Traipsing in Tagaytay

Sonya's Garden has been in my list of places to visit since 2000. Back then, it was necessary to make reservations weeks ahead as it had limited seating capacity. It was also hugely popular among couples who wanted lush vegetation as backdrop for their dates. It was only this year that I was finally able to go.

Traffic at the South Expressway was light when we left Manila at ten on a Saturday morning. We avoided the bottleneck at the Sta. Rosa exit by taking the next one at Ayala Greenfield. I found it strange to see fancy housing developments in the middle of nowhere. I wondered what happened to all the farmers as it was obvious that the area was used for agriculture in the not too distant past.

Within minutes, we were at the Aguinaldo Highway. I made a mental note to ask my friend Lyn, our designated driver, to stop by one of the numerous stalls selling plants and cut flowers on our way home. The pink and red geraniums in hanging baskets and the blue and lavender hydrangeas were calling out my name.

Sonya's Garden is tucked away in Buck Estate in Alfonso, Cavite. If not for the sign, it is easy to miss as the road leading to it looks like any small road in any small Philippine town. The only difference is that the front yards of the houses along the road had fat petunias and other bright-colored flowers that I only previously saw in Baguio City and in my gardening books.

I would have wanted us to lunch at a table beside the sunflowers but the thought of sun-induced skin damage kept us from doing so. The alternative wasn't bad-we stayed in a screened area where vines with giant blue flowers grew on the see-through walls which had a fountain on the other side.

Lunch was an eat-all-you-can affair. Bottomless freshly-squeezed dalandan juice and tarragon tea were served throughout the meal. The first course was green salad with arugula and freshly harvested lettuce (we saw the plots of growing lettuce from the parking lot). Fresh flowers were mixed with the greens. I felt like a like "Fear Factor" contestant before I tried them.

Sonya's Secret Salad Dressing, a creamy vinaigrette, complemented the crisp greens. We had fun mixing sliced mangoes, cantaloupes, jackfruit, pineapple, eggs, cucumber, and broad beans with our salads. We also had freshly baked wheat bread with various dips: basil pesto, white cheese, anchovies and tapinade.

The main course was pasta with two kinds of sauces on the side: sun dried tomato and chicken cream with mango. Toppings of salmon belly, chopped shitake mushrooms, sliced black olives and capers were served along with it. The pasta was fine but we were enamored with the salad. We asked for more green, leafy vegetables and had salad again. We almost skipped dessert but the moist chocolate cake (garnished with a confetti of rose petals), sweetened sweet potato and banana turon were difficult to resist.

We explored the gardens after our healthy (but filling) meal. We found two benches fashioned out of old wood and shaded by bougainvillea vines. We briefly considered going to the salon which offered massages, body scrubs and other salon services but we ended up just gabbing amongst the plants. I had not seen my friends in weeks. While we keep in touch by phone or e-mail, I missed hanging out with them.

We left Tagaytay late in the afternoon with plans to try Sonya's Bed and Breakfast in the future. While a romantic tryst at one of the cottages would probably be great, an overnight talkfest with good friends would be just as nice. I hope I do not have to wait for another seven years for either.

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