Of Beans and Sonya

We were in Tagaytay recently. Upon the recommendation of an officemate, we went to Bag of Beans (or BOB) in Mendez for our early lunch. BOB is known for their coffee alamid, which comes from the droppings of civet cats. since we still don't have the stomach to feed on cat droppings, we opted to taste it some other time.

BOB offers a variety of dishes from grilled ones to pasta and main courses like chicken ala kiev or fish and chips. they also offer a mixture of hot and cold beverages. desserts to cap your meal are also offered like apple pie alamode and cheesecake.

My hubby had 'norwegian salmon steak' (P350+)..

while I had 'roast beef' (P320+).

i was extra happy when the salmon steak was served. it was way bigger than what i expected and we normally get here in manila. super value for money. it was also grilled well, just the way we wanted. Even my son liked it and had a few spoonfuls himself. the mashed potato which came w/ the salmon tasted so good. i must say it's one of the best i've tasted thus far.  my roasted beef was cooked to perfection as well. and if eaten with either the mashed potato or buttered veggies, the roasted beef came off even yummier!

after taking some souvenir shots in their garden, we hit the road for our next destination...

Sonya's Garden is a good 10mins (no traffic) away from 'bag of beans'. quite far actually. but we were quite surprised by what we saw inside their compound ('was told the entire property is around 1.5 ha.) -- their big parking lot was filled w/ cars -- on a rainy, sunday afternoon.

since it was pouring hard that day, we decided to go directly to their spa, found some distance away from the restaurant.

the interiors is very reminiscent of those old spanish - filipino colonial houses -- capiz shell sliding windows, wooden doors and staircase, carved wood furnitures.  rooms are named after plant genus.

we had foot reflex and back massage treatment (P560). we wanted our son to experience their gentle massage (P350); unfortunately, he didn't like to lie down when his turn came. sad.

my masseuse was really good. i found it too difficult not to take a nap. her combination of soft and hard presses on my feet and back were timed right. there was also variety in her kneads. even my head was given a short massage, which felt so relaxing. when they were done, we were given warm dalandan with mint juices while still imbibing our rejuvenated muscles.
 

we enjoyed the whole experience so much that my husband promised we'll be back soon. before we left, we bought some newly-baked spanish bread (P100/10pcs) which were uber soft, milky and delicious. 

here's a picture of their bakery.

and here's a fountain we found in the garden...  beautiful isn't it?