There are times when we just want fresh and healthy food served on the table, especially after eating a lot of fatty fast food during long working weekdays. We usually want to have a relaxing time while doing so, as well. This is where Taal Vista Hotel’s Taza comes in. I was more than happy to accept the invitation for the initial press tasting.
Taza, a derived Arabic word that means “fresh”, is a new restaurant by Taal Vista Hotel that overlooks the Taal Volcano and Lake. With the concept of “farm to table”, diners can expect the freshest of ingredients sourced around Tagaytay and nearby regions from where they are produced: ducks from Laguna, mangoes from Cebu, lobsters from Batangas, coffee beans and black rice from Negros, and herbs from Cavite and the hotel’s vegetable garden.
Chef Jayme Natividad is the conjurer of the dishes served at Taal Vista Hotel’s Taza. No shortcuts are taken with any dish here from the handmade pasta to the slow-cooked meats to the made-from-scratch sauces. You’ll be surprised that Chef Jayme also keeps his own different yeast cultures for the pasta and pizza dough.
Mezze served with flatbreads
All of them were delicious. You can ask for a starter set with a choice of four items for PHP700 or order it ala carte for at least PHP200 an item. Items include ricotta, hummus, tabouleh, boquerones, brandade, baba ganoush, olive tapenade, chorizo with garlic, sauteed chicken liver and garlic confit and the spinach with bacon jam.
Fresh-from-the-garden kale salad for PHP325
Please don’t let the photo fool you, it is just a serving I took for such a purpose.
Papadelle Cacio e Pepe, PHP380
Duck and Mushroom Lasagna, PHP450
All of the pasta is handmade, giving each pasta dish added flavor and texture.
As with the pasta, the pizza dough is made from scratch, as well. They have one of the best pizza I have ever had and I am not exaggerating. Having fresh ingredients on a seafood pizza really makes a world of a change. We were only served a sampler, but an entire pizza usually costs PHP300 to PHP395.
