When news gets around that an old hotel has launched a new restaurant, foodies with a lust for travel like me grab the chance to strike while the iron is hot.
A work trip recently brought me and several practitioners in the industry for a get-together and dinner at Tãza, Taal Vista Lodge's newest outlet. The restaurant is aptly named with tãza meaning "fresh" in Arabic, our whole meal was just that - fresh. With prodding at the menu and "interviews" with their surprisingly knowledgeable servers, we found out that they exert all efforts to source all ingredients as fresh as they can from the local market or their own garden for their vegetables. They also use locally-sourced meats for the Moroccan chicken (served in a traditional tagine), tomahawk pork chop (excellently paired with the sweetest banana slices), and their to-die-for homemade bacon slabs. Being a fan of pasta, I especially appreciated that the pasta for the duck lasagna and the lobster fettuccine was light and cooked faultlessly - perfect pairing for the duck and lobster sourced form the neighboring provinces of Laguna and Batangas respectively. My absolute favorite? Easy! Their olive oil ice cream is the perfect way to cap off our meal. Worth coming back to! It was indeed a healthy, hearty meal that had us leaving happy and hungry for more. read more