Jan 27, 2011

sonya's garden

i'd like to think that sonya's is a tagaytay institution of some sort. it's one of those tagaytay destinations that i have never been to. so it was really a must for me during my last tagaytay trip.

sonya's doesn't really have a menu, by default you are served with a bottomless full course meal. if i'm not mistaken it's now pegged at PHP680 610 per person.

first you are served with a do it yourself salad.



sonya's creamy dressing and other condiments. a "vinaigrette" is also available. i deem it's a balsamic based dressing but also has a thick consistency not similar to the vinegar-olive oil dressings i'm used to.



a bowl of greens, egg, cucumber, jicama, mangoes, melon, nuts and pineapple. all refillable upon request.



my creation.



freshly baked bread - soft and warm. several spreads - tomato, basil and olive oil (checca?); pesto; kesong puti (white cheese); an olive tapanade of some sort and an anchovy based spread. i only liked the checca, pesto and cheese. again all refillable.



pasta with all the condiments, refillable as well. linguine with 2 sauces one is creamy chicken mango? i forgot if it has mangoes and the other one is sundried tomato based sauce. condiments include mushrooms, capers, ratatouille and fried salmon belly.



thought the tomato based sauce and the salmon belly were a perfect match. the sauce was sweet...it was like eating sarciado well my family's version of sarciado is a tad sweet. there was no tart or salty hints from the "sundried tomato" based sauce. the salmon belly was overcooked and tasteless as well.




the creamy chicken pasta was no winner as well. it was just normal pasta nothing special.



they served several desserts.


a moist chocolate cake that is not too sweet. it's good but i am not really a choco fan to begin with.



turon!!! my favorite filipino snack. spring rolls stuffed with bananas and has caramelized sugar as a coating. i like the small serving sizes would have been perfect if it had jackfruit inside too.



sweetened sweet potato...kinda redundant. wouldn't have noticed this until this lady i am not sure if she's sonya or a supervisor advised us to eat it with the mint leaves. and yes, they were really good....surprisingly good. desserts were served with tarragon tea, while the rest of the meal was served with dalandan juice.


was it worth it? it's difficult to answer. i honestly wanted to be impressed and be blown out of my mind with the dishes since it always get great reviews. but i was really disappointed especially with the pasta. i think the pasta broke the deal. but the ambiance and the entire dining experience was really pleasurable. i liked the dining area...i dunno how to describe it...indoor garden dining with a kitschy feel of some sort. the dining experience i guess is what you pay for. it is still a must for me.



sonya's garden
buck estate
alfonso cavite




Jan 15, 2011

a trip to old manila

my first dinner as soon as i arrived in manila. it felt like the amazing race...naia to qc to makati and talk about brain rewiring for left hand drive since it's right hand drive in kl.

anyway, here's the food me and my friends shared in old manila. the service was great but the food was really not something to rave about. our bill was around 8k for all these dishes (1 serving for each only) and we didn't even have any drinks.



freebie bread


complimentary amuse bouche - foie gras terrine of some sort to tickle the tastebuds



a salad - i forgot the name and it was forgettable as well.



lobster bisque with chopped fresh salmon - it tasted like the sea...too seafoody (i know it's not a word) it was huge probably enough for 2-3 persons.



a bitter and sour calamansi sorbet to cleanse the palate (freebie too)


pan fried seabass - it was like frying my own seabass at home...b and i were disappointed



surf and turf - c and g's favorite dish to order. the filet mignon was cooked right - medium well as i prefer it. it was moist and tender.




rack of lamb - also cooked perfectly. tender without the gamey after taste.



the quality of the dishes were good but there really was no wow factor...oops there was one thing i really loved though the fries that came with the surf and turf. crispy handcut fries, but that's about it. i was really sad to part ways with my moolah because of this dinner.



old manila
manila peninsula hotel
ayala ave. cor. makati ave.