Tags: Food Establishments, Food Fare and Dishes
by Alexander Villafania
TAGAYTAY CITY, CAVITE – Tagaytay’s cool and pristine air makes it an ideal place for vacationers looking to have a Baguio City-like experience without travelling for 8 hours up north. Dozens of hotels — from low-priced transient rentals to the more expensive hotels like Taal Vista – are available for tourists.
Likewise, there are many restaurants and dining areas that cater to just about every type of visitor. Some can go and visit People’s Park for picnic but those with some budget to spare can visit places like Antonio’s, Josephine’s, and Sonya’s Garden. The latter is where I brought my family last December.
Many reviews have been made about Sonya’s Garden, owned by Sonya Garcia, especially as it’s a combination of a hotel, spa and restaurant. Sonya’s Garden is quite a distance from Manila (about three hours without traffic) and is about 10 kilometers from Tagaytay Rotunda. Upon reaching Buck Estate, you will see a small, 2-kilometer road that stretches down to Sonya’s Garden. Despite its grandiose reputation, the restaurant is inconspicuously provincial.
There was limited parking space, even with a small lot acquired nearby to accommodate more vehicles. Upon entry, we were greeted by some staff in an open-reception table. The place looked more like a small village with some bungalow structures, eternally covered in ornamental plants of white, red, yellow and violet.
Tranquility fountains fill the place with relaxing sound of water. A few tables and chairs situated in hidden corners provide visitors some little hideaways, perhaps while waiting for their turn in the nearby spa or the dining area. Indeed, the ambiance of Sonya’s garden was made more for couples hoping to find a romantic getaway.
We found at least two huge dining areas that looked like converted greenhouses. One dining area can fit at least 100 people while the bigger one can fit about 400 or more. Small trees and shrubs accentuate the area. The roof is opaque glass and underneath it are long and wide white cloths that diffuse the rays of the sun even at high noon.
Most of the tables are long, except for a few ones that can sit four to six people. The table chosen for us was long enough to fit 10 people. Since it was lunch, we were served the restaurant’s sit-down-style, eat-all-you can option. This consisted of three stages, the first being an appetizer set of freshly harvested greens and fruits. There were lettuce, arugula, pineapples, cucumber, and jackfruits drenched in a specially made dressing and balsamic vinegar. Another group of appetizers was wheat bread with several types of dips and pates. Our appetizers were complemented with bottomless dalandan juice. These were already enough to fill our hungry stomachs.
The next stage was the main course, which consisted of angel hair pasta and several types of sauces. The main sauce was sun-dried tomato, chicken cream and mango. Ratatouille (a version of pinakbet without the salt and spices) was also available, along with shiitake mushrooms, olives and parmesan cheese. The only meat product there was salmon belly dipped in either olive or soy oil.
The final part, of course, was dessert. By this time, we were already full but then the dessert was very inviting — sugar glazed potato, and fried banana and jackfruit lumpia rolls. The ultimate diet-killer was a slice of chocolate cake. We were treated to a cup of tarragon tea but my parents were looking for coffee, which unfortunately was not available at that time.
Of course, downing so much food made us somewhat sleepy so we strolled around the area for a bit before heading back. I spent around P610 per person for this entire lunch, which was a fair amount considering the type of food we consumed plus the ambiance.
We bought some food stuff along the way to take home. We had already filled up the back of our vehicle with fruits, vegetables and ‘merienda’ items before taking to the road.
At home, my family noted that it was the best classy restaurant they’ve visited and would want to go back there for another family get together. Their only complaint was the distance. “Next time, you drive,” my dad told me. Definitely, we’re going back there.
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