Restaurant Verbena at Discovery Country Suites Tagaytay

It was December 30.  We took the time to celebrate Christina’s birthday (a belated one).  We drove to Tagaytay wanting to enjoy the scenery and also, good food.  Restaurant Verbena at the Discovery Country Suites was our choice.

I’ve been to lots of restaurants in Tagaytay but it was my first time in Restaurant Verbena.  As expected, I was curious.  It was planned well.  Christina called Discovery Country Suites Tagaytay as early as December 24 to get a reservation.  She informed them that we’d be getting their Christmas menu during lunchtime of December 30.  On the day itself, she called again to reconfirm.  We were ecstatic while on our way.

When we arrived, I didn’t expect what I saw.  I always have this impression that high-end hotels would look like the ones we have in Metro Manila.  The ambiance is really ‘country’ type.  Wooden chairs, tables, doors & roof.  I guess I’m not really used to country-themed places.

Our chosen area was the one overlooking Tagaytay.  Perfect for pictures too because of the natural light plus beautiful scenery.  Do you see the beautiful glasses on the tables?  Soooo cute, I was in awe for a few seconds just admiring them hahaha!

As Restaurant Verbana is located at the lobby and I guess they were trying to prevent mosquitoes & flies from coming in, they covered the window view with metal screens.  The picture below shows literally what we can see while dining.  It was also raining that time.

Our visit was mostly pleasant but I was a bit disappointed that our reservation was worthless.  They mentioned they can’t give us the christmas menu even though it was confirmed a week before and on the day itself when my friend called.  When we heard that they won’t be giving us what we expected to get, our faces were obviously disappointed.  The staff upon seeing our reaction made some arrangements and finally gave us what was due.  We got the christmas menu we originally reserved for at Php 1,200+ per person.

While we await eagerly for our 7-course menu, we were served bread w/ 3 different sauces.  Butter was my choice as always 🙂

Here’s the 2010 Christmas menu of Restaurant Verbena (obviously it’s not available anymore but sharing with you our experience anyhow to give you an idea how the food there tasted like):

• Croqueta

Chilean Sea Bass croquette with mango-ginger-lime-salsa.  Presentation was perfect but taste was just satisfactory.  With every bite, you can definitely taste sea bass.  I loved the salsa too because it gave the dish character.

• Spice-Roasted Pumpkin Soup

my favorite among all the courses served.  Definitely, one of the best, if not the best pumpkin soup I tried so far.  True to the name, you can definitely taste pumpkin in every sip.  Served with light curry cream too.

• Baby Lobster Tail

buttered maccheroni pomodoro and basil with lobster tail on top.  When I see the word ‘lobster’ in any dish, my excitement really go up a notch.  I just love eating lobsters and since it’s quite expensive, I rarely eat.  I’m glad this was part of the Christmas menu.  I must admit I didn’t like the pasta but nevertheless, still satisfied with this dish.

• Pineapple Sherbet

Nice touch with the mint leaf.  This was definitely a good break with the food we have eaten so far.  A nice ‘intermission’ to our main course.

• Christmas Duo of Beef

2 types of beef in 1 dish!  It’s always a delight having more choices for food.  The presentation was truly beautiful and I was like a kid thinking which one to eat first.  There were braised short ribs and U.S. Angus Beef.  I must say the Angus Beef was way better, way tastier and way tender.  The ribs didn’t go well with my taste buds, I ended up just taking a bite and left the rest on my plate.

• Gianduja Tart

Hazelnut chocolate cake with gingerbread ice cream.  Not really a fan of chocolates 🙁  I’m sure the cake tasted good, my friend loved it!

• Tagaytay Herbal Infusion

Always a perfect way to end a meal.  Herbal tea, nice and hot.

I loved the experience considering I was with my friend.  We took lots of pictures and everything turned out so well.  Service was awesome too (except reservations).  I also noticed some awards Restaurant Verbena got displayed in the place.  I’m glad I finally tried it.

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Restaurant Verbena
Discovery Country Suites, 300 Calamba Road, San Jose, 4120 Tagaytay City
(046) 413-4567