A delightful culinary journey at Tahanan Bistro

"Our goal is to always try to elevate Filipino food without taking away its essence" Chef Kevin Tuason

Nestled on the hills of Antipolo, Tahanan Bistro is a casual fine dining restaurant that is definitely worth the road trip from Metro Manila and the surrounding provinces. The restaurant, which is overlooking a beautiful garden and a great view of Laguna Bay, offers an unforgettable culinary journey paying tribute to Filipino cuisine.

Tahanan Bistro is situated in a house built by Designer Benji Reyes who was inspired by its natural environment. A feeling of being one with nature is the first emotion we experience when entering this unique home. Chef Owner Kevin Tuason describes that this place "has always been filled with art and reflecting its surroundings both in the details and its overall structure". Chef Kevin adds "as a chef, I wanted to complement what Tahanan already was with food".

Tahanan Bistro (22 Loresville Drive, Lores Farm Subdivision, Antipolo, 1870)

"I think Filipino gastronomy is very emotional. A lot of our dishes are very rich and deep in flavour which I think is a reflection of the warmth and passionate nature of Filipinos " Chef Kevin Tuason

Chef Kevin explains that the vision of Tahanan Bistro is to "keep everything simple and still sophisticated enough to highlight qualities that are already existent in traditional Filipino food". For this, Chef Kevin and his team "breakdown" dishes to identify elements they can "re-create using different techniques or ingredients". And this is this innovative approach that makes their fine dining experience modern and contemporary while elevating traditional Filipino cuisine.

The Kamote dish we had first represents this vision very well. The dish is composed of Baked Sweet Potatoes, Chickpeas, Lucban Longganisa, Mint Salsa Verde and Fresh House-Made Ricotta and offers different layers of exquisite flavours well blended together with a myriad of textures.

Kamote

The following Gising - Gising dish was a delicious trio of Prawns & Winged Bean Dumplings, Leeks, Coconut Cream, Herb Oil, Chili Oil and House-Made Crispy Pork Floss. This dish was delicate and still rich in flavour with a depth of aromas led by coconut and chili.

Gising - Gising

Danggit salad was also very interesting for its subtle blend of textures and flavours melting Quinoa, Cherry Tomatoes, Mixed Greens, Roasted Zucchini and Lime Vinaigrette. We definitely appreciated the special touch brought by Danggit, a local salted sun-dried rabbitfish.

Danggit

For the main dish, we had a delightful reinterpretation of Bistek Tagalog made with Braised Beef Shank, Adlai, Onion Puree, Charred White Onions, Parsley Oil and Fried Enoki. This was a flavourful dish rich in umami flavours and aromatic contrast.

Bistek Tagalog

We also really enjoyed the flavorsome Binagoongan offering a fusion of Crispy Pork Belly, Tomato & Shrimp Paste Puree, Greek Yogurt, Baba Ghanoush and House-Made Crispy Flat Bread. This was another rich and delightful dish that our taste buds will not forget.

Binagoongan

As a refreshing palate cleanser, we had Prutas which is a homemade Seasonal Fresh Popsicle. Ours was made with a Dalandan fusion.

Prutas

Finally for dessert, we had the light and luscious Fruit Salad made of Chia Pudding, Seasonal Fruits, Champagne Sabayon and Cashew Short Biscuit.

Fruit Salad 

And also Ube with its unique Purple Yam & White Chocolate Lava Cake, Cheese Ice Cream and Edam Crisp. This was definitely a very interesting blend of sweet, salted and umami flavours to conclude this epic culinary journey.

Ube

We enjoyed this fantastic tasting menu paired with a bottle of Italian Col d'Orcia Nearco Sant'antimo Rosso 2016 from our cellar that brought together intense red fruits with a soft and rich mouthfeel to complement the whole experience very well for a rainy day.

Wine pairing with a view

"Tahanan itself and all the artworks curated in this place will always be a primary source of inspiration for me" Chef Kevin Tuason

Tahanan Bistro presents 5 different tasting menus (including 1 vegetarian and 1 pescetarian) and all guests can add any specific dish they would like to explore with a supplement add-on menu. The restaurant also offers a short selection of red and sparkling wine, and guests may bring their own wine for an additional corkage fee per bottle.

While Chef Kevin and his team are preparing a new whole menu to be released soon, you may still enjoy the current menus at Tahanan Bistro (22 Loresville Drive, Lores Farm Subdivision, Antipolo, 1870) from Friday to Sunday only.

For further information you may check their website www.tahananbistro.com  or contact them directly via 09258801487 or email inquiry@tahananbistro.com.