Sonya's Garden

This is a review long overdue. We visited Sonya's Garden last summer as part of our Tagaytay trip. I don't know why I haven't written a review about it during the past months. Sonya's Garden is located at Barangay Buck Estate, Alfonso, Cavite (near the vicinity of Tagaytay). 

Sonya's Garden is a haven for people who want to get away from the busy life. You'll feel one with nature the moment you step in the property. Although this place offers many services, we only came here to get a good massage. This was the first time Raymond and I got a massage together, quite memorable. We made a reservation prior to our visit so no worries about the place being crowded and us waiting in line. The spa was far from the entrance. Walking was fun because there were so many plants along the brick path. 

It was like a paradise. Everything was relaxing. The brick path, the flowers, the fountain, the atmosphere, everything. I couldn't wait to have the massage. When we reached the spa area, I was amazed. It was much more beautiful than what I had in mind.

We were greeted at the reception and the receptionist confirmed our reservation. We opted to have Sonya's signature massage which costs 785 pesos. We were led to our room, Raymond and I stayed in different rooms. The room was awesome. It gives you a zen-like  feel. 

The masseuse handed me a towel and instructed me to take a shower before the massage. There was a rose scented body wash in the shower area and other rose scented stuff. 

The massage lasted for an hour and I fell asleep. Raymond told me that he fell asleep, too. The masseuse woke me up when she was done. I felt so good when I woke up. The scent of the rose filled the room. My skin was glowing, seriously. We were served dalandan tea after getting dressed. The tea was beyond delicious. It had honey and basil in it. 

Adjacent to the spa was a shop where you could buy goodies such as soap, massage oils, dried flowers, etc. I regret that I didn't buy any. I should have bought a massage oil.

We left the spa feeling very satisfied. I wish I could go back to this place. Soon, maybe. This place is a bit inaccessible, unless you have a car with you. Putting the hassle of getting there aside, this place was worth our time. 

Look at how his skin glows!!!

A Veneto Pizzeria Ristorante

I'm a big fan of pizza and pasta. After walking around the shopping mall to buy gifts, we dropped by A Veneto to eat. I was so tired and hungry. I've eaten in A Veneto many times with my friends from the university but I haven't been there with Raymond. 

A Veneto has a lot of good stuff in their menu. They have appetizers, salads, pasta and pizza. I was really hungry. Actually I didn't care about what to eat anymore. I just needed something to satisfy my hunger. At first we only thought of having pizza so we ordered New England's Best from their choices of pizza.

New England's Best

On a second thought, a pan of pizza might not be enough, so we ordered pasta in oil with Hungarian sausage. Oh! I forgot to mention, it was not only me and Raymond who went out, my other brother was with us, too. 

pasta in oil with Hungarian sausage

After eating, I had enough energy to check other shops again. More shopping!!!!

Mr. Choi Kitchen

What do you do when you're under much stress? I guess many would say they eat. I do, too. I had a stressful day last summer so I asked bf if he could meet me and have dinner together. He said he's supposed to ask me to have dinner with him because he had a lot of stress at work, too. Since I haven't had Chinese food for quite some time, I recommended that we dine at Mr. Choi Kitchen (I really think it should be Mr. Choi's Kitchen) since we haven't eaten there together. I had lunch at Mr. Choi a week ago when I met my friend and her family. 

There weren't so many people when we got there, maybe because it's a weekday. The interior is nice and it has a "real Chinese restaurant" feel. Once seated, the waiters approached us right away and gave us the menu. We ordered from their choices of rice toppings. I ordered roast duck with soy chicken while bf had assorted cold cuts. We also added one order of shrimp dumplings (hakaw), iced tea, and chilled lychee with gulaman for dessert.

chilled lychee with black gulaman

shrimp dumplings (hakaw)

roast duck and soy chicken

assorted cold cuts

We had to wait long and I would like to think that it's because it takes time to prepare the food and not because they have poor service. I loved every bite of the soy chicken and roast duck. I got to try bf's order and it was equally delicious. The hakaw was heavenly. Dessert was served later. We actually ordered just 1 serving of chilled lychee with black gulaman and asked them to split it into two. It was a good decision because 1 serving was enough for the two of us. We also got free coupons. They told us that we could get free iced tea when we visit again (we did). We went home very full. Luckily, I was wearing a loose shirt.

satisfied diners!

Bubble Tea (Tokyo Milk Tea)

It wasn't even summer but I suddenly wanted to have something cold. Bf and I were strolling around SM Megamall when we passed by Bubble Tea. The place was inviting. They have tables and chairs outside, so we sat and browsed through the menu. 

Their menu offers a variety of food and drinks. They have milk teas, milk shakes, tea slush, black tea and green tea. Hot or cold, whichever you prefer. They also offer Japanese-Western fusion food such as fusion maki, sushi, Japanese pasta, donburi, ramen, okonomiyaki, pizza, takoyaki, and many more!

drinks menu

I wanted to try the maki in the menu but I was too full to have something heavy so we agreed to just try their milk shakes. I have this addiction to taro so without any hesitation, I ordered their taro milk shake. Bf on the other hand ordered double chocolate milk shake. We didn't have to wait long because their service is fast. The waitresses were also accommodating. After a few moments of waiting, we got our order.  

having cold milk shake on a rainy day.. 

The taro milk shake tasted heavenly, so as the double chocolate milk shake. The "bubbles" tasted good. The best way to have this is to let the frozen yogurt on top melt and blend with the milk shake. At first, we thought we won't be able to finish a large glass of the milk shake, but we ended up craving for more. It isn't as affordable as the others out there but it is great value for your money. Next time you visit Megamall, visit them and see (or taste?) for yourself. You can also visit their branches in SM North, Wilson, Greenhills, and Tomas Morato.