By Stella A. Estremera
Goin' Places
DAVAO City can become soo gregarious, especially during Kadayawan season, the regular Dabawenyo would either be staying home away from the loud crowd, or lurking in some quiet nooks they have appropriated for themselves.
That was one quiet nook we found the other week just before the Kadayawan season filled the city up to the brims.
The name is Bro's Caf‚ and it's at the C-5 Dormitel building along Roxas Boulevard. They serve decent coffee (not something you'd rant and rave about but not something you'd curse never to taste again, either) and food that is just right to fill you up.
There was just Trish and I and we're the type who relishes the quiet. Trish got the tuna putanesca, I got chicken lemongrass (because it was unfamiliar).
The order takes quite some time. Oh.
But we were not starving on that night, not one of us created much fuss about it. But yes, it took quite some time to get our orders.
The putanesca came first... and it was taking almost the same time for my chicken lemongrass to arrive.
Behind the door that is the kitchen, I can almost imagine a single burner stove manned by a single cook... Oh.
But we were not hungry, so we didn't fuss.
Finally, my chicken lemongrass arrived. It's served with pesto pasta, two small pieces of toasts, and a few greens. Presentation was good, taste was... okay. I can taste a bit of the lemongrass in the chicken but just a bit. It's really just fried chicken spruced up to look cool. Still it was a quiet night and a quiet place, and we appreciated that.
We topped our meal with brewed coffee.
Trish said the coffee was quite strong since it took some time for her to fall asleep later that night. Me? I don't know because I made another mug at home, and thus couldn't blame my earlier coffee for not being able to sleep way past what is already my very late sleeping hours.
Verdict? It's a place you go to for the quiet for as long as you are not stark-raving hungry and you don't have a big tummy to fill. It also has free wifi.
On the sidelines, a very dear friend (husband of an even more cherished friend) arrives with a male companion and in her very Filipino dig at my unmarried state (which incidentally Trisha shares with me), introduces his friend -- a classmate in high school.
"This is ___, he is the younger brother of ___," dear friend says as we smiled politely, more interested in our coffee.
"He is single," said dear, persistent friend who was just teetering on being un-friended if he keeps at it; as we pasted the polite smile on our faces, still not interested and wishing them gone so we can enjoy our coffee.
"And his passion is bird-watching," said nearly un-friended friend who just became my dear friend again because he has a very interesting friend that he introduced us to (finally!).
"Please join us and tell us more," we said, this time with genuine smiles... Haha!
