A Distinctive Restaurant in the Middle of a Forest

Yvette and I set out for this restaurant which is found in Alfonso away from many of the more familiar resto stops. It isn't on the main road where many of them vie for your attention, it is located on a barrangay road near a field of farms and homes, as if challenging you to pay more attention to the road and less to the restaurant surprises around you.

I say restaurants because as you go down the road, you will be as amazed as we were that there are so many of them along way. There is nothing spectacular about the road, but there must be something pervasive about the location that brings out the entrepreneurial spirit in the residents, and before you know it, another foodie appears out of blue! Whatever that spirit may be, one can only hope that it will continue to encourage more people to try their skill at cooking and serving those hungry enough to take a short drive of exploration to the country.

Lime and Basil Restaurant appears to be built within a large family enclosure, with a home, a restaurant and several gardens and parking areas. It can accommodate a large wedding party amid an air of relaxation and quiet that pervades the whole area. The food is unmistakably Thai, and the variety and size of the menu leaves one entranced with the challenge of trying every dish at least once. There is a subtle air of civility when tasting the food, as if one must enjoy the deliciousness of the meal without disturbing the peacefulness or tranquility of the setting. It definitely does not have the normal rambunctiousness of a filipino tourist restaurant, one almost feels as if the dining environment calls for a time of meditation to learn and enjoy the flavors coming from the different dishes.

When one eats in this restaurant, he faces the challenge of enjoying his meal with very few of the Thai settings one would come to expect from a normal restaurant experience. The dinning hall is well designed to reflect a Thai environment but savoring each dish while a looking at the garden outside would be enough to convince one that a paradigm transformation is underway and that the restaurant is changing ever so slowly. Perhaps its because the taste and the aroma of the dishes is so different from our own food culture that a certain disorientation occurs, but one that can enchant and captivate a diner throughout the meal. We learned then that our discovery in a small town like Tagaytay could consist of more than just a dining experience, it could also be something memorably precious in our explorations.