MANILA, Philippines ? Dan was in love with Carrie. He wanted to sweep her off her feet. He wanted to treat her to a beautiful, sumptuous, romantic dinner that would blow her away and make her fall in love with him. ?Have you been to Antonio?s in Tagaytay?? he asked her sweetly.

?Of course,? she said.
?Vieux Chalet?? he challenged.
?My best friend lives in Antipolo, so yes,? she countered.
?I know a nice little place in Malate. Italian. Very quaint, very ?Godfather.? You?ll love it,? he attempted again.
?Cosa Nostra! I was there a lot in the ?90s. Can you believe that the same maitre ?d is still there??
?Have you tried Antonio?s?? Yes. Lolo Dad?s? Yes. French Corner? Yes. Lemuria? Yes!
Adan felt defeated. Shoulders slumped, head bent, he racked his brain trying to find the perfect place to take this woman who seemed to have saturated the country?s best restaurants. Unable to get past the regular romantic go-to?s, he called on his friend, the lean mean dating machine Doc Aga, who came to the rescue and recommended a restaurant yet to be discovered by even the most voracious eaters: Chateau Hestia. True enough, she hadn?t been there.

Hestia is in the recesses of Tagaytay. On the side of Highlands just a little past Discovery Country Suites, you make a left and drive a few kilometers down a thin road before finding the restaurant. But once you enter the gates, you know you?ve come to the right place.

You don?t go into the restaurant right away. You first walk through a trellis before entering the restaurant doors, which open to reveal a country home. Wooden tables down the hall, window seats with a garden to the right, a sala and a piano to the left, and a bar across. A white guy will welcome you, temporarily disorienting your bearings (am I in the Philippines?) with his warm, ?Hello, you must be Adan. I?m Johannes.?

The ambience is casual and laid back, in true Tagaytay fashion. Unless it?s Valentine?s Day or Christmas, you will most likely have the opportunity to select your table.

Laminated menus will be presented at your table but specials of the day and house specialties are also written on chalkboards by a post, advertising the Chateau?s own breads and wines (not reds but a limoncello). Johannes may get your orders himself or he may send Lope out to get your orders. Try to hold out for Johannes though, if you are the curious type, because he is a pleasant host who will gladly share stories with you about the restaurant, which he says was inspired by the Schönbrunn Palace in Austria (key word is "inspired"; it?s more a country getaway and hardly a palace) where he hails from.

The menu is standard, with pastas and steaks, but the presentation offers a taste of country. The French Onion Soup, for instance, is not your standard fancy French onion with Gruyere lavishly atop the soup. Here there is a singular piece of toast with a teensy slice of Emmenthal that swims on the soup, although the bowl is bigger than your usual serving for one. Nevertheless, it is very tasty and perfect after that long hunt for the restaurant. The salad with their homemade dressing is oh so fresh, as you would expect from a restaurant in Tagaytay.

Main courses are also pleasant. I would fight for the meats. They have sausages that are top brass, of German and Austrian descent. And their rib eye is aged 12 days before serving. Aging, some steak aficionados say, is a dying art, but if you know the how-to?s of it, you end up with a more tender and more flavorful steak. Indeed, the rib-eye at Hestia goes a long way in terms of flavor. And although the steak is not butterknife soft, even senior citizens with resurrected teeth can attempt a chew.

For dessert, the restaurant offers the usual list that includes chocolate mousse and panna cotta. Interestingly, they offer something they call Spiced Hot Chocolate. It is not to be mistaken with spicy hot chocolate; it only means that they use real Swiss hot chocolate. I must withdraw commenting on its taste, however, as I have a bias for Filipino hot chocolate.

As the restaurant is only less than a year old, service may be a bit slow. But overall, I believe the restaurant delivers on its objective of offering what it calls on its card a ?charming European dining experience.? It has a lot of charm, a touch of Europe and it is definitely an experience! Hestia is the Greek goddess of the hearth, presiding over domestic life. Her name means ?the essence? or the ?the true meaning of things.? In a way, it does feel like Hestia?s spirit is in the ?chateau? because of the restaurant?s commitment to deliver food as true to their essence as possible. That?s something worth driving for! ?

Chateau Hestia. Tagaytay City. Reservations a must, call 0929-711-3289. www.chateauhestia. com. Wheechair accessible. Open Thursdays to Sundays only.