Valentine's Day Date Place: The Domaine Restaurant

Looking for an intimate and romantic restaurant this coming Valentine's day? Away from the ridiculous traffic of the metro? Away from those kids pestering you while having dinner just so you'll buy flowers from them? Do you want a place where it's cold (I know it's really cold now, but it's colder there) so you can snuggle up with your special someone while drinking wine?

I've made a sweet discovery while I was doing a restaurant listing on Tagaytay City couple of months ago. It's not really at Tagaytay City, but roughly 10 minutes away from the Tagaytay roundabout, located in Silang, Cavite. My first visit at The Domaine Restaurant was really for work so I didn't get a chance to try out their cuisine. I made it a point to visit it again, so I asked Kathi if she's up for a trip in Tagaytay (If I told her that we'll be going to Cavite, she might just say "meh"), without hesitation, she said yes. According to her, it's one of her best decisions this year. 

I decided to take the Cavite route instead of the SLEX then Sta. Rosa route (which I instantly regretted) because it's closer to us. After an hour of crawling through the Cavite traffic and roughly 45 minutes of cruising through Silang, we passed by the Gourmet Farms, which it the landmark before making a left turn on to a narrow road. After a few meters from the turn, there are arrow signs which leads to The Domaine Restaurant. 

The facade of The Domaine. It looks more like a modern house than a restaurant. 

The Domaine is a French-Mediterranean restaurant by Chef Robbie Ripalda. Chef Robbie have a knack for innovation, just like out welcome drink, a glass of Vanilla-Calamansi Juice (P150). It's not the usual Calamansi Juice that we're all used to, the secret lies on the sweetener. Instead of using honey or sugar, Chef Robbie uses fresh Vanilla Pods to sweeten the Calamansi Juice, adding a unique sweetness to the refreshing drink. 

The Domaine offers a 3-course meal Prix Fixe Menu (P1,395++) for the meantime.  

We started with the complimentary bread basket with a side of butter, olive oil, smoked rock salt and dukkah. Kathi was really surprised to see the dukkah, it's one of her favorite Arabic dip (that's made up of ground up sesame seeds, nuts and various spices). It's actually the first time we saw a restaurant serve dukkah, not even at an Arabic restaurant. I liked the smoked rock salt, those little crystals really pack a punch of flavor. Sprinkle it on top of a bread with butter, and it will do wonders on your taste buds. 

The name of the wine says it all. This wine actually made me feel warm and cozy after a couple of glasses, which is really perfect for the cool weather.  

Appetizers 

Oven-Roasted Baby Prawns in Its Own Bisque with Ginger-Vanilla Confit.

Kathi had the Prawns, since I'm a bit allergic to shrimps. But, it didn't stop me from having a taste of her appetizer. The prawns are actually huge to be called baby prawns. It has a nice kick of spice in it and the ginger strands adds more flavor. 

Wild Mushroom Soup with Arugula

I got the Mushroom soup. It was really thick and creamy. I looks like an ordinary soup at first but once all the ingredients come together, it blends well and makes an interesting appetizer.  

Entrées

There are three main courses to choose from the prix fixe menu. Kathi had the Seared Fillet of Spiced Beef served with a rich pepper jus, sweet potato gnocchi, and glazed garden vegetables. She called dibs on the steak so I had the burden of choosing over the Roasted Sole Fillet with Charred Bell Peppers and Leeks or the Chicken Breast Stuffed with Foie Gras. I choose the latter, just because of the Foie Gras. 

Seared Fillet of Spiced Beef

Chicken Breast Stuffed with Foie Gras

The Chicken Breast Stuffed with Foie Gras was stuffed to the brim with rich Foie Gras. The taste of the chicken breast was actually overpowered by the rich Foie Gras. Half way though the chicken, I got cloyed by the richness of the Foie Gras. 

Dessert


The Dark Chocolate Mousse with Coconut Biscuit was the only option for dessert when we visited. It is served with some generous slices of Mandarin and coconut snow to balance the sweetness of the Dark Chocolate Mousse. 

Dark Chocolate Mousse with Coconut Biscuit

We paired the dessert with some tea. I was surprised that the teas that they're serving are fresh and really out of the ordinary. They actually put together their own tea with fresh ingredients that they find in their garden. The options they gave us were tarragon, cinnamon-ginger, and peppermint. I got the cinnamon, which is a cinnamon bark with ginger tied inside. While Kathi got the Tarragon. 

Herbal Teas (P150) 

Cinnamon-Ginger tea. 

The restaurant looks awesome during night. 

I think The Domaine is a great place to bring your date this coming Valentine's day. It's intimate and away from the hustle and bustle of the metro. It's also just a few minutes away from Tagaytay city if you and your date decides spend the night there and make a weekend out of it. 

Here's the details of The Domaine: 

The Domaine

+63 2 895 0640

Patindig Araw Street, Purok 1,

Barangay Malabag, Silang, Cavite City

Open Wednesday - Sunday: 11:30am - 2:30pm, 6pm - 10:30pm