I found out about Marcias from Tripadvisor. I became curious because I read reviews from foreigners, Filipino expats and picky locals. Marcias is located at the border of Tagaytay and Alfonso, specifically in Brgy Sikat. About 10 minutes drive from the Rotunda, just exactly after the usual arcs that welcome tourists to a new town, you'll have to go to Brgy Sikat. Marcias doesn't have a sign on its door so we almost missed it. Thankfully, I have a reliable photographic memory so I noticed the rustic door on one of the properties. Just remember, the property is almost right next to the entrance to the Brgy from the national road.
The immediate entrance is leafy which gave me a refreshing feeling. I noticed that there's a house next to the garden, probably the owner's house. There's also some noticeable development before we arrived to the main restaurant area.
The first thing I admired were the following:
1. The walls, cobbles which I don't know how to get in the Philippines
2. The exposed wood in the ceiling
3. The mud coloured flooring which I adore
4. The fresh flowers
5. The cool feeling
There are other notable areas of course. Every spot in the restaurant seemed cosy. It's just that I didn't want to sit so close to the bathroom and the area where there's a view of the fields seemed quite warmer. We opted to stay next to the entrance of the restaurant.
The place is decorated just pleasantly. Though I don't appreciate the stuffed animals, I liked very much the wrought iron decorations, the stained glass windows, the tiled tables, the different types of chairs on the table, and the table setting is a little bit more generous compared to other high end restaurants in Tagaytay.
This is almost like one of the garden houses I love in Queenstown, NZ.
The cost of the entire meal for four is Php 3900+ There is 10% service charge.
I was pleased with the experience and I appreciate that there's a place like this in the Philippines.
I wonder though if this is a viable business model or if the novelty of the experience will fade.
The price is affordable at Php 800 per person (including service charge and/or the drinks).
The question then boils down to the taste. The food is certainly presented creatively. Except for the main course... surprisingly plain (didn't bother upload my photos). The taste is ok, albeit amplified by the beautiful ambience. The food is filling.
To be more exact:
Appetizers - different choices, nice presentation - Salad is generous, loved the fresh leafy vegetables, the light dressing, the peach. The soup was ok, not very sure of the taste but it's due to a personal dislike of meats in soup (in general). The shrimp was spiced up, didn't like the wafer beneath, it was tasteless.
Main course - my beef stew - it was a generous serving, plain rice, plain presentation. Meat was tender. I preferred my mom and dad's pork dishes - both nicely spiced. But theirs too were quite heavy meals. My partner's chicken stew is interesting, it seemed to have 'bagoong' (not sure). Bagoong is some kind of local anchovy paste. Maybe that's why it seemed to salty.
Deserts - I had the roasted orange with vanilla. I loved my desert. Nice presentation. I liked the presentation of the banana split with chocolate too. I thought the fried bananas with liquer was quite plain and I didn't like the purple sauce (liquer). My partner didn't like it so much too. I think it lacks something as a package. The custard was not very interesting.
Drink - We tried the lemon lime drink, about Php 300 for a pitcher. We shared it. I didn't have much of it because I realized it's carbonated. I didn't like that. So this drink could be better and probably I'd rather have ginger beer next time.
So back to the question - the taste ... It's not uber special - so some people might not be raving about it. But bear in mind, the price is only about $20 per person for a 3 course meal! So I'm not sure if the other online comments are fair when they say that the food isn't authentic or special.
Anyway, I think it's best to compare also with the alternatives - Bag of Beans (Php 450 per head) and Antonios (Php 800 - Php 1000) per head. Just in terms of place and ambience, I'd visit Marcia's any day of the week. My last choice would be Bag of Beans but I think Bag of Beans quality has severely decreased (I had breakfast with family there 3 months ago). So safe to say, I would not go back to Bag of Beans for a year.
I would also like to share the comments of the other people I had lunch with:
My mom - She absolutely loved the place, very much inspired by it. My mom said very complementary comments about the talents and the courage of the cook - Marcia, noting her hard work and her attention to detail.
My dad - very happy with the desert, happy with this little trip, overall happy with the experience except of course he compared the price to having 4 meals at Yellow cab...
My partner - liked what they've done with the place. He didn't like the chicken stew, he thought it was a little too salty. Thought the place was overpriced for the food...and wasn't too happy there's construction going on. My partner and I love cafes and always visit as much restaurants as we can in NZ, Australia, Philippines
Much more is to be said about the creativity of the couple - Marcia and Neil. My mom even said that Marcia is quite an inspiration having created and developed such an atmosphere in the Philippines.
The restaurant is only 2 years old. According to Neil, they started in 2010. They are growing and building a reception area and some rooms for a bed and breakfast accommodation. Exciting times ahead and we can only wish them the best.
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