With breathtaking views and mouth-watering dishes, Tipanan is a restaurant that aims to please.
Tagaytay has always been one the favorite places of Metro Manila folks. A mere two-hour drive away, the city is thriving with hotels and restaurants that are worth the quick road trip.
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But there’s nothing quite like discovering hidden gems among its busy streets. Blink and you might miss it; nestled beside a nondescript road right in the heart of Tagaytay is a new dining destination that everyone will enjoy.
Tipanan Restaurant is located inside Hortz Hotels & Resorts, formerly known as Bali Village Hotel. It is a Filipino restaurant that aims to please, whether it’s through their food, their contemporary interiors, or their breathtaking views. The name itself is warm and inviting, a deliberate decision for Tipanan managing partner Ovah Rumohr and owner Rolando Hortaleza.
It means “a meeting place” where friends and family spend quality time together,” Rumohr shares. “We have this common Filipino tradition wherein Filipinos spend time together with good food. So with Tipanan, we wanted to offer a new place wherein everyone can enjoy and celebrate.”
Walking into Tipanan is surprising, simply because it looks unassuming from the outside. The reception area is bright and opens up into a more spacious dining area lined with lively plants and even brighter hues of greens and blues. It’s lovely how they manage to bring and connect nature to the interiors, making use of wood accents in natural, earth tones.
“We wanted Tipanan to be in the backdrop of a green and lush area within Tagaytay,” Rumohr explains. “We wanted to create a place that is spacious, modern and cozy for when guests arrive, they can relax and spend quality time with their friends, family or loved ones.”
As with any Pinoy gathering, good food is a must. And at Tipanan, the menu is carefully-curated to satisfy everyone’s palates. “We wanted to make a menu that makes traditional Filipino dishes and at the same time, we also wanted to incorporate different menus from different provinces like for me, I’m from Samar and we’re known for Umba,” Rumohr says. “These are all ideas from different regions which we’ll incorporate someday.”
Those coming in for breakfast would be pleasantly surprised to find many options on the menu, but it’s the Tipanan Bacon and Eggs and Hamonado Bacon and Eggs that is recommended. The special hamonado sauce is sweet and savory, drizzled on house smoked bacon and served beside sunny side-up eggs.
For appetizer, the chef recommends the Hortz Chicharon, which is basically the fried bits of pork belly that we all love, but with a surprising twist. It looks simple enough, but biting into their generations-old recipe instantaneously makes you want to take another one, and another one. It’s soft and fried to perfection, melts in your mouth, and is sinfully good.
For those seeking a healthier option, there’s the Kangkong Shrimp Salad: sumptuous pieces of fresh shrimp served on a bed of fresh water spinach and infused with a merry mix of tomatoes and onions, making it a fantastic meal starter.
Another classic dish is the Tipanan Pancit Mixed, which is heavy on both portion and flavor, and a delicious assortment of shrimp, pork, chicken, and vegetables.
A steaming bowl of soup is almost mandatory for Tagaytay trekkers. The chilly weather would call for the Halaan sa Luya’t Tanglad, which is a tangy ginger clam soup served in its broth and garnished with chili leaves and lemongrass.
And, of course, no Tagaytay trip is ever complete without the Bulalo. Tipanan’s version makes use of tender shanks in light colored broth with corn, cabbage, string beans, and onions.
Moving over to the main viands, Tipanan grills up a mean Liempo best eaten with their spiced sukang sawsawan.
Then for those who really want a taste of a real Pinoy favorite, they have the Crispy Pata which delights with every crunchy bite.
They also have a show-stopping plate of Escabecheng Pla-Pla, a deep-fried tilapia with a well-balanced sweet and sour offset on one’s palate.
For prawn-lovers, Tipanan has cooked up the Sugpo sa Sarsang Itlog na Maalat—a delicious union of sweet and salty in one plate.
The real star of the show, however, is their special Hortz Bulares. It’s one of Ovah’s favorite dishes. A wordplay on bulalo and pares, it perfectly marries the two classic dishes into one delicious bowl where generous pieces of soft, fall-off-the-bone braised beef shanks sit atop pares-style stew and a garlic-onion soup. It not only packs a lot of flavour, but brings to the table a mouthwatering experience that will entice diners to come back for more.
In true Pinoy taste, a meal is not complete without rice. Tipanan offers the usual plain and garlic rice options, but takes it up a notch with the Tinapa Rice Platter that does not scrimp on the use of smoked fish flakes.
Dessert is no less exceptional than the main course. For something sweet, take your pick between the Hortz Halo-Halo and the Krispy Halo-Halo; the former features fluffy shaved ice mixed with macapuno and sweetened fruits, while the latter goes the extra mile. Sweet ube and beans are encased in a crispy, lumpia wrapper glazed with melted sugar, served on the side of vanilla ice cream and leche flan.
To end your meal, Tipanan has an array of native treats from all over the country. This includes their holiday specials, Bibingka Espesyal and Puto Bumbong Espesyal.
Tagaytay may not necessarily be considered under-the-radar, but the city is filled with surprises that will make you come many times over. And being a shining example of this, Tipanan will warmly welcome back again and again.
Tipanan Restaurant is located along Emilio Aguinaldo Hwy, Kaybagal South, Tagaytay, 4120 Cavite. They are open for breakfast until dinner and adhere strictly to safety and health protocols.