Home Away from Home

The taxi stopped at the guardhouse. "10 Dove St.", we answered when the security person asked. Smiling, we waited while the driver took us a few right and left turns until the final halt in front of the door of a subdivision home.

It's funny how intrusive I felt opening the door of an unfamiliar house. However, as soon as we went in, the mood changed. It was in fact indeed a tiny restaurant with tables, chairs, and diners happily chomping. There were just about 5 tables fit in a small area that is barely comfortable for 30 people. At a tiny corner, almost pushed to the wall, is a bar for a crew of two:  a butler (older guy) who sometimes wait on tables wearing what looked like the modern short-sleeved barong and a full-time waiter who always looked busy as if the butler's eyes are on him all the time.

Soon enough, the man in-charge came to us with a notepad and a pen. At P220 I had to complete the task of choosing my seemingly 4-course meal starting with the soup, salad, sandwich and then a cake for dessert. I ordered my first onion soup, shrimp salad, a hamburger and a slice of their chiffon cake.

 

15 minutes and the onion soup was served. I hardly had the strength to pick my spoon up as I imagined how awful onions must taste being the only main ingredient in a stew. Yet, I did. How could I not? It looked meaty with a slice of cheese on top. I dug my spoon to find croutons instead of meat. Surprised, yet, I went one spoonful to another. And still another. Now onion stew wasn't at all that bad.

 

As if the waiter knew I was almost finished, he served the shrimp salad. It was an elbow macaroni salad topped with a leaf or two of lettuce and mixed with skinless shrimps. At first, the shrimp didn't fit the mix, however, the more I chewed one after another in spoonfuls of macaroni, I realized it was delectable and healthy. I could eat a serving more.

Third of the entrees is a hamburger. The bun looked plumped and fresh. My appetite was really yearning for it the moment I smelled mayonnaise, cucumber and grilled meat patty. I am keenly familiar to the odor since I used to making my own at home too. The burger was dry at the exterior. You need to sink your teeth into the freshly cooked patty to savor the burnt meat juice and smokey flavor. I also compensated the lack of mayonnaise with catsup for its sour-sweet taste and tobasco for that lingering hot and spicy sensation.

Finally, the dessert. The butler mentioned three flavors and ''MANGO YOGHURT" said we, in unison.

It was a full lunch and the neighborhood of Sto. Nino Subdivision was quiet and mindless of sojourners who had to walk lazily to the highway because their pockets are empty and can hardly pay for another taxi ride.

Home is where doves come back to even after distances of travel. No wonder people find 10 Dove St a place to return to in Cebu.

10 Dove Street
Santo Niño Village,Banilad,
6000 Cebu City, Philippines
Contact No: (032) 346 0618
Website: https://www.facebook.com/ten.dove.street


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Bon Chon - Cebu Invasion

Weeks before Bon Chon's scheduled opening, banners and streamers already hung around Ayala. There is something about its name that already sounds very marketable. It must be the rhyme or maybe because it sounds like a merging of two names "Bon" and "Chon". You say it aloud twice or thrice and it will surely stick in your memory like glue.

Their streamers were also effective, neatly and simplistically designed to captivate onlookers gaze to its name and the delectable fried chicken picture in it. Its background ---- White: clean and staightforward.

Because I work near Ayala Center, I can't help but grow anticipation for its grand opening day with excitement. When it finally did, I wasted no time and headed straight to its location.

Upon arrival, I was informed that they were still doing simulation activities to train their crew the drill. The staff was apologetic and instead of showing disappointment, I engaged her to a chat. It was in the conversation where I knew that Bon Chon is a Korean establishment and although they have fried chicken in their banner and ads, they actually offer also other dishes. I asked her when their next opening date for the public was and she said, 2 days after. I left informing her that I will be taking along some colleagues so we will be one of the first customers to try their offerings.

Faithful to my word, I brought along 4 more friends to join me at their promised opening day. Sadly, the staff said guiltily that they have not fully trained their crew yet. They had to extend yet another day. I had to brush the minor embarrassment and took my colleagues to Mesa instead.

These disappointments left me downcast for days but I moved on thinking that the series of unfortunate events didn't really speak of how their food tasted. It took me weeks until one afternoon at work, I and 2 other friends made our minds up to pay it one more visit. Finally, we got in.

It took us no less than 5 minutes to make the order:
  1 - Ko-Yo Mini (P35.00)
  1 - Small Spicy Thigh (small bucket of 3 pcs) - P185.00
  3 - Plain rice - P45.00
  2 - 7-Up cans - P56.00
  1 - Rootbeer - P28.00

At a total of 349 pesos, 3 of us already ate 1-pc fried Bon Chon chicken with sodas.

Ko-Yo (Korean Yoghurt) mini I would say is the best frozen yoghurt I have tasted in Cebu. Although I would have preferred the fresh yoghurt over it, but there is something about the texture of Ko-Yo that felt so smooth in the tongue and its sourness that was just right for my taste.

Bon Chon is also popular for putting in flavors of Korean and American cuisine together. If this is true, I would credit the sweet spicy honey marinade of their chicken as Korean contribution and the crisp to American influence. The mix of flavors make Bon Chon fried chicken the best variation for me so far. Nothing has come close to its tasty marinade-- not McDonalds' seasonal Buffalo chicken nor Greenwich's version.

 Despite the order arriving after close to half an hour, I can still say that their food is quite worth one's occasional visits. I'd be excited to sample their other food in the coming days.

Bon Chon is said to have about 28 branches in Metro Manila, 1 in Davao and 1 in Ayala Center, Cebu.

Visit Bon Chon's Facebook page and other blog sites for further details and reviews.
  Pinoy Cravings
  Matudnila



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