Ever since H and I went to Fire Lake Grill in Tagaytay, I’ve always loved private and intimate dinings, thus more dates personal dining style. We’ve gone to several personal dining restaurants and met wonderful chefs, and I think H already expects a whole lot from my planning! So when it was time for me to prepare another date for my husband’s birthday, I had to make sure I don’t disappoint him and is at par with his expectations.
Laya is one of the places I’ve researched and instantly made me excited. I immediately reserved a table and asked for their menu. We were supposed to have our dinner April 3, but eventually ended up having lunch instead. Laya is at the end of Sierra Madre, Grand Heights Subdivision, Antipolo City. It’s pretty secluded but with the directions and map given by the owners, it’s not hard to find at all.
According to their site, Laya is a private kitchen, hidden in hilly Antipolo that seeks to give each of our guests a unique, private and personal dining experience all their own. With a personal chef to cater to your every culinary whim, and your own host dedicated to serve your every request, we promise every guest a truly pampering dining experience. But perhaps, the best amenity of Laya is the villa’s exclusivity. Guests who book at Laya get to enjoy the entire villa with its poolside, pocket gardens, private nooks and their dining table where they can watch our chefs cook their meals, located in in the peaceful suburbs of Antipolo, overlooking the Manila skyline and Laguna de Bay, all to themselves.
So on to our Laya experience…
We were promised the best table and I agree it indeed had the best view. Yey!
view from our table
centerpiece
I like the small touches and details that they put. I learned that Chef Ricci Gurango who’s a rockista by the way, studied cooking in Thailand. That’s why the whole place was filled with Thai influence.
On to the food:
We got the Laya Signature Menu and the Menu of the week. The signature menu for H and the menu of the week for me.
We were first served an appetizer of cantaloupe.
Loved the cherry tomato! And wanted to ask for more. But it was just the first of many courses, so I kept my cool. :p
Unlimited Drink:
LAYA signature iced pandan tea
It was good. I liked that they put a little twist to it.
Appetizers:
Trio of Appetizers
(Nori Prawn Roll with Mango Papaya Aioli, Thai Golden Bag
with Sweet Chili and Crab Rangoon with Spicy Mango Sauce)
My husband had this. He liked the nori prawn roll very much. I asked the prawn to be de-veined as I am allergic, so I was able to taste this as well. The Thai golden bag and crab rangoon according to H was normal, nothing special. Though he liked the sauce.
Pinoy-style Eggs Benedict:
Chicken Adobo Flakes on Whole Wheat Toast with Quail Egg
The eggs benedict was decent too. I liked the adobo flakes, because I’m a big fan of crunchy and crispy food. The egg was okay also. I was pleasantly surprised, because I wasn’t expecting it to be interesting.
Soup:
Thai Tomato Basil Soup with Cilantro Foam
H wasn’t a fan of “sinigang” and this soup taste much like sinigang due to its Thai influence. I graciously swapped by soup with him. I found it okay since I also like Tom Yum Soup.
Spiced Pumpkin Soup with Crushed Cashew Nuts
My husband and I both liked the pumpkin soup. It was really good, plus the nuts were a good surprise. We both gave it two thumbs up!
Salad:
Shrimp & Pomelo Salad in Tamarind & Palm Sugar Dressing
H enjoyed the salad, though it wasn’t his favorite.
Prawn Cakes with Mixed Greens
in Palm Wine & Tamarind Dressing
I liked my salad though. Again, I asked the prawns to be de-veined. I loved the dressing. I liked the nuts, the onions, everything about it!
Sorbet:
Fresh Mango & Lime Sorbet
H made me taste the sorbet too. Both of us liked it. The sweet and sour ingredients meshed together really well.
Lychee Sorbet with Spiced Berries
The lychee sorbet was a little bit too sour for my taste. Though I like lychee, I liked the mango sorbet better. Simply my preference.
Main course:
Herb-marinated US Hanging Tender Steak
with Honey Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
and Mixed Greens in Oriental Soy Dressing
I loved the plating. It just shows that they really give effort to the presentation. The steak I was really excited about. It was okay, I liked the sauce. H enjoyed the steak. It was a little dry for his taste though.
Cashew-crusted Salmon in Ginger Honey
with Saffron-scented Pumpkin Basmati Rice
The salmon was definitely definitely our favorite dish of all! It was to die for!!! A must order. A must try. I loved the crunchiness of the crust, the tenderness of the salmon, the flavor of the basmati rice. Nothing wrong, exactly perfect!
Dessert:
Dark Chocolate Tart with Candied Ginger
and Basil-infused Crème Anglaise
Since it was tart, the crust was a little bit hard which was to be expected. The tart was quite small, so we couldn’t really taste it very much. 🙁
Suman & Caramelized Mangoes in Coco Jam with Mantecado Ice Cream
Just a little side story, I was supposed to have the suman changed to the tart, but later on decided not to. Thank God I did not. The suman was really delicious, with the caramelized mango and ice cream. It was the perfect ending to our meal. It was really good. I wanted to ask for more! Haha!
Organic Kapeng Barako
Fresh Herb Tea
inside the powder room. :p
The whole meal was really really nice. We both enjoyed the food and the host Ms. Irene Tan Gurango, who’s also a musician by the way, was really warm and charming. The only minus points was that it was so hot. My husband and I were already sweating while waiting for our food. The waiters brought out a fan though, but the heat of the sun was too much to handle. It was a bit uncomfortable. We’d love to go back but would go during dinner time definitely! Also, I mentioned to Irene that it was my husband’s birthday and they were so sweet they gave him ice cream with a happy birthday greeting. Now that’s what you call personal dining!
I’m excited to try out their different dishes as they have different menus every week! 🙂 Did I mention it’s only P750/person? Really worth it!
To reserve a table at LAYA, contact them at (0917) 8464322.
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