SILANG, CAVITE -- ABUNDIO Cano had not liked his name until he found its meaning.

Called Dong, he now finds Abundio music to his ears after he fulfilled his dream of having a garden café that he called Abundant Place, which he personally decorated with indigenous and recyclable products.

The place, half a hectare in size, used to be an almost abandoned lot owned by a widower.

Dong’s wife Cecilia Guela, 43, related that they found it when, after Dong suffered from a heart attack, a friend knocked at their door and told him about a space bigger than what they were presently occupying, for rent in Silang.

“I negotiated with God to allow me to pursue my dream and this was His answer,” Dong said.

The couple cleaned up the area for almost a month.

The Canos also made a worship and meditation corner for the youth behind the restaurant.

Kathrin Gerhard, a German national, wrote in the guest book: “This is cool, shady and the food is great. We’d love to come back.”

“Ninety percent of our customers are walk-in,” said Dong.

A complete plate per head costs P275 and consists of pumpkin soup, suman sa kalabasa (pumpkin roll with organic syrup using mountain sugar or muscovado) and palitaw roll (rice powder with organic syrup), pan de bokayo (bread with “coco”-late) de pogon and seafoods like fish fillet (maya-maya, talakitok, labahita, red sona lapu-lapu) in salad, yellow fin tuna from Occidental Mindoro, and cooked crispy kamote tops from the garden with teriyaki sauce made of ginger, mountain sugar, water, salt and pepper.

The food comes with bottomless buko juice and tea but taking out is not allowed.

“I realized that food should blend with nature so we also serve organic ‘kakanin’ (food) cooked traditionally,” said Dong, a 45-year-old pastor and handicrafts developer-trainer.

He said dinner can be served with a “harana” (contemporary inspiring acoustic of songs like those of Gary Valenciano).

Dong also joins in the singing.

During full reservations, with a maximum of 50 guests, young people can dance the Pandanggo sa Ilaw.

“It took us several months of experimentations to get the formula,” said Dong, a native of Ubay town in Bohol.

He said he continues to discover recipes. “I want the bread expanded using lambanog.”

He is now in the market for a kind of chocolate in the Visayas known for being delicious, dense and syrupy to be served to his hot chocolate-loving customers.

Dong said he still has many dreams for his restaurant.

He said he plans to construct cottages and wedding venues. “I will gift a poor couple with a free overnight and make them feel pampered by God’s love,” Dong claimed.

There is a traditional masseur or “hilot” on call.

As an attraction and advocacy to basic living, Dong wants to take palay from Banawe to be pounded into rice right in his restaurant.

He is most happy with being able to provide a venue where relationships are renewed.

“The latest was a couple. The woman was very happy with our palitaw and said it resolved a rift with her partner,” Dong said smilingly.