Mystery Critic
The Best Restaurants Out There - And Much More!
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Bag of Beans Coffee Shop, Bakery and Restaurant Tagaytay City, Philippines Last Visit: Feb 2009
OVERALL There are restaurants that are born attractive. The minute I walk in there, I would decide to write a review for it no matter how terrible the food is. A good examples is Salty's in Seattle - the food won't kill you, but the breathtaking view will. Bag of Beans belongs to the same league; I can't say I hate their food, but it wasn't that inspiring; the ambience, however, stole the glory and just spending time hanging out there beats the actual eating experience. Tagaytay is known to be one of the summer getaways from Manila people, thus there are a ton of restaurants competing for the same dollars (or pesos) from a bunch of picky eaters. Bag of Beans, however, doesn't try to compete on the creativity of their food, but rather they offer some pretty standard Filipino and Western selections that look fine, taste decent, but offer me less than nothing to really write about. We have been there a few times and we typically order steak, ribs, fish or spaghetti, and if we're there for lunch we'd order sandwich or burger. They are not bad, but  in a country where western cuisine rules and you can get top-notch authentic and creative/fusion American and European food, we weren't really impressed. The taste is simple, presentation is plain and there are no surprises, but I wouldn't call their food bad - it's just not that impressive. So HOW ON EARTH did they get three stars from me? It's the pies! I don't know where on earth did they learn it from, but this place makes great English meat pie. I've tried the chicken and kidney and steak and mushroom, and they are both quite good. They are pretty exotic outside of Europe, not even so easy to find in California! The dessert pies are also great - either apple pie or pineapple pie will please your taste bud. Together with a cup of their rather unique coffee that has a lot of the "mountain" taste (i.e. like dirt), there's the finish of a pleasant meal in a (oh not again!!) beautiful garden setting. SERVICE It might be the fact that it's in a tourist area, or just the reality that this place is too successful in creating a zen-like atmosphere, the wait staff seems to be on weed. They move slowly, respond slows, and spend more time laughing at jokes from each other but not paying attention to customers. They also seem to be unhappy with dealing with customers, especially if you show any impatience towards waiting 15 minutes for a bill. Nevertheless, I give them some credit for doing a fairly decent job in a set up that is not exactly waiter-friendly. There are tables indoor and outdoor and some are hidden in corners that are hard to see - good for customers, difficult for service. AMBIENCE Every single guest I've brought here would enter the garden and say WOW. The owner is apparently more meticulous when it comes to landscaping and gardening, much more so than food. The layout, both indoor and outdoor, makes you want to stay there, read a book while sipping a drink, or chatting with good friends in a semi-private booth in the garden surrounded by tropical flower and parrots. It's one of those places that you really, really with you didn't bring your kids to because they unfortunately ruin the calming and soothing ambience. You have to be there to feel the amazingly tranquile yet intimate atmosphere that this little haven in a tourist mess has created.
VALUE I don't know about you, but I am pretty tired of paying through my nose in five-star institutions for the "ambience" they created through piling cash on expensive glass vases and paintings that don't even look good. Bag of Beans is a place where you can take a break from all of that. The food may not have expensive ingredients and they won't come with fancy garnish that are beautiful (but toxic), but you'll have a truly enjoyable time while emersed in beautiful while enjoying a respectable meal at prices that match Max's or Gerry's. Now THAT is an AMAZING DEAL!! BOTTOMLINE If you really, really hate to pay a premium to sit at a restaurant on Ocean Beach in San Francisco and try to endue the most horrifying gastronomical torture while enjoying a beautiful sunset over the Pacific, this may not be the most ideal restaurant for you. For most mortals, including Mr. Mystery Critic - who refuse to "eat the scenary", spending a couple hours with your good friends to enjoy a relaxing time in Bag of Beans is not such a bad idea at all. The food is not the greatest, but I didn't tell you to go there for food to begin with! BTW The shop is worth checking out, even though I didn't find their baked goods that great either. They do carry civet coffee, which you cannot get in the restaurant, at a very reasonable price. Haven't tried their regular coffee beans and I'd love to hear from you if you have!
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