Filipino food favorites with a twist at Sartin, Summit Ridge Tagaytay

Three powerhouses of Philippine cuisine join together at Tagaytay restaurant Sartin. Dining here will present you with choice dishes from Quezon, Tarlac and Bacolod, culinary influences behind the same family that brought us Josiah’s Catering and Fat Daddy’s Smokehouse.

Located inside the swanky hotel, Summit Ridge Tagaytay, Sartin’s tasteful and elegant decor makes an elegant backdrop for family brunches or romantic dinners. The fresh chilly breezes and the wide expanses of greenery and blue sky just outside the window will get diners in the mood for homegrown dishes that warm both the heart and tummy.

The restaurant got its name from the traditional enamel-plated tin plates that used to be ubiquitous in many Filipino homes. Sartin dinnerware currently hold pride of place in the restaurant’s display area.

Together with other foodies, I was invited to a sojourn in Tagaytay to sample some of Sartin’s signature dishes, which include:

Kalabasa, Kamote at Kesong Puti Salad (Php405). Roasted kalabasa (pumpkin) and kamote (yellow sweet potato) tossed with grilled local white cheese in Sartin’s house dressing.

Batchoy (Php305). This classic dish from Iloilo features a rich broth with fermented shrimp paste called guinamos, egg noodles, pork and beef slices, shredded chicken topped with pork chicharon bits and roasted bone marrow.

Kansi (Php655). Bulalo places are scattered all across Tagaytay but Sartin one-ups all of them with this dish made with bulalo beef shank simmered in broth flavored with souring ingredient batwan, along with langka (jackfruit) and tanglad (lemongrass).

Pesang Isda (Php295). A new take on the pesa dish wherein the sauce of rice, ginger, cabbage and pechay replaces the usual broth.

Kilayin Kapampangan (Php325). Chopped pork lungs, liver, pork belly and garlic, slow-cooked in vinegar and broth.

Callos (Php449). Beef knuckles, tripe and meat simmered in tomato sauce with garbanzos, chorizo and peppers.

Laswa (Php295). A light vegetable stew of kalabasa, okra, sitaw, saluyot and shrimps.

Kalkag Rice (Php215). Fried rice with dried shrimp, chives and garlic.

Valenciana (Php495). Glutinous rice cooked in broth with turmeric topped with Chinese chorizo, pork mussels, shrimps, squid, peppers, peas and hard-boiled egg.

Grilled Pork in Coconut Aligue Sauce (Php485). Pork cooked sous vide then grilled drizzled with a coconut and crab fat sauce, over tortang talong (eggplant) and topped with crispy kangkong (water spinach).

Kalderetang Kambing (Php650). Goat meat stewed in rich tomato sauce, a variation of the meat stews from the Iberian peninsula brought to the country by the Spanish colonizers.

Tibok-tibok (Php245). Kapampangan flan made of carabao’s milk that got its name from the way the mixture approximates heartbeats while being cooked. It is similar to a maja blanca, only creamier.

Leche Flan (Php175). The classic caramel egg custard flan but made even more compact and bursting with creamy sweetness with every bite.

Among the dishes served, the most memorable for me are the Kalderetang Kambing (one of this month’s specials), the Callos and the Tibok-Tibok. I look forward to returning here with my family during on of our Tagaytay trips for a great meal of our favorite Filipino food.

Sartin is located at Summit Ridge Hotel, KM 58 General Aguinaldo Highway, Maharlika West, Tagaytay City. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 2406816.

Celebrating your birthday anytime soon? Until January 31, 2019, birthday celebrants get Php500 off their food bill (with a minimum single receipt purchase of Php2,499). This offer can be availed of any day within their birth month.

Disclosure: Together with other food bloggers, I was invited to foodie meetup held at this restaurant. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.