SONYA’S Garden in the rolling hills of Tagaytay remained a secret to me until my son Jason and his fiancée Jenny Villegas opened its doors to me. The leisurely one-hour drive from Makati City to bucolic Tagaytay brought us through the impressive real estate developments in Cavite along the way. Our drive to Tagaytay was a special one since Jason and Jenny have chosen to hold their wedding reception late this year in this flower garden paradise that is earning a reputation as one of the most romantic places where love blooms like the beautiful flowers in its garden. Sonya’s Garden is known for its fresh and organic garden vegetables, herbs and edible flowers like nasturtium and oxalis or sorrel. The beauty of the place slowly unfolded as we walked to the main dining area passing along quaint cottages—an office, a gift shop and a panaderia (bakery) where breads, cakes and pastries are freshly baked. The main dining area is a huge green house with flowing sheer white canopies to soften the sun’s rays adding to the tranquil ambience. The fragrance of flowers and plants filled the place.
The country garden cuisine offers a simple set menu that has beckoned visitors since its inception in February 1998 (Valentine’s to be exact). Placed on our table as soon as we took our seats were a cold pitcher of freshly squeezed “Dalandan” juice and a basket of freshly baked whole wheat bread slices with sesame seeds and ramekins of dips and toppings: basil pesto, white cheese, anchovies, bruschetta tomato toppings, mushroom pate, black olive tapenade and fresh green peppercorns in olive oil. Jason and Jenny are both vegetarians so we chose to have the Garden Salad Greens and Pasta only, both with a variety of garnishing and accompaniments.
Special orders of Braised Chicken and Roast Chicken are optional orders on the menu. A big bowl of freshly harvested lettuce and arugula with nasturtium and sorrel flowers was served with ramekins containing slices of mangoes, cucumber, fresh pineapple, honeydew, chopped hard boiled eggs, crunchy lima beans or patani and a bottle of Sonya’s secret salad dressing. Nasturtium flower has a peppery punch while pink or yellow sorrel has an acidic taste. The salad ensemble is refillable at the guests’ consumption. I picked on the crunchy patani while assembling my salad. The freshness of the garden greens burst in my palate with every forkful. The Pasta came after the garden salad. There were two kinds of sauces—sun-dried tomatoes and creamy chicken with mango and sidings of deep-fried salmon belly, ratatouille, shitake mushrooms, black olives, capers and grated Parmesan cheese. Dessert consisted of Glazed Sweet Potato that is best enjoyed with mint leaves, banana rolls or turon with jackfruit and sesame seeds and dark moist chocolate cake. While enjoying the native delicacies, I took sips of hot fresh tarragon tea with a hint of anise or licorice flavor.
After a very refreshing, healthy light lunch, we took a leisurely stroll to further explore the secret of the garden of flowers.