Yves is here! (Errr... make that Rosalie)

Saturday, July 9, 2011

I FIRST met and knew of Yves when my bestest buddy Kublai was still making the sculptures at the new Tagum City Hall. That was a year or two ago when I was introduced to French cuisine in the way the real Frenchmen should’ve been doing it at home – without the snoot.

This time, it was Imee who gave me the heads-up on where the newest French resto is; although I got a clue that it has found its way here when someone asked me about it a few weeks back and I didn’t even know about it then.

Anyway, before all these brouhaha broke out and life was a little bit easier, Imee and I had dinner at Bon Appetit, the city’s newest restaurant in this cozy new multi-purpose structure along Loyola Street just before you cross J.P. Laurel to reach F. Torres Street. If you’re exiting Loyola, it’s to your left. If you’re entering Loyola from J.P. Laurel, it’s to your right. But you won’t easily see it because it’s at the corner of this new commercial structure. Just keep your eye out for that low-slung commercial center with several chic stalls and a parking space and wide garden in front.

When you find this small commercial center and as you enter the gate, Bon Appetit is to your left along the row of Duo Commis.

Imee got the chicken something… I can’t recall what (hey, after all these floods, and punching, and more flood, and media attacks on Davao City, the week before all hell broke loose seems like a distant memory.
I browsed through the long list of food and chose Salade Nicoise to start off my meal. It wasn’t available. My not-available-radar never fails to locate these, whenever, wherever.

Yves, the Frenchman offered the fresh vegetable soup instead – a thick soup made of squash and lots of other osterized veggies.

I chose the salmon for my main dish.

The chicken that came with sticky brown rice, the salmon, and the soup were superb. Chef Rosalie, Yves’ wife, had obviously outdone herself again.

Everything was made with that distinct French touch where even calorie-laden food feel light on the tummy with the distinct but subtle flavors of herbs.

At that time, there was just Yves busily going around the tables and attending to customers, I didn’t catch sight of Rosalie. But with four full tables to attend to, it must have been very busy at the kitchen.

Word is still going around still about Yves’ relocation in Davao City and friends are still asking about it. Whatever he did in Tagum must have really been good. I was only there once and that was because buddy Kublai already finished his project there after that. But I do remember the full meal we had there that was worth the long trip and the non-aircon accommodations. Yves was running a “restaurant” in the small space in front of an apartment that is accessible through a narrow alley in Tagum.

Bon Appetit today is still small, but big enough to accommodate a regular munching crowd. And Davao can never have enough eating places, anyway. Welcome, Yves!

Our advice to those who’d want to try the place? It’s best to share so you can partake of more.