Aidan meets the Taj Buddha.
I must admit that the Taj banners along the national highway was quite cheesy in a sense that it turns people off and makes one wonder if their marketing claims are true. It shows photos of the food branded as “Not Your Usual Tagaytay Food”, or “Exotic Vegetarian Food”. For me, I was hungry for something new in Tagaytay so the moment I saw it, we decided to check out this less than a month old Indian restaurant in Tagaytay.
Leonard and Grace (hope I did get it right), friends of OAP, were right. The Mutton Biryani and Mutton Masala were the best seller of the house. My mom immediately concluded that most of the food would increase her cholesterol level, mother’s knows best! While I liked the flavorful dishes, my wife didn’t at this stage of her pregnancy. The place was not ready for prime time since the glass for the railings were not yet complete (they should have installed it because this is for safety of the kids! There were many kids at this time already!) and they have yet to complete the 6 rooms beneath the restaurant. You could see that they had to open up to catch on the Holy Week crowd and there are obvious glitches in the kitchen operation. Try visiting this in a month or two maybe they’ve stabilized their operations and rooms will be ready for occupancy.
Despite that, the place was small and cozy. Wifi/ free Internet is available which is always a plus factor. If you are hungry for unusual Tagaytay Indian food, then this is definitely the place to be. I also like their selection of Vegetarian dishes which would include: Vegetable Curry. Vegetable Biryani. Vegetable Samosa (Empanada-like). Yellow, Black and Mixed Dal (Mongo-like). Eggplant Barta. Aloo Bindi (Okra-Potato). Aloo Gobhi Matar (Potato, Cauli-flower & Green peas). Bindi Do Pyaza (Okra). Lastly, the prices in the menu are net prices without the + 10% and +12% taxes. So, in a sense we should call this Taj Mura 🙂
Looking into the restaurant from our al fresco freezy table view. Those light roof turrets are nice addition to the overall theme and ambiance of the place.
The Taj Ambiance
The Al-Fresco Dining setup which is a mix of chairs and sofa. Very cozy.
Indoor setting.
There is a coffee shop inside which serves a nasty Barako coffee guaranteed to keep you awake on your way down from Tagaytay.
Free Wifi! Yahoo! Aidan was excited to check out his favorite site. I’ll let you in on a secret. For toddlers, this is one of the best sites: www.starfall.com. I was hesitant to post this because the server might slow down but hey, I also got this through the net so why not share it also with you and your toddler. A sure entertainment for your toddler while waiting for your food to arrive. Just a word of advice, tell your kid that you will only be using it for a while since there would be other guests who would also be wanting to use the computer.
Taj Indian Food
Click below to check out Taj’s Menu:
Taj Indian Cuisine Menu
Andanita Coffee Shop Menu
Papadum (P50). Loved this but a little bit salty.
Plain Naan (P90). Ordinary and we wanted to order the chapati but it was out of stock.
Mutton Biryani (P240). Definitely Yummy! But after some time, you would feel your cholesterol level’s increasing on each munch.
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Mutton Masala (P240). The Best! What you see is what you get! We love how soft the meat was! I think this is already one of their expensive dishes.
Chicken Kebab (P120). I love this because of the herb taste — the coriander flavor was very dominant.
Vegetable Curry (P180). Even this curry dish would make your trip worthwhile.
Chicken Shawarma (P65). Forget about this. We shouldn’t have ordered this in the first place.
Our panel of culinary experts (kuno). Healthy Eater Momsy, Pregnant Rache, Toddler Aidan reading the menu, and Senior Citizen Popsy.
Taj of Tagaytay.
Indian. Mediterranean. Asian Fusion
Located along National road 300 meters after Tagaytay Zoo (Residence Inn) from Manila and 1.5km after Splendido/ Sonya’s Garden.
Tel# +63 916 936 4219, +63 927 711 4247
Hey, Tagaytay also got those halo-halo lights. What’s up with these lights?!
We passed Taj a few times when we headed over to Batangas. Looked interesting, will have to stop by one day. Where did you guys stay while in Tagaytay?
Were you there for Holy Week? We were too, from Wednesday to Monday! Saw those streamers advertising Taj and of course they made us curious. But the meals at home were too good to pass up. I’m so glad you posted about it, so we can know if it’s worth trying next time we go up. The place looks very nice and the prices seem reasonable, though the dishes sound ordinary. Ang bilis mo talaga, Anton! 🙂
hi anton! happy easter to u, rache and to qt aidan! we spent holy week at tagaytay and we saw this restaurant too however we chose to stick to the ones that have been tried and tested such as josephine, buon giorno and fire lake grill 🙂 the food looks delish from your photos.. will definitely try taj next time 🙂
I believed i was their first paying customer last tuesday afternoon May 3. The place was not that ready yet but it did have the ambiance.
I told them that the best advertisement for the place was to be visited by The Awesome Planet. And you did! I am sure they will have their hands full from now.
Thank you so much for sharing http://www.starfall.com! My toddler loves it!
I’ve been googling websites na educational for toddlers. But not all are quality or that easy to use.
But with starfall, I can leave Javier with the pc, while I do the household chores and he doesn’t even need my help to browse the site. Meaning, uninterrupted laundry and cooking. 🙂
Thanks Anton!
Love your restaurant reviews. I live right on the back of Sanctuario but never visited the place until I read your review. Great discovery!
My son loves UpToTen >> it’s gots lots of games, songs, puzzles – all the things that make toddlers happy >> http://www.uptoten.com
Anton keep up the great work,
Kris
You’ve mention in your article that the last time you went to taj was barely a month old and the prices are lower than what they charge these days. I’ve been there two(2) times and I can say that the taste of their food was great. My only complain was that now they have 10% service charge and 12% VAT. But they don’t issue OR’s.
The place is closed :/ boo.
hey kyla.. closed? as in wala ng taj? or are they just relocating/renovating? TIA!