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Posted on May 6, 2012 - by admin

Tatung’s Garden Cafe – A Modern Take On Filipino Cuisine

“A part of dining out is having a fresh experience  and seeing things in new and different ways,” this is the impression chef and Tatung’s Garden Café owner Myke Sarthou wants’ to implore when dining at his newly expanded restaurant along 17 Matipid Street in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City.

It is no secret that Filipinos love their food and like many successful restaurants, Tatung’s Garden Café started out small, serving only to friends and family members until word of mouth spread reflecting the restaurant’s unexpected success.  Tatung’s (as friends fondly call him) delight found a niche were  customers longing for familiar taste with a twist was largely underserved market in metro manila’s dining scene and Tatung’s Garden Café seems to have given them reason to go out and eat.

“For years I’ve spent hours on our kitchen preparing sumptuous meals for my family and friends to savor and enjoy. And as I continue to pursue this passion,  I have been introduced to a deeper meaning of nourishment and the pleasure of sharing food at the table,” according to Chef Tatung.

Like many successful restaurants, Chef Tatung started out small , serving only to friends, friends of friends, leading him to open his residence to diners “and serving them in ways that would nourish the body and enlighten the senses” added Chef Tatung. The façade of Tatung’s Garden Café  can be quite deceptive as it jutes to be part of the residential landscape of Sikatuna Village in Quezon City. But once inside, it splits into the main dining area with a mini bar  that has a separate section with red interiors accessorized with modern art works ideal for small meetings that can fit up to 12 guests comfortably. There is also the new Tatung’s Patio  which covers the growing  number of dining guests .

The façade of Tatung’s Garden Café  can be quite deceptive as it jutes to be part of the residential landscape of Sikatuna Village in Quezon City. But once inside, it splits into the main dining area with a mini bar  that has a separate section with red interiors accessorized with some modern art works ideal for small meetings that can fit up to 12 guests comfortably. There is also the new patio area to cover the growing dining guests to the restaurant.

It is surprises many of Tatung’s patron to know that the chef has never undergone formal culinary training. What experience he has learned from his foray in the family kitchen, and constant exposure to different cooking techniques  from their own household chefs. However he has also made his own interpretation  of different cooking techniques and the adherence to the best way to cook these dishes.

“The Filipino palate deserves to be treated once in a while to new and exciting fare,” quips Chef Tatung and that is what Tatung Garden Cafe   would like to accomplish with its one-of-a-kind menu spread of otherwise typical regular Filipino dishes but with a unique twist!  It also has a host of other familiar heritage dishes that he grew up  with and will surely satisfy one’s Pinoy cravings, whether these are local residents, balikbayans or even expatriates and business travelers visiting the country.

Good thing that Tatung’s Garden Café only  uses only the freshest ingredients available daily in the local market with their dishes, allowing fresh and natural ingredients to enhance the flavor of each serving.  The result has been rewarding with a consistently growing number of clientele who keeps coming back for more of the various choices on the menu spread. Drive troughs are a common sight in the restaurant coming from nearby Quezon City offices as well as residential villages and celebrities.

High on the list of must-try starts from  the menu’s appetizers including  a good start of Chicken Sisig Lettuce Wraps, minced grilled chicken fillet with chopped onions, green chilies, taro chips with mango sauce, There is also Balut ala Pobre, duck egg embryos sautéed in butter and garlic, there is also the café’s own version of the popular shrimp okoy, an intriguing mix of small shrimps, dipped with farm egg batter  and vegetable fritters  fried to a crisp and served with vinegar.

For health buffs and diet conscious diners one can try their  salads including Seafood gising-gising ,spiced fresh local vegetables with seafood in Tatung’s special coconut sauce dressing or the Shrimp and Mango Salad, served over mixed greens with cucumber, tomatoes, onions topped with peanuts and taro chips drizzled with a sweet tangy citrus dressing These salad selections are highly recommended for diet and health conscious individuals considered a filling meals  by themselves.

For the adventurous noodle lovers, one should not miss their Indonesian inspired interpretation of Bami or Palabok Negra, rice noodles with squid ink,  On the main course, there are a number of suggested dishes worth trying including Chicken in Roasted Coconut and Yellow Ginger Sauce, tasty pan sired chicken in a smokey coconut cream with fresh yellow ginger and okra  or the Tamrind glazed butter flied  Tilapia served with home made atchara. One should also try the Grilled Gindara in Mama’s Coconut cream sauce or the rich tasting prawns in aligue sauce sautéed in Chef Tatung’s spicy crab fat based sauce.  One of the Chef’s  best seller too is the Honey Glazed  Slow roasted Pork Belly in a brick oven or the Slow roasted Pork Sinigaang cooked with tamarind – tomato broth served with kangkong leaves and bagoong.   The Kalderetang Kambing with Quezo de Bola  served with button mushrooms, potatoes, carrots with grated Edam cheese is a great dish worth the taste for mutton lovers. Other dishes worth trying on the menu is their Callos Con Garbanzos, Beef Tenderloin Salpicao or Lengua Adobo.

To match these rich courses are complimentary rice selections including the chef’s own take on fried rice which he named Tatung’s Fried rice cooked with shrimp, carrots, peanuts, scrambled egg, turmeric with Baguio beans and Paella sa Palayok served on a clay pot.

The restaurant’s dessert  selection is the final offer that can go well with their own specially brewed coffee or tea selection. Or cool summer  offers  including the house favorites of warm Tsoknut chocolate cake, caramel sweet leche flan, Banana – Buko sundae or their specially prepared Fresh fruit Halo-halo with gata in ice cream.

With what little is left of one’s regular monthly salary in these hard times, Tatung Garden Cafe  is one of the few places where you can put your hard earned money to its best use – recharging your batteries over the restaurant’s sumptuous menu spread in the restaurant’s comfy and new functional  cozy surroundings.

Thankfully, word-of-mouth and blogs in the internet  has continuously drawn more people by the day attracted by the great eats and the reasonable price (expect to spend around pesos one thousand one hundred pesos(for a satisfying  dining experience for two persons) Nothing is as it seems at  this restaurant where Filipino cuisine is taken to new heights, and where customers can expect a different dining experience with each visit – the essence of dining at Chef Tatung’s Garden Cafe.

For further details: Chef Tatung’s Garden Café is  along 17 Matipid Street, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City.  Operating hours are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.  For reservations, call 352-6121 or 0915-846-3234.Check out their website at www.cheftatung.com.

Posted on April 10, 2012 - by admin

NLEX Launches New Motorist Assistance Program

The onset of the Holy Week marks the start of the Summer holidays and the hottest time of the year, certainly the happy season there is and without doubt, one of  the most stressful holidays of all especially if one takes charge of driving to your choice hotspots or vacation destinations this summer season.

The Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) and Tollways Management Corporation(TMC) which are subsidiaries of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation(MPTC),  have launched their latest Motorist Assistance Program dubbed “Safe Trip Mo, Sagot Ko” where a series of motoring assistance program have been launched in response to the heavy influx of motorists during the Lenten season to enjoy safe and hassle-free travel with a package of motoring assistance services.  and corresponding complimentary services have been lined up for the added convenience of the travelling public.

The motoring  public should not get caught up in the escalating mad rush frenzy.”The motoring assistance program is precisely our answer to the needs of motorists during heavy traffic on holidays,” according to Ramon Fernandez, MPTC president and CEO. “We always run the extra mile to excite our customers,”he added. “ The Safe Trip Mo, Sago Ko” program was born out of MPTC’s desire to exceed our customer’s expectations,” added Manila Tollway Corporation’s president and CEO Rodrigo Franco. He disclosed that “all ten tollway service facilities or service gas station along the NLEX AND S There are certain places along the NLEX and SCTEX as well as motorist assistance camps have offered full cooperation for the project.   The “Safe Trip Mo, Sagot Ko” will be carried out in in collaboration with Smart, Shell Petron, Shell of Asia, Caltex, Total, GStar, The Lakeshore, Megas Station and Janburlai. For motorists who might encounter  engine problems along the route, program partners like Petron, Shell or NLEX motor patrol teams are distributing location guide maps which provides emergency road assistance information and mechanic personnel who can identify the trouble of your vehicle.

These facilities vowed to provide free Wi-Fi for laptop, iPad and mobile phone(in eight NLEX selected stations), free charging for all types of mobile phones, free refreshments and other product samples from coolers and personal assistance from SMSK authorities. “These are surely innovations in our services that exceed our customers’ expectations” Fernandez pointed out. In addition, they will extend first aid in mobile medical clinics, emergency trouble shooting on all vehicles and towing for class 1 vehicles to the nearest exit. Twelve service stations will be available to the public; nine fo them along NEX; one at SFEX; and two assistance camps at SCTEX. To ensure public security, the TMC will deploy more patrol teams for quick response to emergency situations. The toll road operators also highlighted the deployment of ambulant tellers at the toll plazas to facilitate transactions and inform the motorists about the express payment scheme. Nine ambulant tellers will be assigned in Balintawak, eight in Mindanao Avenue and 10 in Dau the TMC said. The motorist assistance program kicks off on Holy Wednesday (April 4) until Araw ng Kagitingan (April 9) from 7am to 9pm daily. For assistance and inquiries, motorists may call the NLEX hotlines (02) 3-5000 and (02) 580-8910 or (0920) 96-SCTEX(728-39) for SCTEX. Nlex IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON Twitter for regular updates, just follow @nlextraffic or like the Facebook page “Travel on Great Roads”.   “Safe Trip Mo, Sagot Ko,” is a program where motorists can enliven their journeys to their destinations with the assurance of a safe and hassle free driving experience.  Either way, motorists and the travelling public is assured of a safe and convenient journey to their final destination before one gets embroiled and jack up to the festive holiday vibes on the road.  A safe and enjoyable journey to everybody!