Dolly (bar cookies made with desiccated coconut as main ingredient), Hummingbird Cake (a Bundt cake made with Tagaytay’s Señorita bananas and pineapple), and Cranberry Muffinettes (mini muffins with cranberries and pistachio nuts).
In keeping with the latest trend of serving desserts in mason jars, Restaurant Verbena’s dessert buffet offers Lemon Lime Parfait and Choco Crumble.
Fresh batches of Vanilla Cupcakes, piped with colorful icings, can also be found on the dessert buffet, and kids would also love the Brownie Pops.
There is also the lone savory item on the dessert buffet—Ham & Cheese Pie. It’s perfect for an afternoon tea at the end of a long and leisurely weekend brunch, enjoyed at the veranda with a view of Discovery Country Suites’ garden by the ridge and the cool breeze of Tagaytay.
(Discovery Country Suites is located at 300 Calamba Road, San Jose, Tagaytay City; with telephone number (62 46) 4134567 (Tagaytay) and 529-8172 (Manila reservations).)
