The Art of Doing Nothing

Before Elizabeth even made that phrase popular during the Italian leg of her journey to self-discovery, there’s already Sonya whose garden seemed to lure every visitor to well, do precisely nothing  because it’s an art.

 photo from here

Because I like to travel and I like to eat, on a Saturday afternoon, I dragged my two friends to Sonya’s Garden. See I am trying to infuse a lot of fresh leaves and vegetables in my system, so there. This was not my first time in the garden, but this was my first time to take photos of the food. And also, this was my second time to go to Sonya’s Garden via public transportation and thought, why not blog about it?

More on the commuting experience on later posts. So first, Sonya’s Garden. Upon arriving here, I can feel my pulse rate and my mood mellow down. Ahh. I can spend a day or two here writing away. Their set menu is standard for dinner and lunch and costs 610 pesos for an eat all you can healthy feast.

Menu:

Assorted fresh greens: lettuce, arugula, shaved carrots

Turnips, pineapples, ripe mangoes, melons, cucumbers, shaved boiled eggs, crisp broad beans, jackfruit and Sonya’s secret dressing.

Freshly baked wheat and sesame bread with dips (basil pesto, mushroom pate, black  olive tapinade, white cheese in olive oil, anchovies, bruschetta tomato toppings and green peppercorn in olive oil)

Pasta with choice of two  sauces (red one and creamy chicken with mango one) with salmon belly, ratatouille, capers, olives, pepperoncini, mushrooms, grated parmesan cheese

And how could I forget, dessert! Wasn't able to take good photos of them but they were good! Small slice of chocolate cake, turon, camote and tarragon tea which I loved! (remnants of the dessert below)

I love it! I am a sucker for these kinds of dinner spread. I am hoping to find a similar concept near Manila and to people reading this, I hope you can recommend me one. However, any restaurant can take pride of a having garden. Or to claim to serve only organic. It made me realize that what makes Sonya’s distinct is its location, location, location. And coupled with Tagaytay/Alfonso’s cool temperature and the lush surroundings, I can almost believe that what they serve me are real organic food.

Going to Tagaytay and finding myself infront of an immaculate spread is more than enough. What sets this set meal apart from other buffet is the experience. Life stands still, work worries and personal issues seem to blend with the clear air and rose oil scented atmosphere. Clearly, what transpires in Sonya’s garden is the art of doing nothing and just…chilling.

The garden? Well it is a garden. It looks wild, lush and fresh. And it transports you to a story book chapter where you’re a kid again and you’re being looked after by a stern governess. (Regression alert). My friend says it transported her to a place where she is being proposed to by a guy whom she likes. We all have our own issues.  

You can also visit the panaderia for cheese hopia, macaroons, fresh bread and others. Also there is a country store where you can bring home a sample of Sonya’s secret dressing for 400 pesos for a large bottle, and 200 for a smaller one. I bought the smaller one along with a little jar of crispy broad beans for 100 pesos.