LOOK: This Tagaytay Tapas Bar Is A Haven For Design Geeks

Thomas Headerwick's Spun Chairs are the first to greet the visitors of CE. PHOTO BY Jar Concengco

(SPOT.ph) A short drive down from the main Tagaytay-Nasugbu highway will bring you to a gated complex called Carmelence Place by cerilo’s. At first, you won’t assume much of the bed and breakfast set up situated here, but its owner Cerilo "Cy" Catalan has built a restaurant that doesn’t only serve the guests at the inn but also serves as hideout for midcentury modern design lovers who have a hankering for Spanish bites.

Named CE Tapas Bar - an abbreviation of Catalan’s first name - the restaurant looks and feels more like entering someone’s tastefully designed home. Three white Spun Chairs designed by Thomas Heatherwick line the deck outside while the entryway has a red LCM chair in front of a wooden credenza. On the wall are Bauhaus-style yellow half circles made of wood meant to abstractly spell out "Ce". Unmissable is the white Gufram Cactus on the side - designed by Guido Drocco and Franco Mello and is meant to be a coat hanger.

A collector's stash of midcentury modern pieces

The space takes advantage of Tagaytay’s cooler climate by lining its perimeters with pivot doors, allowing for cross ventilation. An avid midcentury modern furniture collector, Catalan has filled this place with many pieces from his personal stash, lending to the space a very homey characteristic.

"I knew all along that I’ll be using vintage pieces that I own for this restaurant," says Catalan who is soft-spoken and mild-mannered. "That’s why this is really very personal because many of these pieces are supposed to be only for my use. It makes me happy to see people enjoying and appreciating them."

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To hear the guy say it, it seems every spot in the space has his personal stamp. "The color of the walls was quite difficult for us to decide on. I didn’t want to use black but I wanted it to be dark. So eventually I chose midnight blue."

On the far end of the room, is another iteration of the Bauhaus half circle patterns in natural wood colors spanning the expanse of the wall. There’s a biscuit tufted leather couch next to a hanging Nelson Cigar Lamp on one side and a Louis Poulsen table lamp on the other. In the middle of the room is a large slab of wood that cantilevers over a cage of wire. A painting signed by a "K. Takasahi" and dated 1976 hangs on one end of the table; it features a bull facing a woman wearing red shoes.

"I was looking for artwork that wasn’t too literal when it came to bullfighting," explains Catalan. "This was in my storage and I thought it’s just perfect. The color is not too obtrusive."

One of Catalan’s favorite pieces in the restaurant is the Swan Chair by Arne Jacobsen which is placed underneath a framed poster of The Chair Collection by Vitra Design Museum. At one of the tables, Marcel Wanders’ Cyborg Club chair (half polycarbonate and half wicker) is free for anyone to sit on.

The food

Catalan collaborated with chef Noah Ranola who helped develop the menu. Ranola’s culinary resume includes The Peninsula Manila and Club Paradise Palawan and the food he serves at Ce continues to raise the bar. His Jamon de Croquetas has a creamy Mornay sauce with smoked ham enveloped in a delightfully crisp ball. His version of the Callos is one you won’t easily forget—he uses tender Australian tripe, Spanish chorizo with potatoes, and Kalamata olives.

There are also festive dishes such as the Paella Negra that have squid ink arroz and topped with grilled pulpo, New Zealand mussels, squid and shrimp.

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With Tagaytay becoming more and more crowded and it being harder to find a quiet place to enjoy a meal, Ce Tapas Bar is a welcoming and unique alternative to your usual haunts. Here Catalan offers a place where design lovers can delight in iconic furniture within a homey setting, against the backdrop of nature. He hopes to attract likeminded people to delight in conversations over tapas and Sangria, while enjoying the cool Tagaytay weather.

CE Tapas Bar is located inside Villa Carmelence 3, Tagaytay - Nasugbu Highway, Tagaytay, Cavite. For inquiries, contact: 0927 983 7214