Silent nights and a special Christmas menu at Discovery Country Suites Tagaytay

Not far from Metro Manila, I discovered a place to unwind and enjoy gourmet food prepared by a team of chefs passionate about creating fresh and delectable dishes: Discovery Country Suites in Tagaytay.

Sadly, pets are not allowed at the charming seven-room manor and I think that’s the only negative thing I could say about the place.

If you count out the manor’s country allure or the magnificence of the Taal Lake and Volcano, Discovery Country Suites would still be a preferred holiday destination because of the exquisite meals offered by its showcase restaurant Verbena.

This Christmas season, Verbena is offering special meals until December 31. Menu highlights include poached duck egg and foie gras emulsion; tomahawk steak with twice-baked potatoes, asparagus, roasted wild mushrooms and jus; and duck ragù with penne pasta.

Corporate chef Anthony Raymond said that at Verbena, they try as much as possible to use the ingredients harvested from the hotel's own herbal garden and other produce from Tagaytay so that the dishes would have that  country feel. However, the dishes' refined taste shows the culinary expertise of the people who prepared them.

Their signature dish, the Brick Chicken, deserves 4.5 out of five stars. It is a boneless half-chicken cooked under a brick and garnished with sweet potato puree, haricots verts, crispy capers, sun-dried tomatoes, and natural jus.

The taste was fantastic, not too salty, not too burnt; it was just right.

Its presentation was too cluttered for me, though. I was hesitant at first to plow through the pile of fresh flowers used to garnish the chicken; I was thus pleasantly surprised that the chicken tucked underneath was very delectable.

I liked it a lot even though I almost swore years ago that I would never look at a chicken dish again. Married to a guy who likes chicken too much (he wouldn’t mind eating it every day), I am very picky when it comes to chicken dishes and Verbena’s brick chicken is now one of my favorites.

I was in awe that I could enjoy a five star-hotel-quality dish in the middle of rustic Tagaytay. It was an exquisite experience.

Silent nights

Discovery Country Suites only reopened in late October this year after undergoing a seven-month renovation. When I asked resident manager Jonah James Virrey if they had special events planned for the Christmas holidays, he said they are not really keen on preparing grand or boisterous events similar to those in some hotels.

Virrey said the hotel is patronized mostly by people who want a quiet vacation.

Staying at Country Suites will definitely hurt your wallet more than staying at other bed and breakfast places in Tagaytay, with room rates ranging from P12,500 to P18,500 (rates for December 14, 2014 to January 11, 2015). However, the luxurious interiors are well worth it. Architect and interior designer Isabel Berenguer-Asuncion chose to go with uncluttered visuals and a light color palette.

She also opened up Verbena to give guests a clearer view of Tagaytay’s most stunning features: the Taal Lake and volcano.

Each of the hotel's seven suites has a design theme based on the specific destination it is named after: Oxford, Nantucket, Nara, Saint-Tropez, Andalucia, Siam, and Ceylon.

The furniture accent pieces, beddings, and linen of each room reflect careful attention to detail.
The Nantucket room, named after the island in the US' cold northeast, has a nautical theme, complete with ship imagery and seashell decor.

The Nara room, named after the Japanese city, features screen partitions and delicate Japanese dolls.

Virrey said their most popular room is Oxford, named after the English city. With its luxurious interiors, Oxford is the suite for hotel guests availing of their wedding package that includes a full country breakfast for two at Verbena. — VC/BM, GMA News

For inquiries and reservations, email dcsrsvn@discovery.com.ph.