The Unlawyer

Mrs. Unlawyer and I were at our wits end last week. We wanted to bring a guest over to Tagaytay for lunch but couldn’t decide which restaurant to bring him to. Fortunately, I recalled reading an entry over at Anton’s blog about a new garden restaurant, one of many that have set up shop on this hilltop city: Chateau Hestia.

From what information I gleaned before coming over, I knew that Continental dishes was this restaurant’s specialty, a detail that I confirmed firsthand when I leafed through its menu. I was further intrigued about the Austrian dishes on the menu, and no wonder: one of the restaurant’s owners, Johannes Zehethofer, is himself a native of Austria. That settled it then: I resolved to order his restaurant’s Austrian specialities.

First off was a bowl of Crème de Alt Wiener Erdapfel Suppe (PHP 115.00), a traditional Viennese potato soup enhanced with caraway and fennel seeds. Herr Zehethofer explained that his Viennese ancestors learned not only to appreciate coffee from the Turks who had lain siege to their city in the 17th century, but they also learned how to use the many spices the would-be invaders left behind as well.

Next was a dish not listed on the menu: Austrian-style goulash, served with bread dumplings. Why the management has kept this excellent dish off the menu is a mystery to me. A new entree, perhaps?

Practically Edible enumerates the different kinds of Austrian-style goulash. Wow, I didn’t know there were so many.

I also got to try what Mrs. Unlawyer ordered for herself, in this case the osso bucco (PHP 450.00), reputedly Chateau Hestia’s best selling dish. After tasting it, I was not surprised why this dish obtained top marks from the restaurant’s customers.

I also had a taste of the Wienerschinitzel (PHP 380.00). I was half-expecting their version of this deep-fried pork cutlet dish to be overly soggy but no, it was not. It was prepared just so.

I failed to note that the Chateau Hestia is better known in the blogsphere for the quality of its desserts, so we missed this other specialty of the house. Curious though for a joint run by an Austrian that it doesn’t serve any apfelstrudel.

What I particularly like about Chateau Hestia is how its design lets natural light in, making for a bright and cheerful interior.

The fastest route to Chateau Hestia is to take the South Luzon Expressway and leave it at the Santa Rosa exit. Upon exiting, drive to the southwest on the Santa Rosa-Silang-Tagaytay Road until you reach the Tagaytay Ridge Road. From this intersection, the map furnished by the restaurant itself should supply all the landmarks you need from that point to get there. Take note that the restaurant is technically not located at Tagaytay City but at the next-door town of Silang.

For reservations, call Chateau Hestia at (0929) 711-3289. Major credit cards accepted.