EVER since Indian medical students enrolling in Davao Medical School Foundation (DMSF) along Gahol Avenue increased in number, the long stretch of that road was slowly converted into a small Indian food district.
Personally, my knowledge of the Indian cuisine is very limited and I would sometimes end up pointing to the food when I order, without learning their names first. When ordering in an Indian restaurant, the first things I usually ask is the level of spiciness and whether or not I can ask them to adjust it.
One of the best things about my move back to Davao City three years ago is the experience of diverse food choices – you can go Korean, Filipino, Chinese, Indian, or Italian anytime you crave for them. The diversity of the food choices says a lot about the city’s own culture and openness to other cultures.
One late evening, we found ourselves once again along Gahol Avenue hoping to satisfy cravings for something saucy and spicy – Indian food!
We came across The 5S box Indian Restaurant. It is the nearest you will pass by when you’re coming from J.P. Laurel Avenue. We came at around 9:30 p.m., just 30 minutes shy of the restaurant closing for the day but they were still very accommodating not even pressuring us for a schedule of last order.
Being an amateur in the field of Indian cuisine, I asked the recommendation of the waitress who seemed to really know her Indian food. She’s a friendly Filipina holding a tablet in hand – making the ordering system in the restaurant more systematic and efficient.
Following her suggestions of their best-sellers, we ordered butter chicken (only mildly spicy), garlic naan, tandoori roti, and for dessert the malai kulfi.
The interior of the entire restaurant really puts the customers through an Indian experience. This is made even more fun and extraordinary with the printed pillows and carpets laid down on one corner of the room where customers can take a picture and pretend to be in India.
The butter chicken came with just perfectly spicy sauce just enough to tickle the tongue, the chicken meat tender. We dipped the garlic naan on the sauce and it was just perfect, we asked for a second round of the naan.
Like what they say, save the best for last and it was exactly what happened with The 5S box Indian Restaurant. The malai kulfi is like a firm ice cream that tasted like the milk used was that of a goat or a carabao, we’re not really certain but it was delicious.
When I go visit a restaurant, I do not only look at the food but I also check the ambiance and the service and The 5S box Indian Restaurant ticked all the boxes. We’ll be sure to come back.