As featured in 10 Best NEW Homegrown Restaurants in Manila of 2019!
TALISAY, the signature restaurant of Chef Tatung Sarthou of Netflix Streetfood fame, features modern Filipino cuisine that includes recipes from his hometown in Talisay, Cebu. This comeback restaurant is the summary of all lessons learned from past private dining experiences, restaurant failures and exposure to both the sosyal and masa crowd.
It’s a going back home to the roots of elevated classic Filipino food with Cebuano highlights and a homecoming to QC where Chef Tatung’s private dining began. Some nights, the place becomes a culinary playground for the chef’s creative Filipino experiences.
Here are some tips for your own awesome Talisay experience…
A comfortable dining oasis that beckons from its tucked-in spot along Maginhawa St. in Quezon City, Talisay offers a delectable feast of memory, flavor and experience. Each bite is an ode to nostalgia and magical moments spent sharing hearty meals with loved ones.
Head on to Talisay.
Talisay Garden Café
Operating Hours: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
44 Maginhawa St., UP Village, Quezon City
Telephone: +632 8293-9077
Mobile: +63 919 877-6321
Facebook: Talisay The Garden Cafe
Talisay Menu: Starters | Salad, Soup, Talisay Specials | Talisay Specials | Sides, Drinks, Desserts
The food served were Chef Tatung specials and not your usual comfort Filipino food of kare kare, adobo or sisig.
Appetizers
Start with fresh lumpiang ubod with ube and pandan flavored-crepes smothered with thick peanut sauce and chunks of nuts.
This salad, served with creamy Caesar dressing, looked simple but the greens were fresh. Make sure to eat a bit of the goat cheese, dried mango and the cashew.
This was made more refreshing by the citrus from the pomelo and sourness from the vinaigrette, which stimulated the palate.
Talisay Specialties
Freshly baked pandesal with a bit of sourdough served with butter to kickoff the Talisay meal.
Reserve the long-table in the corner; good for a family of 8. The enclosed elevated room can hold up to 30 people and the whole restaurant can accommodate a party of 70.
A taste of Cebu with its velvety texture with chunks of tendon and oxtail that was a good alternative from your usual kare-kare.
First, the pork chop was tender and full of flavor by itself. It was served with a relish of dinakdakan mixed with creamy pork brains. Ang sarap!
This was the kind of lengua dish that you’d fall in love with because of its melt in your mouth quality and creamy mushroom flavors.
Paella is always good for special celebrations with the family and a good excuse for breaking your no rice diet.
A big chunk of ham with a thick layer of fat coated with sweet pineapple glaze.
Eat that thick layer of fat and a juicy meaty layer with the paella to complete the experience.
Desserts
This was for the chocolovers, home-baked chocolate cake with nutty flavors.
My favorite, a cheesecake with a layer of creme brulee in the middle with just the right sweetness.
It looked like an egg pie but tasted more like cassava with a layer of burnt cheese on top.
Final Thoughts
Congratulations on Chef Tatung’s ode to his roots in Talisay, Cebu and to his home in QC where it all started!
I like that the menu is on-point with the trend of elevating the taste of classic flavors (fusion is definitely out). This is a celebration of signature Filipino food–all made in the restaurant with the finest ingredients and the techniques Chef Tatung learned over the years. You’ll love the modern interiors with glass windows, spacious gardens and backdrop of trees that have been long-time residents of Maginhawa.
All of the dishes were good but our favorites were Porkchop Ilocandia, Lengua in Mushroom Cream Sauce and Jamon de Talisay. Talisay is a place to celebrate special occasions or get together where you can come as you are. Budget about ₱800/head. Best to go with a group to enjoy the food, family sharing style.
Congratulations to Chef Tatung and brother Tomi for successfully opening Talisay in Maginhawa!
Talisay Garden Café
Operating Hours: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
44 Maginhawa St., UP Village, Quezon City
Telephone: +632 8293-9077
Mobile: +63 919 877-6321
Facebook: Talisay The Garden Cafe
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: Our meal was courtesy of Chef Tatung. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions and insights.
P.S. It’s also a family passion project with Chef Tatung’s younger brother Jomi who went back home to Manila from Germany to create Talisay Garden Cafe from a dilapidated house along Maginhawa in record 3 months time.
