Gourmet's Notepad: Restaurante Carlos

By Boysie Villavicencio

Oye te digo!!

One evening, thanks to dear friend Agnes Suarez and her patience (Agnes waited for me for hours to go to dinner), I was able to have another delightful and beautiful dining experience in the cool and idyllic setting of Tagaytay.

Late dinner was at Restaurante Carlos, a cozy fine dining restaurant that specializes in authentic home cooked Spanish dishes.

Restaurante Carlos is nestled in Las Brisas de Tagaytay, near the Mendez Crossing where people, traveling to Batangas usually stop to buy kakanins of all sorts, fresh vegetables, fruits and Batangas beef.

The restaurant is less than an hour's liesurely drive from Makati City and according to Agnes, Restaurante Carlos has, as its pastoral backdrop, the mountains of Tagaytay amid its famous countryscape.

It was so dark that evening we drove up to Tagaytay and, to top it all, it was raining when we reached our destination. Que lastima. There was really nothing to see beyond 20 meters that night; but the cool breeze that Tagaytay is famous for, was enough to make up for it. Still, how I wish I had the chance to see that view.

Restaurante Carlos was opened last January 24, 2004. Owned and operated by a "Castilaloy" couple, Don Carlos and Malu Callejo and Sumiko Koizumi, who are connoiseurs and great cooks themselves, the restaurant is distinguished by its coat of arms in its signage and logo displaying the Callejo family emblem that originated from Bilbao, Spain.

"Que imponente..." In Spanish, that means: how impressive!

The bill of fare is selective by choice. It only features recipes handed down from generation to generation, from the rich culinary regions in Spain, like Andalucia, Madrid, Barcelona, and Asturias.

At Restaurante Carlos, tasty tapas such as gambas, almondigas, huevos, boguerones, and croquetas can easily whet your appetite.

One of the restaurant's specialty is callos, so endearingly tasty like the way our mothers used to prepare it... and so, I had triple serving of it. With a lot of olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar, the callos was absolutely divine. One truly can appreciate the long hours of simmering that went into that dish.

As it is prepared in Spain, Restaurante Carlos serves the nudillo de cerdo (boiled pig's knuckles) and paella. As real treats, there is cuchinillo ('baby' letson tht can serve 10 to 12 people) but one must order this at least three days in advance. Ayayay, Que sabroso!

There are also a few dishes from the rest of Europe, such as pasta and Hungarian goulash, as well as native dishes such as adobo a casa, grilled tuna panga and tuna belly, which though not from Spain, are nonetheless so savory and are popular requests by friends who've tasted Malu Callejo's cooking on occasions when the Callejos entertained in the past.

Aside from all that, the cozy eating place serves parillada especial de pollo (chicken marinated in glazed garlic sauce), arroz a la cubana, calamares en su tinta, cocido and other lip-smacking entrees.

Restaurante Carlos is exquisitely decorated in the Castillan tradition. It has wrought iron chandeliers; brass and copper urns and pots; and heavyset tables executed by the Tagaytay craftsmen and designed by the Callejos themselves. Que precioso and what great ambiance!

The restaurant is surrounded with lush plants and flowering bromeliads and anthuriums--painstakingly grown by the enterprising couple while taking a break from their chores in the kitchen. The plants of course are for sale to anyone appreciative of their blooms.

There is an open patio on the ground level to enjoy the sight and breeze and three nipa huts that serve as private function rooms in the garden for dining al fresco.

Inside the main dining room, the focal point is a massive fireplace that adds to the warmth and coziness of this mountainside retreat. For added convenience, there are three deluxe rooms for overnight stays and a chalet with two bedrooms for rent.

Restaurante Carlos can be many things to many people. It can be a hideaway for Manilenos wh want a breath of fresh air from run of the mill dining options in the city. It can be a warm family restaurant serving delectable meals. It can also be a unique setting for special occasions like Valentine, graduation, birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's and Father's days and reunions for up to 50 people.

Meeting Carlos Callejo himself is such a pleasure. This 24-karat gentleman was diagnosed to have liver cancer about five years ago. This caused him so much depression and pain but the experience imbued him with a newfound faith in God.

Carlos was predicted "to go" because of the "Big C"; but with his devotion to the Lady of Manaoag and through his prayers to other saints, most specially to Our Lady of Piat, Carlos survived his cancer and today is a-l-i-v-e.

And so a new leaf and a new chapter in Carlos's life unfolded... and Restaurante Carlos which is indeed a fascinating world by itself is part of his "second" life.

Restaurante Carlos is, therefore, a place of victory! It is partly an answer to Carlos's prayers. It is part of what was meant to be... And boy, they really serve good food!

In case you are in the Tagaytay area e-mail Carlos or Malu at carlisa@pacific.net.ph.

Oye, I assure that you won't regret it!

O sige na. Adios.

Hasta la Vista!.... and that better be sooner than tomorrow.

Source: Manila Bulletin, May 14, 2004, pages D-1, D-3.