AFTER six successful years of Merk?s Bar and Bistro at Greenbelt 3 in Makati, Richard Merk and Roni Tapia-Merk no longer surprised friends when they decided to branch out. Merk?s Café opened in Tagaytay City last July.

Merk?s Café at 8 Suites offers not only a feast for the palate, but also a serene and relaxing view of Taal Lake. The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner favorites.

For in-house guests and walk-in diners at 8 Suites in Barangay Iruhin, Merk?s Café has a varied menu with dishes distinct to Tagaytay?crispy tawilis or sinaing na tulingan?all sourced in the area.

Richard, recognized as the country?s jazz prince, was hands-on in the menu. ?It?s the kind of food you would want to eat while enjoying the beautiful view of the lake. That?s how we came up with the menu,? he says.

While Merk?s Bar and Bistro introduced its menu courtesy of LJC?s Bistro Remedios (through the kindness of the couple?s godfather, the late restaurateur Larry Cruz), Merk?s Café in Tagaytay comes up with its own dishes.

Specialties

Guests can savor reasonably priced house specialties like pochero ng Cebu (bulalo), crispy tadyang, kare-kare, picnic adobo (wrapped in banana leaves), gising-gising, tuna panga, embotido, sisig, lumpiang bangus, adobong kambing, ox-tail calderetta and sinigang na bangus belly.

Hot off the pan are triple-layered pancakes with crispy bacon and various omelettes which are offered as breakfast treats, with pan de sal combo, tocino, Batangas tapa, longganisa, Spanish sardines, freshly baked bread, cheese, kapeng barako and tsokolateng Tanauan. Rohini?s healthy lacto-vegetarian meals are also part of the menu.

?Guests can also request for anything they like even if it?s not on the menu,? Roni says. ?It?s a come-on that we offer. What you?re in the mood to eat, we will serve you. We have an adequate inventory of ingredients to whip up dishes to the guests? delight. We even serve breakfast in bed.?

According to Richard, some of Merk?s Bar and Bistro best-sellers like Al Quinn?s pig knuckles, sugpo sa gata and rellenong bangus, have also been included on the menu. ?These are food that have been identified with Merk?s which people look for,? Richard explains.

Merk?s Café is not exclusive to hotel guests. The restaurant is also open to the public who considers Tagaytay a great stop-over and vacation place. ?Eventually, we will also bring entertainment to Tagaytay, since Merk?s is known for that.?

Open to functions

The restaurant seats 60 and can also give way to functions such as weddings, birthdays, reunions, conventions, seminars and Christmas parties. ?We can cater for as much as 150 to 200 people,? Roni says. ?The place has a garden ideal for wedding receptions and parties.?

Roni says, ?For functions, we can develop a menu according to what they want. If they want Chinese, Spanish or Italian, we can outsource freelance chefs to cook special cuisine. We want to go beyond the bed and breakfast concept.?

8 Suites is the latest addition to the bed and breakfast concept that Tagaytay is famous for. The Tagaytay property is owned by Roni?s family and the lot was bought by 8 Suites, managed by the father-son team of Jimmy and David Gomez.

The family also owns the 16-room tourist vacation house in Boracay called Fat Jimmy?s (named after its patriarch).

The suites come with a balcony overlooking Taal lake and volcano. Guests can eat their meals in the veranda while enjoying the breathtaking view and cool weather.

?A lot of people go to Tagaytay for vacation and they always look for an ideal place to stay,? Roni says. ?There is less noise and the area is away from the traffic on the main highway.?

Merk?s Café at 8 Suites is in Barangay Iruhin Central, after Crosswinds. For more information, call 0929- 2697083.