Antonio's in Tagaytay is one of the country's most popular restaurants. It is certainly the most prominent having been the only one from the Philippines to get into the top 10 of the newly-launched Miele Guide last year.

Chef Tony Boy Escalante is a jolly fellow who loves nothing more than giving a good party, and this can be felt in every aspect of the restaurant, from the staff's crisp uniforms, the restaurant's festive old house feel, and of course, the food itself.

The Scallop Tasting (P250), giant scallops sealed in puff pastry are soft and fresh, pliable with a fork, like a seafood marshmallow, a savory contrast to the salad that comes with it – fresh Tagaytay greens like lettuce, radish, and arugula, probably picked earlier that day.

Another savory starter is the Baked Brie & Cranberry in a Puff Pastry (P300) with Pan Seared Foie Gras (P550), melt-in-your-mouth brie enveloped in soft puff pastry served with foie gras, the liver light, evenly textured, its caramel-like flavor sliding beautifully of the tongue.

It comes with greens drizzled with a raspberry vinaigrette, some sweetness to cut through the subtle yet intense flavors.

I particularly liked the Steak Taretare (P700).

Served chilled, it was quite a refreshing dish, the grated radish cutting down the beef's saltiness while onions gave the dish crunch and zing.

Despite the vegetables, the dish was still too salty for my taste, so I recommend pairing it with bread.

The Tomato Broth with Coriander Dumpling is served hot.

The broth is light and slightly tart, the dumpling akin to ones found in chicken dumpling noodle soups.

The effect is stomach-warming and palate cleansing. Scooping up the melted cheese at the bottom of the bowl is a treat.

The Grilled Pink Peppered Chilean Sea Bass on Tomato Risotto, Saffron-Kaffir Sauce (P1,600) is lovely, the fish soft, grilled just right on the outside so that it has a crisp exterior while its inside stays moist.

Paired with the tomato risotto, it is a dish you will not want to share with anyone else.

The Beef Fillet on Plancha with Black Pepper Sauce, Pappardelle, Tossed Baby Arugula with Honey and Lemon Truffle Vinaigrette (P1750) was also good, the beef tender, and tendon-free.

If you want to try the sea bass and the beef, plus Honey Glazed Lambloin with Goat Cheese, you should get Antonio's Trio (P1,900).

Even people not fond of lamb will take to the latter, as it doesn't have a gamey flavor.

Eating at Antonio's may not be cheap, but each bite is worth every penny spent.

And if you like food as much as I suspect you do, you know that there is no price too high for good quality and great cooking.

Hidden behind the building fronting V Mall in the Greenhills shopping center is Southern Deli, a modest cafeteria frequented by the area's Muslim community.

Small and clean, the restaurant specializes in Maranao cuisine.

The restaurant may look humble, but the dishes – all Maranao home cooking – are anything but.

Diners get a free bowl of soup.

Made from carabao (water buffalo) ribs, this translucent broth is warm, its beefy base enhanced by a coconutty taste. It warms the stomach and prepares it for the dishes yet to come.

Dining is no-frills, no-nonsense.

You pick your dishes from a cafeteria lineup, sit at one of the plastic tables and eat. All the dishes, served on a small saucer, cost P50 while rice is P15 per bowl.

The Rendang Beef tastes like a cross between adobo and beef stew. It's pretty tasty, but has a slightly overpowering saltiness that is masked once it is paired with rice.

This saltiness occurs in a lot of the canteen's dishes, and when asked about it, the owners explained that it is actually a hallmark of good Maranao cooking.

My favorite dish was the Fresh Tuna Kinilaw (what they call kilawin in the South), which was very, very spicy.

Since my companion and I had gotten there early, the tuna had not yet “cooked” in its vinegar marinade. What makes this cerviche-like dish stand out is the addition of coconut milk, which lends the dish a sweet edge.

The kinilaw also contains chopped cucumber, onion, chili and ginger. This, I have to say, is one of the best I've had in the city.

We also had Bakas, which, unlike its name implies, is not a beef dish but is actually tuna grilled with tumeric and grated coconut. It was dry and a bit tough but with a mild taste, quite the opposite of the Beef Rendang!

The Chicken Curry was more salty than curry-shy, but also very very spicy. Another dish that has to be eaten with rice.

Another favorite of mine was the Badak, a vegetable dish made from leaves not found in Manila.

The dish also contains langka (Jackfruit) and daing (smoked fish) and tasted like laing with the texture of labong. Could a dish be even more perfect?

I wouldn't mind going back there again, especially if I'm in the mood for kinilaw.

I have to wonder about what the mainly Muslim clientele will think of a non-believer being there though, as we got a few strange looks during out trip there. Still, I'm glad we got to try it.

Southern Deli
Greenhills Shopping Center
Carpark Mosque
San Juan
+63902-5755559
10.30am – 9pm daily except holidays

It's great to know that our film industry is not only alive and kicking, but getting attention from all over the world also.

I hope you guys take time out to catch some of the festival's offerings. It'll be good for the industry and for our personal growth as well.

The 11th Cinemanila International Film Festival will be held from October 15 to 25, 2009 in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

Around 100 international and local films will be screened in a span of 10 days – from the current toasts of the local indie scene to the award-winners and favorites at prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Rotterdam, Sundance, and Pusan. The festival will also feature workshops, seminars and master classes. For more info, contact cinemanila.entries@gmail.com and cinemanila@gmail.com or go to www.cinemanila.org.ph.

Starting things off with a bang, the 11th Cinemanila International Film Festival showcases Brillante Mendoza’s latest work, Lola, as its opening film.

Director Mendoza’s latest work, Lola was preceded by his film Kinatay (The Execution of P), which earned him the prestigious Best Director Award at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival last May 2009.

Lola is slated as the Philippine surprise entry in the 66th Venice Film Festival, (Main Competition) which counts acclaimed filmmaker Ang Lee as Chairman of this year's jury.

Starring Philippine cinema icon Anita Linda in the leading role, Lola is about two elderly women who try to cope and survive life’s harsher realities for the elderly.

Both bear the consequences of a crime involving their respective grandsons — one is the victim, the other is the suspect. Both weak and poor, they laboriously solicit money in the midst of a storm — one for the victim’s burial, the other for the suspect’s bail bond.

Closing the festival is the much-anticipated Himpapawid (Manila Skies) from award-winning independent filmmaker Raymond Red.

Himpapawid, Red’s most recent film, is the closing film of the 2009 edition of the festival, which will run from October 15-25, 2009 at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

An official entry in the Main Competition of the 2009 Tokyo International Film Festival, Himpapawid tells “the astounding story of a lone deranged hijacker pushed to the edge of insanity as he struggles with the oppression of surviving in modern Philippine society.”

Inspired by the true story of the May 2000 PAL Flight 812 hijacking en route from Davao to Manila, the film follows the tale of a desperate man from the countryside on a wretched path to destruction that ultimately leads him to the insane hijacking of a plane.

The film showcases Raul Arellano in his first lead role together with veteran actors John Arcilla and Ronnie Lazaro.

Red, who secured the 2000 Cannes Palme d’Or for his short film Anino (Shadows), is one of the pioneers of the modern Filipino independent cinema movement.

As the source of inspiration for a new generation of independent filmmakers, he has been honing his craft at the outskirts of Philippine cinema while being a regular lecturer to numerous film workshops and mentor to a number of well-known indie filmmakers, doing his utmost to promote the independent scene movement.