Grapes in your bagoong and other unique food finds at Twin Lakes

MANILA, Philippines – “We puree the grapes and use the essence that gives the bagoong a unique flavor,” executive sous chef Noli Kingking of Twin Lakes Café explains how locally grown grapes have found their way into the salty condiment bagoong or fermented shrimp paste, that perks up many well-loved local dishes.

Twin Lakes Café is the premier dining outlet of Twin Lakes Hotel in Laurel, Batangas, just a few kilometers past Tagaytay, coming from Manila. Located within the 1,200 hectares township development by real estate giant Megaworld, it is the first and only hotel in the country with a 10-hectare vineyard within the resort.

The Twin Lakes Hotel. The Philippine Star/Marice Isidro

Twin Lakes Hotel

Together with executive chef Romeo Santos, chef Noli has developed interesting ways to make use of the seedless red grapes harvested from the vineyard and incorporated this in their dishes, such as pinakbet sa bagnet (sautéed native vegetables in shrimp paste topped with deep fried pork belly) and crispy binagoongan bagnet with ensaladang talong (deep fried oven roast pork belly sautéed in shrimp paste and served with broiled eggplant) as well as kare-kare (stewed ox tail and tripe in peanut sauce with fried eggplant, steamed native pechay, banana heart and string beans). The essence of grapes is mixed in the dressing of the Twin Lakes Caesar Salad as well as in the white sauce of their Four Cheese pizza.

The menu at Twin Lakes Café is a mix of international and local cuisine. For their bulalo, the quintessential Batangas comfort food, they use imported Australian beef shank for the rich broth, or local Batangas beef, which goes through six hours of slow cooking. They also have their signature “Cathedral” burger, which is made with one kilogram Angus beef patty.

“It’s a barkada burger,” chef Noli explains, “good for five persons.” The French fries are made from potatoes as well as camote (sweet potatoes). The essence of grapes is found in the dipping sauce.

Twin Lakes Shopping Village

Along the main highway, on the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Road, is Twin Lakes’ shopping village. The township’s first commercial development is also fast becoming a popular dining destination, with its restaurants and cafés that feature a variety of themes and concepts. This is where you’ll find what has been described as “the most beautiful Starbucks in the country”. Overlooking Taal Lake, it’s the stunning view that most visitors find truly unforgettable.

Bagoong Club

Bagoong Club opened its first restaurant in a quiet neighborhood in Quezon City about a decade ago. Its loyal patrons will be glad to find its latest branch in a picturesque setting at the Twin Lakes shopping village.

As its name implies, a majority of the dishes in Bagoong Club has bagoong as one of their important ingredients, as in their classic Bagoong Rice. “The bagoong in our Crispy Pork Binagoongan is pureed and drizzled over the deep fried pork belly or liempo” restaurant supervisor and chef, Dan Rey Salvador, shares.

Bagoong Club's dishes (clockwise:) Bulalo sa Munggo, Ginulat na Tilapia, and Bulalo ni Nanay Cielo. The Philippine Star/Marice Isidro

They do have dishes that do not have bagoong such as Ginulat na Tilapia and ukoy, which is made of camote and kalabasa (sweet potato and squash fritters). They also serve two kinds of bulalo. The Bulalo ni Nanay Cielo, named after the owner’s mother, is the classic slow-cooked beef soup with bone marrow, while the Bulalo sa Munggo has a thicker soup with the addition of munggo beans. “The meat-in bone with marrow is cut two inches thick,” chef Dan explains, “so every order of bulalo is sure to have the bone marrow, which our customers enjoy.”

Purple Beetle captivates diners of all ages, with classic comfort food served generously and still Instagram-worthy. The Philippine Star/Marice Isidro

Purple Beetle Café

The first thing that strikes you when you enter this charming café is a life-sized Volkswagen Beetle reproduction in front of the store counter. “We wanted something iconic and personal,” store owner Elsie Jordan Blanco explains how she and her husband, Francis, came up with the store concept. The favorite toys of their baby girl, Ely, happened to be miniature Volkswagen Beetles, and her favorite color was purple. Thus was conceived this homegrown brand, Purple Beetle.

“We have a little of everything in the menu to cater to various ages,” Elsie says, “The dishes are also Instagram-worthy, which would appeal to millennials.” Among their bestsellers are the Lasagna Rolls, which is unique in its presentation, and the Cheeseburger, which is pan-grilled so it is not cooked in oil. The servings are generous and good for sharing.

They also offer art workshops from time to time. “Twin Lakes is a destination,” says Elsie, who remembers going on outings to Tagaytay as a child. “This part is no longer in Tagaytay City, yet we still have the view and the same Tagaytay vibe, but less crowded and more relaxing. We made sure our interiors leveled up and the view from the veranda is priceless.”

This slow-cooked, oven-baked beef brisket is one of the Bag of Beans favorites. The Philippine Star/Marice Isidro

Bag of Beans

There’s more to Bag of Beans than their coffee beans, a special blend of Robusta and Arabica, for which they’ve been known ever since they opened their first store in Tagaytay over twenty years ago. Besides being a coffee shop, they’re also a restaurant and bakery. The newest branch at Twin Lakes, with its white airy interior and touches of French country chic, has also hosted small weddings as well as pre-nuptial pictorials, says branch manager, Cynthia Gonzales.

This is the Grilled Salmon with mango salsa, another Bag of Beans bestseller. The Philippine Star/Marice Isidro

Among their menu bestsellers are the Roast Beef (slow-cooked, oven-baked beef brisket), Baby Back Ribs, and Grilled Salmon with mango salsa. The Breakfast Sampler (two pancakes,ham, bacon, sausages, two eggs, and hash brown) is a great deal. The Frozen Blueberry Cheesecake, which is best paired with coffee, is a real winner. And for take-out, there’s their famous Raisin Bread as well as their cream cheese and chocolate-walnut cookies.

Gregg's Fruitcake, a premium treat whose recipe was passed down to Maria Angela Heredia Vanden Dungen, which she inherited from her mother, Gregoria Morelos Heredia. The Philippine Star/Marice Isidro

Greg's Fruitcakery

You will not find Greg’s Fruitcakery anywhere else except at Twin Lakes shopping village. The bakery is named after the owner’s mother, Gregoria Morelos Heredia, from whom Maria Angela Heredia Vanden Dungen inherited her premium fruitcake’s heirloom recipe.

Besides the fruitcake which come in three sizes, other bestselling products include their three-cheese ensaymada, apple caramel cinnamon bun, banana walnut bread and carrot cake. Other baked products include garlic baguettes, cherry and blueberry croissants, red velvet muffins, scones, bagels, sourdough bread and pan de sal, among many others. “Baking is done continuously throughout the day, so what you get are freshly baked,” says Maricel Manalo, one of the five bakers in the store. They are open 24 hours, seven days a week.

Tap Station

If you thought all beers are created equal, you’ve got another thought coming. At the Tap Station you have at least 25 different choices of craft beer with each of their names and number written on a big chalkboard above the counter, together with the brewery’s name and country, type and alcohol content - names such as Mommy Boy, (milk stout), Berry Red (fruit ale), Hard Day (blonde ale), Hoegaarden (rosee), and Tennents (lager).

The Tap Station you have at least 25 different choices of craft beer. The Philippine Star/Marice Isidro

Among their bestsellers are Flame Out (#22) 6.6% and Shut Up (#14) 5.3%, which are both Indian pale ales (IPA) by Craft Revolt, a local brewery. “These are favorites among our foreign guests,” says Rose Torres, store supervisor. She explains that most of the foreigners, who make up a good part of their clientele, are already familiar with craft beers abroad and so would prefer to try the local craft beers. They do have a wide selection from breweries abroad and among the more popular ones include Brush (#16) 12%, an imperial stout, and Nebuchadnezzar (#17) 8.5%, a double Indian pale ale (DIPA), both by Omnipollo, a well-known brewery in Sweden.

“We have a special offer called ‘Tap Your Own’ where for a minimum of five liters or 15 glasses of the craft beer of your choice, you get a 20% discount on the cost,” Rose shares. “This is great for small groups.”

A Dining Destination

“We would like people who go to Tagaytay to also drop by Twin Lakes,” says Glenn Heraldo, head of sales and marketing, Megaworld Global-Estate, Inc. “We’d like Twin Lakes to be known as a dining destination, where people can go and have a truly unique dining experience.”