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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