There are several flower farms located near the Tagaytay crater rim. Because of the cool weather, many colorful flowers are grown here and they are supplied to Manila and other parts of the Philippines. Nestled in Tagaytay, The Flower Farm supplies a large portion of all the fresh flowers sold in Metro Manila.

Bag of Beans, a coffee house, is just a few meters past Mendez Crossing and is one of Tagaytay's garden-themed cafés. This cozy place, owned by a couple named Eric (an Englishman) and Chat, sells pies and cookies they themselves bake and are served with locally brewed coffee. It's actually a coffee shop, bakery and a garden restaurant all rolled into one.

The café has become a popular stopover for those on the lookout for an authentic English menu and a place to unwind after a round of binge eating. Its specialty are Home Made British Style Pies that come in different flavors--Shepherd's Pie, Steak Pie, Apple Pie--and are fairly priced (about 50 pesos for the cheapest) Pies can also be ordered on a 24-hour notice.

A bottomless cup comes for about P40. Packed coffee beans are ready to be taken home too. This garden café has an element of wildlife thrown in with a pet monkey playfully pulling off tricks while rabbits roam around in an enclosure. Beans also offers a place for those looking for overnight accommodation.

Coffee:
Bag of Beans Excelsa (Baraco) Blend sells for Php184.80 (a bit less US$4) for a 500 gram bag of ground coffee. Baraco coffee, is a type of coffee grown only in the Philippines, particularly in the provinces of Batangas and Cavite. It belongs to the species Coffea Liberica which has more than twice the caffeine content of arabica coffee. Arabica Robusta (combination of Robusta and Arabica Coffees) Blend for Php235.20 (US$5) for a 500 gram bag. Tropical Blend is made from roasted and ground excelsa, robusta and arabica beans. Tropical Brew retails for PhpP120 (a bit less than US$3) for a 500 gram bag.

Steak Pie at 60 Pesos, COFFE ALAMID (coffee harvested from droppings of the Civet Cat or Alamid in Tagalog, also known as Coffee Luwak in Indonesia and Weasel Coffee in Vietnam, this type of coffee is the most expensive int the world! more expensive than arabian sanani, ethiopian sidamo or kona coffee!) Coffee Alamid is Philippine civet coffee that comes only from the sweetest coffee cherries of the Philippine forests. The palm civets that naturally propagate the sugar palm trees are also the same civets that choose and eat these ripe cherries. The beans are then fermented in the digestive system of the civets, then excreted as whole beans. The coffee farmers pick these civet droppings during coffee season. Coffee Alamid when roasted, has sweet, chocolatey aroma that heightens the senses. Enjoy it black and pure to savor its true taste and aroma :)

Just off the road to Nasugbu just after Royale Tagaytay Estate in Barangay Buck Estate Alfonso Town is Sonya's Garden, which is a restaurant inside what is virtually a big greenhouse like complex with organic plants and vegetables plus a hotel.

The set menu includes home-made pasta with a choice of two sauces (white sauce with chicken and a sprinkling of mango and a red sauce with sun dried tomatoes). Bottomless "dalandan" (a local citrus with a cross between an orange and lime) is served along with a generous bowl of salad and a choice of dressings.

Shrimp (or chicken), mushrooms, nuts and other ingredients you can put on your pasta or munch separately are thrown in, plus a small bowl of jackfruit.

Sonya's people grow some of the vegetables and ingredients in the menu. The dessert--grilled sweet potatoes soaked in caramel sauce--is quite a delight to the palate.

Price per head is P500 (or about USD 10) for adults and half for kids. Only one menu is served for lunch while there is a different menu for dinner. In other words, all customers for lunch or dinner eat the same food.

Getting ready to eat, you notice small things which make the dining experience all the more pleasant. Like rose petals randomly scattered all over your table. The dinnerware used are also not uniform but all attractive, with floral designs. The Meal starts with the salad with the delicious toppings like finely chopped hardboiled egg, sliced chico (a small, brown fruit) with just about the right firmness and ripeness, sweet mangoes, crunchy nuts and cucumbers, cheese, and corn.

Freshly baked home made bread is then served with several different dips: sundried tomatoes, white cheese, mushroom, and chili, followed by pasta with two sauces. The pasta sauces are: tomato-based and white cream sauce. These can be mixed with shrimps, anchovies, and olives which are also provided separately.

For dessert, there is sweet banana coated with caramelized sugar, and sprinked with sesame seeds all over. There is also sweet carioca (cassava cake caramelized with brown sugar). To end the meal, hot water with mint tea leaves is served.

The largest concentration of roadside fruit vendors in Tagaytay are found near the old city market , along the road leading to Santa Rosa City (Laguna). Other than the sweet pineapples, Tagaytay's Senorita bananas are abound as well and popular to visitors.

Everytime you go up to Tagaytay it is a must to bring something home to your love ones. These are the best Pasalubong that Tagaytay offers:

1. Fresh Pineapple. Make sure to buy from the farmers themselves where you would normally see them displaying the pineapple along the streets.

2. Buco Tart. This is a signature Tagaytay Pasalubong. Make sure to buy your miniature Buco Tarts from Rowena or Amira's.

3. Pink Sister's Angel Cookies. This is an all time favorite.

4. Good Shepherd Convent Ube Jam. The Tagaytay Ube Jam is no match for the Baguio ones but this is a good pasalubong for your love ones.

We love this place because the food is healthy, ingredients are freshly made by the owner, and Manos is almost always there to entertain his guest -- very hospitable fellow. Manos claims that everything is cooked in Greek virgin olive oil which comes from their olive plantations in the island of Crete :)

Along Tagaytay-Calamba Road (before reaching the rotonda), Bgy. San Jose, Tagaytay City
This is formerly where Sanctuario is located and you can immediately see its blue and white structure.
Reservations normally is not needed but here is the Cellphone # 0916-4298358

Fire Lake Grill has been awarded Best Restaurant by Philippine Tatler and is included in the coffee-table book “Manila’s Best Kept Restaurant Secrets” by Ines Cabarrus and Elian Habayeb.

Huang’s dish, as his restaurant name implies, is a reflection of his adventurous culinary style and creativity. “It’s about contrasts—volcano being fire and lake being cold water. Hot and cold, fire and water; hot food, cool mood,” Huang said.

He has worked in the kitchen of the 2007 Le Cordon Bleu Restaurant of the Year awardee chef Emmanuel Stroobant of Saint Pierre at the Singapore World Gourmet Summit; and Sage’s chef Jusman So who serves contemporary French cuisine.

Another of his creative concoctions is the dark chocolate and ginger ganache tart with vanilla-caramel sauce, walnut praline and candied ginger, where the oriental, peppery flavor of the ginger gives an interesting bite to an otherwise cloying rich dessert.

The linguine pasta with mushrooms, Italian garlic sausages in black truffle cream sauce, his newest creation, is already a winner among regular clientele. This is a small cozy restaurant so you need to reserve in advance and it would be difficult to walk-in here.

Home-shopping might not be on your itinerary when visiting Tagaytay City, but 100-percent unique, Filipino export-quality finds can be sourced at the city’s premier lifestyle center Domicillo on Unit 6, Cliffhouse, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, Maharlika East, Tagaytay City (tele-fax 046-4132093).

Owned and operated by exporter Rene Alcala, Domicillo sells home accessories like mirrors, lamps, picture frames, jars, vases, wrought-iron votive candle holder, and home furniture such as faux leather aubergine sofa and outdoor, wrought-iron table sets.

Mirrors have always held a childlike fascination in Alcala. A few years ago, he crafted the Manila mirror to be up among the more popular Venetian mirrors. The Manila mirror, as its name suggests, reflects traditional Filipino design sensibilities in its usage of materials such as brown top shells or black lip shells, for instance, to create a stunning mirror unlike anything in the market today.

“This lifestyle center is a showcase of the Filipino genius and artistry. We don’t normally get to see items like these because they’re available only abroad. Through Domicillo, Filipinos can now have in their homes luxurious, export-quality home accessories and furniture,” Alcala said.

A coffee table, for instance, is made of laminated rattan material; a lamp from slivers of coconut shells; a lamp of laminated seashells. Bags, earrings, bracelets and even personal items such as scented oils are also for sale.

Domicillo recently opened a branch at L/3 of the swanky Greenbelt 5, Makati City.