Rizal is probably the last thing weekenders think of when planning a quick getaway, but under-the-radar Timberland Highlands Resort in San Mateo guards a delicious secret: Ridge Café. Situated at the topmost floor of the nature resort, the restaurant serves international and Asian fare perfect to be shared with family and friends. Even if you’re not staying at the resort, Ridge Café is worth a detour with its delicious offerings and a breathtaking view to match.
Headed by Chef Ranuka Hettiarachchi who hails from Sri Lanka, the restaurant features an amazing Arabic dinner spread among its rotation of offerings. With the chef’s roots and lengthy experience, expect vibrant flavors and diverse options when you dine at Ridge Café. Their kitchen is even pushing for healthy choices in the menu—always a plus for me and other people who are trying to eat clean at times!
Allow me to walk you through the many varieties of food you can try at Ridge Café.
Saturday Arabic Dinner Buffet
Stumped as to where to go on a Saturday night? Don’t think—drive over to Timberland and try the Arabic Dinner Buffet, available from 6PM to 9PM. For only PhP980++, you can feast on Arabic dishes you wouldn't typically see in other buffets. It’s such a steal for the variety of food and the abundance of meat choices.
Arabic food includes not only Middle Eastern cuisine but also Mediterranean and Indian—and the dinner spread here perfectly captures that. From zesty salads and grilled meats to seafood and desserts, everyone is sure to have their fill.
Some of my favorite starters include the hummus and shirazi salad (cucumber, tomato, onion, and bell peppers in a citrus dressing), tofu masala, and the comforting Moroccan-style chickpea soup. There’s plenty of other choices and I suggest that you don’t skip them—taste a little bit of everything and come back for your favorites!
Left: chickpea hummus; right: mutabal (creamy eggplant dip)
Left: beef kofta; right: tofu masala
The spread includes a lot meats: pork souvlaki and chicken kebab go side-by-side with mouthwatering shawarma, which you can have wrapped in pita, eat open-faced (you may ask the chefs to grill the pita), or enjoy with rice. The roasted leg of lamb was tender and not gamey (I ate so much of this), but the beef striploin was probably the most popular dish. Eat them on their own if you’re cutting down on rice, but I probably wouldn’t do that because their dum-cooked chicken biryani is incredible and a must-try. I really appreciate that they provide sauces and condiments for everything, including some delicious pickled chilies that really spruce up the biryani.
Diners (including myself) assail the delicious grilled seafood like there’s no tomorrow and it’s perfectly understandable. There’s also some feta and tomato pasta if you can’t get enough. Don’t skip desserts: I loved the Om Ali, which is an Egyptian style bread pudding made of puff pastry, milk, and nuts. The lemon pistachio cake is light and lively from the flavors of lemon zest, while the gulab jamun—an Indian flour-and-milk ball dessert soaked in sugar syrup—is sure to satiate your sweet tooth. The buffet includes free-flow iced tea too!
Family Set Meals
From Ridge Café’s a la carte menu, diners can choose from two Family Set Meals that are good for 4 to 5 persons. This is a good choice when you can’t decide what to get—the chefs have already curated the dishes for you.
Set A features Filipino cuisine and has all the crowd favorites. The Kare-Kare is a table pleaser (I’m very picky with kare-kare) with its delicious peanut sauce while the Crispy Pata is sure to delight any pork lover. Here are the other dishes included in this set:
• Java rice or steamed rice
• Charred Bangus Belly Sinigang (so delicious and comforting)
• Chicken Adobo
• Batter-Fried Eggplant with Buro (I loved this—I love buro, which is fermented rice with seafood!)
• One round of iced tea
On the other hand, Set B includes Chinese favorites such as Yang Chow Fried Rice and Sweet and Sour Pork. The best dish, in my opinion, was the Manila Clams in Tausi Sauce—the clams were fresh and the sauce was only mildly salty. Other inclusions in this set are:
• Crab and Corn Soup
• Fried Whole Lapu-Lapu with Sweet Chili Sauce (we loved this! So tasty)
• Salt and Pepper Spare Ribs (delicious!!)
• Garlic Bok Choy (a great side dish!)
• One round of iced tea
Perhaps I will tell you more about individual dishes on a separate blog post.
The a la carte menu is available daily from 7AM to 9PM.
Healthy Breakfast Options
Ridge Café wants to make sure it caters not only to all tastes but also to different dietary needs, and so, if you’re staying at the resort, you may opt not to eat from the breakfast buffet but instead order healthier breakfast sets.
I tried the Smoked Salmon and Avocado Toast which comes with their housemade ube loaf, smoked salmon, tomato, poached eggs, feta, pesto, and dill—such an explosion of flavor! I absolutely love breakfast food like this. The set comes with fresh fruits and coffee as well.
A la Carte Menu
My friends and I tried a variety of food from Ridge Café’s a la carte menu. If you like pasta, they have a Pasta Napolitana made simply with tomatoes, olives, and basil as well as a Spaghetti Aglio Olio with garlic, olive oil, and chili flakes. The Cheese Burger is also delicious. If you’re craving for something light and healthy, order the Caesar Salad—they let me order extra grilled chicken so I can have some extra protein (thank you for allowing that, Ridge Café).
Desserts are a must-try as well! We loved the luscious Crème Brûlée (I nearly finished one by myself) and the rich Chocolate Cake.
The a la carte menu is available daily from 7AM to 9PM.
Sunday Filipino Lunch Buffet
After an Arabian night, Ridge Café transforms into a Filipino fiesta with its Sunday lunch buffet (PhP980++) consisting of local food. From 11:30AM to 2:30PM, guests can relish in delicious Filipino treats such as kare-kare, grilled liempo, fried chicken, crispy pata, adobo, sisig, bistek na bangus, and many more (inclusive of free flowing iced tea)! If you’re looking for a quality Filipino buffet to take your loved ones to on family day, this is the place to be.
Breakfast Buffet
I’ll be honest with you guys—I’m not a huge fan of breakfast buffets. I didn’t eat too much during our stay at Timberland Resort but all the stuff I was able to try were delicious. I really appreciate the fact that they make all the breads themselves, and try to put a Filipino twist to them by utilizing malunggay, tablea, and ube, to name a few.
The photo that follows shows the sandwiches I made myself using the corned beef from the buffet spread and the tablea pandesal. The bread doesn't taste that chocolatey so you can pair it with anything. In addition to corned beef, there's also a bunch of other breakfast staples like bacon, sausage, and longganisa. In the photo of the left, I have chicken sausages as well as sourdough with cheese, tomatoes, and a poached egg, and a salad.
The breakfast buffet, priced at PhP545++ per head, is available only on Saturdays and Sundays from 7AM to 10AM.
Convinced already? Round up the fam and head over to Timberland Resort!
~*~
Ridge Café
Timberland Highlands Resort | Barangay Guitnang Bayan II, San Mateo, Rizal Province
+63995.840.3206/+632.8891.8288
reservations@timberlandresort.com
Have you been to Timberland Highlands Resort? What do you think about their food offerings?
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