Prism Restaurant Cafe — Restaurant in Lipa

We were looking forward to enjoy their delectable food as featured in different media platforms and the Taal Lake view as advertised but....

Upon entrance in the parking lot we were greeted by the beautiful Taal Lake. Excitement filled our hearts.

The place is accented by Capiz windows & we were welcomed by a friendly receptionist who led our way to the stairs.

Were so delighted by this gesture. Sooo Filipino! Right? Homey and Good intro to Filipino hospitality.

As soon as we reached the second floor we were seated to a table close to the veranda whee the view is.

Ambiance: It was a modern Filipino feels. The view can be seen better when you walk outside of the veranda. Inside there's not much to see.

Ventilation : This is a fully air-conditioned but can get a little hot due to direct sunlight from outside. So perhaps it's best to come here around 4-5 to avoid that excessive heat from outside.

Menu: They set up QR code to lead you to their website where you can find in one of the sections of their website - the menu. The dishes are listed according to category which is a good thing.

No description in each item neither images.

CR: There are two cubicles in the female's restroom. Interestingly, they have lotion, hand sanitizer and a mouthwash (which I thought was a hand soap because it's placed in a pump bottle.) It's pretty clean with each cubicle having it's own flush and tissue.

Team & Service: The waiter we encountered is needing a little more product training just so they can provide more guidance in choosing orders.

Generally, they seemed kind and well polite.

Unfortunately, they lack in providing enough information to their customers as to the status of their orders / requests. Quite an excuse to say about having lack of manpower. There weren't as much customers yet when we arrived.

Also, WE HATED THE FACT THAT NO ONE LITERALLY WAS ATTENDING TO US!!!

We ordered Hot Hisbiscus tea and Cold Coffee (I forgot what kind of drink)

For mains we ordered double cooked pork belly and king prawns.

Baked salmon with salad (was told that it's going to be Caesar Salad)

We ordered an extra rice but we just can't see any waiter. No one came to approach us... So after more than 5 minutes of hoping they'd come notice while we were raising hand, waving NO ONE CAME TO OUR TABLE.

Thought it's best to just approach a waiter. So I did, asked for an extra rice. Came after a few minutes.

Anyhow, we were wanting soy sauce and vinegar and well unfortunately same thing happened. No one approached us and when someone did they didn't bother to send it. We had to call another waiter to help us. Then we saw again the same waiter whom we asked the soy sauce from and asked where our condiments are he sent in soy sauce. Quite frustrating already. So we had to get the attention of another waiter. Finally giving us vinegar.

So while we were feasting with our orders we ran out of rice. Same scenario. No one is around to serve us.

I had to approach the manager to get an extra Rice!!! Goodness. We didn't enjoy our meal as we had to wait for a number of minutes before we can resume eating.

After a few minutes I said that we should go to veranda first to allow them to prepare the rice. (Also to avoid feeling frustrated with their services)

We took selfie and spend maybe a good 2 to 3 minutes away from our table.

When we came back the rice wasn't there yet.

I thought okay, did the manager hear me or what. Cause I literally approached her and told her we needed an extra rice.

So I had to approach a waiter and I was already frustrated.

The manager only came and approached our table to ask if we have received the rice AFTER 20 minutes. I've never seen anything like this before.

Fooda: Bked salmon gave us an impression that it wasn't fresh at all due to the itching sensation it left in our tongue.

Pork belly though crunchy wasn't something you'd come back for.

Side salad had walnuts and fresh greens, tomatoes and delicious Dressing. The only thing we loved...

Prism is really surprising. Driving there makes you feel like it’s just another typical-looking restaurant, but upon arriving, you go, ‘Wow, are we in the right place?’ It’s a HUGE building, and the dining area is HUGE! Some parts of the building were under construction when we arrived (above the restaurant and in the lobby area), but we never felt like we were dining in an unfinished restaurant. I love the vibe of the place! The capiz windows are the first thing that caught my eye.

The staff was amazing! (Okay, disclaimer, we were the only ones there.) But they were great nonetheless. We took our time to order, and one of the things that made us feel good was the waitress’s knowledge of the menu. She definitely helped us finalize our orders!

Now onto the main event!

We ordered the following:

• Chorizo and Gambas • Huevos al Horno • Truffle and Four Cheese Flatbread • Double Cooked Pork Belly and King Prawn • Signature Lasagna • Lemon Yuzu Meringue • Matcha Latte

(Writing this makes me realize that this is a lot for two. LOL)

For the starters:

• Chorizo and Gambas: This was good! The shrimp were cooked well, and the chorizo gave it a good kick in overall flavor. The bread was great! That’s the best thing about this dish. • Huevos al Horno: This is like your typical shakshuka. The eggs were cooked perfectly in the bed of tomato. There’s also bread included here, same as what’s included in the chorizo and gambas. It was perfect with it. The only thing missing here is the cumin flavor (more on my personal preference), but all in all, this was good!

Flatbread:

• Truffle and Four Cheese Flatbread: This was underwhelming. I feel that it lacks that umph! It was a bit underseasoned, and we had to ask for salt. The truffle part was not that amazing, and the bread was a bit under-toasted for my liking.

Mains:

• Double Cooked Pork Belly and King Prawn: My expectations for this dish were a bit high, and it did not meet them. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a good dish overall, but the pork was dry, and the ‘king’ prawn did not feel like a king to me. It’s a regular-sized prawn. It was cooked very well, though. The glaze was amazing, and the onions and green peppers were great highlights of flavors as well, but it did not meet my expectations. • Signature Lasagna: This was good! Good flavor, not the best lasagna I’ve tasted, but it’s good, especially for its price. • Lemon Yuzu Meringue: This was AMAZING! Man, I wish I could taste this for the first time again. The amount of lemon was perfect, the meringue was good, and the crust was good as well, but the filling or cheesecake was immaculate. There’s a weirdly good texture in it that feels so good when you eat it. This was so worth it for its price! • Matcha Latte: This is good as well! One of the best matcha lattes I’ve ever had. The way the milk was frothed was good, and the matcha flavor was just right for me. I’ll definitely be ordering this again.

Whew! That was a lot.

Like what I said earlier, the place has a lot of potential. I feel that this will be a great place for mini concerts like Johnoy Danao type acoustic gigs, stand-up shows from comedians from Comedy Manila, and I think they are already having drag shows here (or in their previous location).

I am excited to see what Prism will become in the coming years. I am sure that this will be one of the places that will be known in Batangas. Looking forward to our next visit!

Oh, we came here for my birthday lunch. So, happy birthday to...

Ok the key thing is finding the correct location - do not rely on Waze - it takes you to their old location.

Then when you do get the correct location, it is easy to drive past the road from the main road, with no signage from the main road - this would be a big help.

The roads leading to the location is quite narrow with few passing points.

On arrival you must go around the building with the entrance and the car park at the rear. The Car Park surface is not to bad but if you are not sure footed, take your time.

It said to have great views, however for us, this was not the case with low cloud obscuring the views.

This is a new building with the restaurant in the 2nd floor - with no obvious elevator so again take care.

It is ultra modern with the menu and you have to scan a code - but before you do get the password for their internet as the signal is not good.

Then the counter to the modern approach with a QR code, the person taking the order uses pen and paper rather than a hand held device.

Sadly the people taking the orders did not know about all the items on the menu.

The menu is split into restaurant and cafe and is faily well populated with a mixture of tastes and flavours.

We were in a large group ad the service was very disjointed with some finishing their food before others had even got it - this could be solved with more staff onsite - especially in the kitchen.

It was disappointing to find that they only had limited numbers of certain food options - especially as the dish I chose they recommended - they had only 2 and apparently the chef was not onsite - so obviously pre.prepared meals.

The lasagne was overpowered with the cheese and no other taste, whilst the pasta was dry?

The beef chosen by one of the party was not tender.

The price is quite high for the Philippines amd sadly the food quality did not match the price.

Washrooms - was very clean and was well ventilated - possibly one of the best I have visited since being in the Philippines for the last 3+ years. I must add however the restaurant was not busy and i did not see a cleaning schedule or record in the washrooms.

WOULD I RECOMMEND? - YES give it a go if you are in the LIPA area.

WOULD I REVISIT? - YES possibly but in the future when opened and...