Dining: Angelfields Nature Sanctuary, Silang, Cavite
There are certain days in a year when you just feel like taking family photos, in a pretty garden somewhere outside the city, which you can eventually print, frame and hang in one corner of your house. And for us, it’s usually around the Christmas period when we do this random photo-taking activity—and when all of us are still in a happy, festive mood. Never mind if we’ll appear fatter than our usual selves in the photos especially after all the lechons, hamons, and leche flans we’ve eaten during the holidays. These photos serve as a sort of reminder of how your family’s bond has grown from strength to strength all throughout these years.
Road trips – that’s one more thing my family and I share in common. We’ve decided to drive up towards Tagaytay to check out Angelfields Nature Sanctuary, a sprawling garden and events venue which is getting its fair share of fame nowadays especially for garden-themed weddings. I’ve learned from a friend that they have a small F&B outlet as well where we can possibly have lunch while holding our mini-photo shoot.
Upon entering their premises, we were greeted by an eight-hectare of lush greenery full of bamboo trees, tall grasses, and various other flora and fauna. You wouldn’t believe how excited my mom was after seeing all this!
Their restaurant/cafe, which is located at the Dining Hall at Saint John Paul Pavilion, serves a humble mix of Filipino and Western dishes which are surprisingly easy on the pockets. Good for sharing (around 3-4 pax), their dishes were lacking though in personality in terms of presentation and a certain kick when it comes to the taste department.
Kare-kare Lamang Dagat (mix of shrimp, mussels and squid in peanut sauce) seemed interestingly exotic for me, so whatever will inspire me to eat more, it should definitely be on the table. And for those in the family who weren’t too keen on the mussels, we also asked for a regular bowl of their Kare-kare and Pinakbet.
Pot Roast A La Tita was also in our order list. The slow-cooked beef in mushroom sauce reminded me so much of my childhood and eating Jollibee’s Burger Steak. And then you also have the Salpicao, their beef tenderloin which was swimming in cooking oil, but still very much a joy to eat.
We wanted to order for a chicken dish, but the waiters reckon it’ll take about two more hours for it to be cooked. Of course we didn’t order as we didn’t have the luxury of time at that point. Plus, it’ll be best for us to hit the road early to avoid the horrible Saturday traffic jam going back to Manila.
Their estate is one great location for those who wish to have just an open outdoor event space which you can freely decorate on your own with party tents, flower decors and all that jazz. Think about paper lanterns hanging on the tree branches and yellow light bulbs adorning the venue! So pretty!
No wonder the celebrity couple, Neri Naig and Chito Miranda, held their wedding here. Read story
I’m betting you are wondering by now how our family photo turned out. After getting empacho from our lunch, the photo still looked great as usual (as per our standards). Walang kokontra, please 🙂
(Address) Angelfields Nature Sanctuary: Tagaytay – Sta. Rosa Road, Purok 5 Barangay Pasong Langka. Silang, Cavite 4118. Tel: 63-920-9684603.
