Dahon @ Mesa

A good breakfast is essential to start your day right. Whenever we travel we always prefer to eat at local restaurants instead of fast-food chains. This is a way to support the local businesses and experience food in the area. Here in Tagaytay City, Philippines there are so many local restaurants to choose from.

Just in front of the building that we are staying at we saw this restaurant. I ask the restaurant staff outside if they are serving breakfast. We were immediately offered a table.

Join us today as we have breakfast with an amazing morning view. Grab a seat as we take to you Dahon at Mesa.

Restaurants here at Tagaytay always have indoor and outdoor seating options. Of course, the best spot to eat when you are in Tagaytay is outdoors.

A fantastic view will greet you good morning and the peaceful ambiance is so relaxing. When we arrived there were only two groups of customers including us.

We ordered Philippine breakfast favorites which you will see later on and provide you with more details. As we were waiting, I and the kids went to the back to enjoy the sun and the morning view.

Down here there is more seating area for customers. It seems like they also offer wedding receptions here and you could see curtains still hanging on the posts.

The back area is spacious with enough space to set up a stage for a live band to play.

The view of the iconic volcano is something that you would never get tired of. This view is what makes the price of properties here very expensive.

The most active volcano in the Philippines and now we are seeing steam coming out of the volcano. Should we get worried? Locals would have evacuated already if it was a threat but everything stays calm around us.

You could see the building at the back where we are staying at. Just a few steps away and crossing the road from the building.

They also have a small fountain on the side which adds a relaxing vibe hearing the sound of water.

After around 20 minutes our food arrived and we are all hungry and ready for breakfast.

Tapsilog

I ordered the ever-popular tapsilog. It is a combination of garlic fried rice, fried egg and tapa which is fried marinated beef.

There are so many different recipes of the Tapa and I always lookout for the best one. Here their tapa is just ok and I could say the recipe has nothing special. But it was still an ok breakfast and coffee is included.

Cost: 315 pesos ($6.00 usd).

Crispy Tawilis

Freshwater sardines that can only be found and caught in the lake around the volcano. This fish is a favorite and should always be ordered when vising Tagaytay. The serving is good for 2-3 people and should be very crispy. I prefer the smaller ones but the ones they served are a bit large. Also, they are not too crispy.

Cost: 320 pesos ($6.11 usd).

Tocilog

This is what my daughter ordered. It is a combination of garlic fried rice, fried egg and tocino which is fried sweet pork. Another local favorite is the tocino and there are also many different ways to prepare this pork dish. I loved their tocilog and found myself crossing over my daughter's plate.

Cost: 275 pesos ($5.25 usd).

Kapeng Barako

Included in every meal combination. A strong local coffee grown in the region is something you should not miss. This coffee brew is served almost anywhere here.

There you have it, our breakfast at Dahon @ Mesa Tagaytay City. As for the verdict, the food is just ok, the view is fantastic but the price is a bit high.

But if you are going to visit they have a lot of other food options that you might enjoy.
Thanks for joining us and have a wonderful day.

All photos are original and taken with

Lumix GX85 and Olympus 45mm f1.8