Tagaytay Food Trip II – Leslie’s

One of the most famous restaurants in Tagaytay City is Leslie’s. Even my dad and my late grandfather talked about how delicious the Bulalo was in that restaurant. The last time I went there, it was almost a decade ago. That’s why when Mich and I went to Tagaytay for a vacation, I couldn’t resist the temptation to look for it and eat there again. It wasn’t hard to find since almost everyone in Tagaytay knew where it was. I just had to roll down my window and ask someone on the street on where it was and we were there in no time.

QUICKIE FACT SHEET
Name: Leslie’s Bulalo
Location: Tagaytay City
Type: Filipino Food
Price Range (per dish): P200 – P500

Review of Leslie’s after the jump.

The location of Leslie’s is really nice. It’s a huge restaurant divided into two sections. The first one is basically the main restaurant inside the building while the second part is a gigantic balcony overlooking the Tagaytay lake. Scattered in the overlooking area is a bunch of huts where you can also eat. The view combined with the cool breeze really makes the trip to Tagaytay worth it. How I wish that Manila would have the same weather, lol.

We ordered Bulalo, Garlic Rice, and Liempo. The price at Leslie’s was kinda steep for your average Pinoy restaurant. Must be because of the location and their long standing reputation of having good food. Okay, moving on to the review. First, let me talk about the Liempo. Just like Gusi’s, Leslie’s Liempo was made from bad cuts. There was too much fat and not to mention too much bone in the dish. I really didn’t like the Liempo at all and I felt that it was a waste of good hard earned cash. The Bulalo, on the other hand, was superb. The meat was tender and soft – not too hard that you’ll have problems cutting out slices with your standard knife. The soup was also perfect. If you’re a fan of the marrow, then you’ll definitely love Leslie’s since they Bulalo they serve usually has a lot of it inside the bone.

Here are some bad points though. I don’t know if it already got into the heads of the management that their restaurant is good but the service really sucks. The waiters didn’t get the order right at the start and it took more than 20 minutes before our food was served. Note that we only asked for 2 dishes.

SUMMARY

Rating Card
1 – Waste of money
2 – Satisfactory – just okay. Nothing special
3 – Wow, something to remember.
4 – OMGWTFBBQ I WANT MOREZZ PLZZ

FOOD QUALITY: 3
DISH PRICES VS QUALITY: 2
CUSTOMER SERVICE: 1
RESTAURANT CLEANLINESS/LOCATION: 4
RESTAURANT OVER-ALL RATING: 2.25

Over-all Leslie’s was okay. The major let downs were the Liempo and the service. Hopefully they can get more competent staff and get better cuts of pork for their dishes in the future. I’d imagine that Leslie’s would be great for family dinners and lunches but not really for dates. There are much more fancier, cleaner, and more romantic spots in Tagaytay that you could pick.

Up next is a fancy Japanese restaurant along Tomas Morato. For me it serves the best Ebi Tempura at a fairly reasonable price. Check back Sunday or Monday for the review.