My Bag of Beans Experience (and some Tagaytay moment sidenotes)

My husband and I spent one of our vacant Saturdays at Tagaytay.  We went there not to stroll along and enjoy the scenery (though we wanted to do that on the side), but to catch up with our backlogs.  We have to update our photography folio and upload our latest works, then sort out and do some editing and album layouting.  The past months for us were a little bit hectic and crazy, so we grabbed this chance to catch up.

My Look--Sumkinda Ngiwi Look. LOL!  Primer:  Body Shop Matte It Primer, Foundation:  Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow, Brows:  Cover Girl Brown Liner/Snoe What's Up Brow Corrector, Mascara:  Maybelline Magnum Volum Express Waterproof Mascara, Lips:  Colour Collection Ultimate Wear Lipstick - Bellissima

We went to Starbucks, hoping that we can work in a cozy environment.  But the long queue of customers, boisterous laughter from a big group seated on a nearby table, and the warm air from the coffee shop’s aircon unit (or maybe it’s really hot that time), failed us to do so.  But nevertheless, we still proceeded to work.  Tagaytay during weekends most likely mean that we have to endure long traffic jam, and it is unlikely that we can find a quiet spot to work because people are all over the place.  Looks like the cool weather that we are looking for does not want to hang out with us.  Oh well.

Fortunately, the next hours became very productive and we were happy with the output.  But we thought that greater output produced from working for long hours can mean starvation. LOL!  We can’t think of any restaurant to spend the dinner because we wanted something that we were not able to try before.

So, I Googled “Tagaytay restaurant” and looked on the related searches, and saw “Bag of Beans Tagaytay”.  Then suddenly I remembered seeing some posts on my Facebook newsfeed from my friends who checked in at this place.  Zham and I agreed to spend dinner there.

(On the side note, before we went to Bag of Beans, we took a stopover at Summit Ridge to inquire of their current rates.  We are thinking of spending our first wedding anniversary there. Let’s see!)

Zham and I facing the sunset. hehe

Tagaytay sunset as seen from Summit Ridge

Starbucks Summit Ridge

Starbucks Summit Ridge

Summit Ridge Hotel Tagaytay

Going back, Bag of Beans is located along Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway, just a half kilometer away from Savemore if you’ll be coming from Mahogany Avenue.  I thought of it as another cozy coffee shop that also offers full course meals.  But upon seeing the restaurant’s front where you can take a sneak peek of what’s inside, all we have said was “Wow!” :) Well lit hanging lanterns, a combination of laid back and antique furniture, and relaxing music—these are the things that we’ve just needed right at that moment.  My dying fire for food tripping was rekindled. Hahaha!  Not because it’s not my passion anymore, but I have to eat less than before to reduce my weight and body structure to a “pleasurable” level.  :p

As we stepped inside, the frequency of sighing out whoa’s and wow’s from our lips increased.  The thought of seeing Bag of Beans as a small dining spot was wrong again.  As we walked along inside, it seemed like we’ll walk until forever. More and more dining areas were revealed on our sight.  I guess the whole restaurant can accommodate up to 200-300 people.  Not that sure though. 

THE MENU.  Click the picture to enlarge

THE MENU.  Click the picture to enlarge

After taking a tour inside, we decided to sit near the restaurant’s entrance.  Electric fans and vaporizers were the sources of ventilation.  The presence of the plants and trees also helped in making the place customer friendly in terms of the ambiance and ventilation. 

Since it’s our first time, it took us quite a long time to figure out what to order.  Basically we asked the waiter what’s their bestseller.  According to him, Fillet Mignon Madagascar and Medallion of Beef are “must try’s”.  But the quite pricey price made me to choose something else.  Let me share to you what we have ordered:

Roast Beef – with mashed potato and gravy and vegetables, Php 370

My thoughts:  I loved the vegetable side dish.  Zham loves roast beef that’s why we ordered this.  The weird thing is Zham’s share, according to him, was tender; while mine is not that much.  The taste is just okay.  The mashed potato----LOVE. 

Chicken Tocino – served with two sunny side ups, garlic fried rice and atchara, Php 230

My thoughts:  This is my personal order.  I’ve been a sucker for tocinos since I was a kid, though I am aware that eating too much of this is bad for me. LOL. The tocino meat is tender, the eggs and fried rice tastes the usual.  I gave away my atchara as I don’t really eat it.

Longanisa – served with two sunny side ups, garlic fried rice and atchara, Php 220

My thoughts:  Zham’s order again. Hehe.  The longanisa tastes a combination of sweet and sour.  Not my type.  I prefer ones from Bulacan—salty and savoury. :D 

Pasta with Garlic and Mushroom – served with Garclic bread stick, Php 230

My thoughts:  Pasta in oil, smothered with garlic and mushroom.  Very simple dish but very flavorful.  I can still feel the garlic flavor on my mouth (and as I burped), even after I brushed.

Apple Juice – Php 90

My thoughts:  I loooooovvveeee Apple Juice!  I can even drink it everyday for the rest of my life. Hahaha!  The taste resembled that one sold at Starbucks.

Pizza with Vegetables and Bacon – Php 425

My thoughts:  Since there’s no description for this indicated on their menu, let me describe it for you. What I saw is a serving of cheese, red and green bell peppers, onions, and bacon (not fried or toasted).  Hmmmm ok.  And we were not able to eat this on site because it took them centuries to serve this to us.  We were quite disappointed, so we asked them to box it off for us.  The following day, we tasted it and we were delighted.  Very tasty, considering the ingredients.  I guess we will be more delighted if they served it to us on time.

Service-wise, it was just okay.  Aside from the delayed serving time for the pizza, our other requests were attended to in a timely manner; except that time when I asked for catsup, we followed it up once.  House water is served upon request.  The ambiance is suitable for big groups who wanted to dine out and spend time together, and for small groups or couples who just wanted to chill out.

My overall experience made me decide to come back again to try out their coffee and desserts. :)

Were you able to experience hanging out at Bag of Beans?  How was it?  Share your experience at the Comments Section! :)

Check out Bag of Beans Facebook page here.

* Photos taken from Zham's smartphone :)