The Good Life: Editors’ Picks of the Week

In every edition of The Good Life: Editors’ Picks, we round up our editors’ favorite restaurants, drinks, experiences, exhibitions and other discoveries. This week, familiar places reward another look: Goxo returns for a limited run at Sage Bar, Antonio’s proves the enduring pleasure of a menu you know well, and The Peninsula Manila fills its lobby with contemporary Philippine art.

Goxo at Sage Bar

We were saddened to hear that Goxo had closed its tiny Salcedo Village location, a well-kept-secret hideaway with its entrance through a nondescript door inside a busy restaurant.

Fortunately, chef Albert Mendoza and his team are back for the moment, serving the Basque-inspired, fire-cooked dishes that earned Goxo a place in the Michelin Guide, this time at a familiar haunt, Sage Bar at Makati Shangri-La.

Goxo is Basque for “delicious,” an apt name.

There were the exquisite pintxos: a foie gras sando with quince jelly and truffle honey, topped with caviar; blue marlin with butter and anchovies; and grilled skewers of chorizo.

There was the “jamón” that was in actuality smoked talakitok with melon and stracciatella; the Ibérico with pineapple chutney; and, oh, C.U.A., which stands for crab, uni, and anchovy! No need to say more.

Main-course choices include tuna, American Wagyu, and Rubia Gallega, a 30-day dry-aged côte de boeuf from northern Spain.

Goxo owners Carlo Lorenzana and Bobby Tenchavez also distribute excellent wines, so we had those on the menu, too: Lagarde Blanc de Noir Brut Nature Millésime 2018, Bordón Viña Sole Gran Reserva 2018, and Ricasoli Brolio Riserva 2020 Chianti Classico DOCG.

Goxo is at Sage Bar through September 27. And then we can look forward to its new home in Rockwell. – Yvette Fernandez, Chief of Editorial Content

Makati Shangri-la Manila is located at Ayala Avenue corner Makati Avenue, Makati City. For reservations, call +63 2 8813 8888.

Antonio’s Tagaytay

Some restaurants remain favorites because they keep pace with novelty. Antonio’s endures because it understands the pleasure of returning to something you already know is good: a familiar menu, reliably well executed, in a setting that still feels worthy of the journey.

I had forgotten how much I loved the drive to Antonio’s in Tagaytay, one of Robb Report Philippines‘ Best of the Best in Dining last year, and the gardens and sense of escape the restaurant provides.

We began with steamed clams in Chardonnay butter, served with provolone bread—the right tool for making sure none of the sauce went to waste. Baked burrata wrapped in phyllo followed, which was brightened by poached orange, pear, balsamic reduction, mesclun, and peach vinaigrette.

The centerpiece was the perfectly-grilled F1 Sanchoku Wagyu chateaubriand with red-wine jus, horseradish, charred onion, beans and peas, served with a charcoal-baked gratin potato.

Crêpe Suzette was an especially nice touch. Its old-school tableside preparation brought a little ceremony to the end of lunch: a warm crêpe with caramelized sugar, butter and orange, flambéed with Grand Marnier, then served with cold house-made panna ice cream. On a rainy afternoon, the contrast felt exactly right.

Antonio’s is also undergoing a generational transition. After nearly 25 years, founder Tony Boy Escalante has stepped back from daily operations, which are now handled by a three-person leadership team that includes his son, Basti. Tony Boy remains involved in culinary direction and strategic oversight, with more time for recipes and concepts.

He has certainly earned it. His touch remains unmistakable in the food, the hospitality, and the sense of occasion that have defined Antonio’s since its earliest months, when, according to a friend, the directions to the restaurant included the line, “When you feel a little lost, it means it’s close.” Nearly a quarter of a century later, Antonio’s remains worth getting a little lost for. – Kimberly Delgado, Digital Editor

Antonio’s is at Purok 138, Barangay Neogan, Tagaytay City. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5:30 to 7 p.m. For reservations, call +63 917 899 2866 or +63 918 899 2866. Preview the menu at antoniosrestaurant.ph.

Art in Residence at The Peninsula Manila

My kids and I tend to think of the Peninsula Manila as the place where we went to the Manila Pen Show, the one for fountain pens, so going there for the Art In Resonance program opening was different.

As part of the celebration of fifty years of the Pen (the hotel), they held their fourth Art In Resonance program, organized with the gallery Vinyl On Vinyl and Gaby De La Merced, who we actually know more because of race car driving, but who clearly has other talents.

The pieces were displayed nicely around the lobby area: an Arturo Luz when you approach the desks, Demosthenes Campos pieces as you check in, and more. It’s very much along the lines of art as something that lives with you, and a wonderful way to spend a late afternoon with a son or daughter in a place that has a history of everything from elegant senior proms to somewhat chaotic tank crashes. – Carl Cunanan, Cars and Watches Editor

Ongoing until October 30 at The Peninsula Manila lobby, located at the corner of Makati Avenue and Ayala Ave, Makati City.