Tagaytay’s allure

I have not been to Tagaytay for a couple of months, mainly to avoid possible traffic caused by the ongoing expansion and improvement of the South Luzon Expressway or SLEX by SMC Infrastructure.

Last week, however, I was finally enticed to drive up to the mountain ridge city upon the invitation of the Anya Hospitality Group to learn more about its development plans and sample the latest culinary offering of the Samira Restaurant of Anya Resorts Tagaytay.

We left before noon with the intent to have lunch either along the way in Silang, Cavite or when we reached our destination. Unfortunately, with the completion of much of the expansion of the southbound lanes and its relatively new and unfamiliar landmarks, we somehow missed the Mamplasan exit where we had intended to connect to the CALAX toll road.

By the time we reached Tagaytay, it was nearly 2:30 p.m. and we decided to try out the recently opened Asador Dos Mestizos Restaurant of Jose Carlos “Binggoy” Remedios which Stella Arnaldo of Business Mirror had been recommending.

Dos Mestizos’s reputation had been established decades ago in Boracay where it has become the go-to Spanish restaurant in the island.

The restaurant did not disappoint with its Filipino-Spanish favorites of pato de pollo - truly one of the best and authentic duck fat covered chicken liver pate in the Philippines in my honest opinion, bacalao a la vizcaina - also the best with its authentic salted cod, tender lengua de vaca, and the ever reliable tortilla de patatas and slightly spicy ensalada de pulpo. What was not available was my favorite boquerones, maybe next time when I will make sure to make it to Binggoy’s Saturday tapas buffet.

Even though we were the only customers at that off-hour, service was fast and attentive, with Binggoy associate Javi ensuring that we enjoyed our very late lunch with a glass of their refreshing Sangria. Truly, the meal was worth what we paid for.

What was noticeable though is the effect of climate change on the normally mild temperature of Tagaytay in the afternoon. During my weekend trip and as evening descended, the temperature was unusually warm, necessitating the use of an air conditioner to keep cool – so different from the past that once the sun sets, Tagaytay starts to get nippy.

Two expat chefs

As I had written in my previous column, my overnight visit to Anya Resorts Tagaytay was to sample the special El Camino inspired menu developed by Chef Chele González and Anya general manager and Chef Mikel Arriet, and jointly prepared with Executive Chef Chris Leaning.

While the food was the main event, my conversation with the two expatriate chefs turned out to be more spicy and juicy! It was interesting to learn that Chef Mikel and Chris have made the Philippines their second home, with Chef Chris actually married to a Filipina and residing in the country for the past 22 years, and GM/Chef Mikel also a 20-year resident, not married, but with an adopted Filipino son.

GM Mikel at 17 years of age had started training as a chef in his hometown of San Sebastian – the famous culinary destination in Spain known for its Michelin-rated restaurants and tapas and pintxos bars. Mikel was eventually assigned to the likewise well known party island of Ibiza where he stayed for a couple of years.

A chance to work for three months in the Philippines with the Spanish Embassy to promote Spain and its products through local hotels and Terry Selection was enough to convince Mikel to return initially not with the intention to stay, but to enjoy “the weather, the place, the job, everything,” admitting that he knew nothing about the Philippines before he came as it was never taught in Spain that the Philippines was a former colony.

A deterioration of economic conditions in Europe in 2008 eventually convinced him to stay in the country and continue working for the Roxas-Elizalde family with whom he has been working for in the past 20 years, initially managing Club Punta Fuego and in the last seven years, managing Anya Resorts Tagaytay.

Mikel, now 50, has never married because, according to him, he does not want any commitment. His only commitment is to his adopted Filipino son whom he met when the boy was four years and is now 16 with no interest in following in Mikel’s footsteps and is instead into computers and technology.

Mikel is also a beach lover and loves exploring the country’s hidden gems. One memorable local encounter he narrates was the chance to get a tattoo from Mountain Province legendary tattoo artist Whang-Od who is now 107 years old.

The Anya GM admits that he has had tattoos done before and was actually over it because of the time and pain that one has to endure. However, the chance to be tattooed by Whang-Od was something he felt should not be passed over, but as it turns out she no longer actually does the actual tattooing and its is just her apprentices who do the tattoos, with Whang-Od giving the final approval and doing the final three dot tattoo which is her signature. According to Mikel, if he knew that, he would have just settled for the three dots.

Chef Chris, on the other hand, is a jolly Scotsman with a “spicy” past who from being “payat” and a “toy boy” of his second wife who was 11 years older than him, has expanded to a rotund jolly fellow from eating Ilocano favorites bagnet, chorizo and lumpia from his Ilocana wife who he was married to for 15 years. His first wife was British.

He came to the Philippines in 2001 and met his current wife, Jennylou, whose name he has tattooed on his arm and with whom he now has three beautiful children.

Being a chef, Chris admits that December and January are busy months for him. In February, he reveals, he gets “busy” (wink, wink) so that most of his kids were born in October or November. “Because February is not busy, so I’m busy in February. It’s Valentine’s...so when the kitchen is not busy, I’m busy.” His kid’s age range from 39, a son who lives in the United Kingdom, a daughter, 38 who is also in the UK, his middle child, a daughter who is 10 years old this week. His youngest son is four years old and his youngest daughter, a COVID baby, is three years old who was born on the day that Samira was opened on March 23.

Chris is 60 years old but does not look it, and according to a UK saying he said, “you are as young as the woman you are with... my wife is very young.”

Now, how could I not write about Mikel and Chris?