From fine dining to farm dining

Our notions and associations are formed from our early childhood experiences. A beautiful bouquet of roses in the living room meant my dad remembered my mom’s birthday, their wedding anniversary–or he was in big trouble. Attached to the blooms with dad’s chicken-scratch doctor’s handwriting was a card bearing the name of the florist, Esperanza.

In the same way, my mind embraced the notion of a farm with a plethora of animals making noise, thanks to Old MacDonald. And growing up in a food loving family, dining out was a serious weekend past time, the search for a good meal an art form. Thus I had a clear idea of Esperanza’s, Farm and Dining. But when the three concepts merged, I no longer knew what to expect.

My romantic mind dreamt of eating al fresco in a garden filled with roses of every color, maidens in long white dresses and parasols, almost a Victorian fantasy. Driving 35 minutes south of Alabang, a few kilometers from the Batangas-Lucena-Legaspi exit, Esperanza’s, farm and dining came to life. The apple green and aqua flower cart logo hanging by the blue gate in Barrio Tulo, a breath away from Carmel Ray Industrial Park, beckons you down the narra tree-lined driveway leading up to the Pelea’s two decades old house on the 5.5-hectare property.

Mount Makiling provides the backdrop to the farm setting of a rest house, swimming pool, fruit bearing trees and, of course, animals. The farm’s gracious host Albert Pelea, fourth of Esperanza’s brood of five, stands tall in white slacks and checkered polo shirt. His smile and firm handshake welcome each visitor as they walk up the stairs to their own dining cabin.

Before I could lament the absence of flowers in my notion of dining at Esperanza’s, I was led into an endearing dining cabin which turns out to be the Pelea’s rest house, where the now 40-something Albert used to spend his summer vacations.

On this Sunday lunch, my mom, dad, brother and I had the special treat of enjoying the privacy of the Pelea rest house to ourselves. The dark hues of the old yakal floors and hard wood antique cabinets were brightened by a white sofa, pillows, tablecloths and feminine accents, creating an ambiance distinctly that of a simple Filipino home with subtle touches of class in the details.

My mom and I were instantly drawn to the bright glow of a three-bulb yellow antique lamp on the side table next to a vase of chrysanthemums. The lampshade was draped with a laboriously crocheted accent. Pockets of interest abound, like a wooden child sculpture holding a pouch of potpourri sitting on the floor next to a miniature wooden chair used as a candleholder.

The bedroom continues the tones of white and dark brown with old style beds. The bathroom is a compact yet luxurious space with an abundant stream of natural light, creating the illusion of bathing outdoors. According to Albert, his wife Mavi is responsible for sprucing up the quaint house, including the soaps and oils in the bathroom that she personally makes.

After the initial introductions, Albert left us to enjoy our special Sunday lunch. Against a background of Josh Groban singing of love and life, waiters in simple Esperanza t-shirts and black pants fill the small fluted glasses with chilled buco pandan juice, the nuts harvested from the farm’s towering coconut trees and aromatic pandan from the garden. A wrought iron basket in the center of the table contained freshly baked breads.

The salad of greens, carrots and singkamas is served with croutons, grated cheese, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. In the cool —ber months, piping hot soup is served instead. Seafood Pomodoro, fettucine noodles with a generous serving of squid and shrimps swimming in sauce made from fresh tomatoes follows. Our favorite is Albert’s chicken logs with cheese sauce, rolled and stuffed with carrots and herbs, with a wonderfully flavored crisp skin. The sweet ending was Mavi’s chilled kiwi and lime pie with caramel sauce and a hot fresh mint and lemon tea from the farm’s herb garden.

Albert has also become famous for his gourmet lechon stuffed with fresh herbs, lemon grass chicken, marinara pasta with fried calamari, fish fillet with caper sauce, and roast beef tenderloin with shitake gravy. All the dishes served are original recipes concocted by Albert and prepared by a cook under his watchful eye.

Since 1998, Albert has been personally hosting lunch and dinner in this relaxed farm setting. Upon the prodding of friends who frequented the rest house, they opened their gates to the public. While the family is synonymous with flowers, they too have been in the food business. Clients waiting for their floral arrangements were served coffee and pastries. It evolved into a flower shop cum restaurant called Patio Esperanza in 1981, followed by other fine dining restaurants.

These days, families from Manila, the executives from the nearby industrial park, even starry-eyed lovers come all the way to Calamba to experience elegant farm dining. There have been wedding receptions, day seminars and romantic al fresco dining set out by the poolside during Valentine’s Day.

With the cool afternoon breeze from Laguna de Bay, my dad took a nap, my mom and brother talked and I roamed the farm with Albert. I met Lady Godiva, a gorgeous thoroughbred his daughter Louise rides. Several chickens strolled freely around the property. We searched for Oreo, a pure black Bantam chicken and a favorite family pet. I saw the biggest chickens I had ever seen in my life: Israeli chickens, as big as full-grown turkeys yet remaining low in fat, low in cholesterol, with a flavor close to native chickens.

There were owls and the family parrot comes to visit occasionally. Alvin, the lone pig in the farm, had the job of eating scraps. But judging by his lean size, I am sure most of the guests clean their plates. There are Avocado, star apple, mango, guyabano, langka, Perante oranges, calamansi, banana and other fruit-bearing trees. Like a proud farmer, Albert shows me his herb plot of rosemary, tarragon, thyme, basil and lemon basil. Recognizing the improved flavor fresh herbs impart, this chef uses only ingredients from his garden. He is working on growing more herbs and vegetables with dreams of eventually becoming a self-sufficient farm.

As a young boy, little Albert envied his classmates who had provinces to go home to during the summer holidays. Born and raised in Manila, he had no province to go home to. These days Albert gets much joy from cooking in his own farm-style home, and his children Alexa, Anton and Louise can now call Calamba as their home province. I think it’s the classmates who now envy the Pelea children.