10 Dove Street Confectionery

            10 Dove Street patrons can now enjoy 10 Dove Street’s delectable cakes and many more new pastry assortments as they have just opened the doors of 10 Dove Street Confectionery (10 DC) early this month. It is a beautiful white house that sits comfortably on the Oakridge Pavilion grounds – a modern country design with a high ceiling yet still retaining that crisply neat, cozy interior to give you a relaxing ambience where you may indulge your sweet tooth cravings – just a few steps away from 10 Dove Street.

            10 DC was created to solely house the much-loved cakes of 10 Dove Street as well as their new pastry offerings to satisfy any sweet tooth’s palate. It is the perfect venue for both leisurely chats and corporate meetings as it is tucked away from the busy roads of the city.

Yay! Silver ticket for me! :D

10 Dove's First Anniversary in Oakridge Business Park

                  10 Dove Street, one of my favorite restaurants in Cebu, has now warmed up in its new nest at Oakridge Business Park. Though they have moved to a commercial location, they were still somehow able to maintain that intimate, personal charm from when they were yet a hole-in-the-wall in Sto. Niño Village. I believe this is from the home cooking touch in their dishes and the personalized service they offer each guest consistently, making sure every visit is pleasurably memorable. 

               I think the most popular items from 10 Dove Street are their unforgettably loveable cakes that you can't miss the moment you step into the restaurant, sitting regally on their pedestals. These are definitely some of my favorite cakes in town for their perfect balance in texture (not too airy nor dense), sweetness (not throat-irritating which means you can easily finish the whole slice) and flavor combinations. They have mastered their signature chiffon cake that comes in many delectable flavors, it can be quite a challenge to settle for just one. Their cakes are so resilient, they can offer you rich chocolatey-ness or light, refreshing, fruity ones. My personal favorites are the Avocado Pandan Cake, Mango Yogurt Cake, Ube Pandan and the Opera! The Opera was particularly reminiscent of my favorite J. Co donut, the Alcapone! Hehe.  

[photo from 10 Dove Street Facebook page]

From top clockwise: Avocado Pandan Cake, Ube Pandan Cake, Mango Cream Cake, Triple Chocolate, Opera, Oreo Cake

Cake slices (from top clockwise): Avocado Pandan Cake, Opera, Mango Yogurt, Chocolate Decadence

         With their irresistible charm (and cakes), I'm sure every one who has dined here has an experience to share. You can read about mine on my post about them last year. Celebrating their first anniversary this entire month of April, you can actually use those experiences to win you some free gift certificates and enjoy 10 Dove Street even more. They're giving away P5,000 worth of GC's to the top 10 best photos. The mechanics are simple! Just click on the poster below to read about it:

           Easy as pie right? Of course, what's not to love about 10 Dove? I just rhymed? Hahaha. Don't forget to use the hashtags #10DoveStreetTurns1 and #OakridgeBusinessPark and tag 10 Dove Street on Facebook and Instagram when you upload your photos! And use your wittiest captions, too! Deadline is on or before April 27, 2015 (Tuesday). Winners will be announced over Facebook and Instagram on April 30, 2015. Enjoy! 

Happy Anniversary, 10 Dove Street! 

*For updates, follow 10 Dove Street on Instagram (@10DoveStreet) and Facebook. 

"To know Cebu, eat Cebu!"

oink oink,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

10 Dove Flies to a New Nest

         The elusive, quaint, little restaurant that's named after its address in Sto. Nino Village has now moved to greener pastures at Oakridge Business Park. Keeping the same name, 10 Dove Street has built its nest in a more accessible location where parking is no longer a problem and accommodation is slightly larger, occupying two floors now. If you'd like to see the original restaurant, I wrote about it for my Cebu Secret Chows. Just click this link: Ten Dove St.

         Word had spread quickly about 10 Dove's new location and I was raring to visit. Fortunately, I was invited by the management for dinner just a week after their soft opening. My dinner date was none other than one of my favorite piggies, Mustachio! Little did Mustachio know he would be one of the lucky ones to witness my subtly monstrous appetite. ;)

The Dove's Cake

          Happy happy joy joy! Mother had ordered some cakes from 10 Dove! She had me pick them up one afternoon. She got their Chocolate Decadence and Ube Cake @ P550 each. She gave the chocolate cake away and kept the ube cake for Joanna's late birthday cake.

           I fell in love with this Ube Cake since the first time I tasted it a few years ago. I must say, it's the best in town. Moist and soft layers of ube cake, custard and pandan cake covered in light ube cream. I love that it's not too sweet and I think that's what makes it irresistible. One slice is just not enough!

If you also want some for yourself....

10 Dove St.

Sto. Nino Village, Banilad, Cebu City 6000

For reservations, call (032) 346 0618. 

Operating hours: Monday - Saturday 11:30 a.m - 10:00 p.m.

Map: link

To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

xoxo,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

Strawberry Love

         If you know me well enough, I'm such a sucker for STRAWBERRIES. Baguio is my dreamland in the Philippines because it's the only place where strawberries can thrive. I still dream of trying the strawberry taho (soy pudding) and strawberry dirty ice cream there. Mmmm...

           Since Baguio isn't near enough for me to visit anytime I want, I'll have to settle for whatever treats I find good enough here in Cebu. And this obsession is no fickle matter; I could have strawberries every day if it were possible. 

These are what I treated myself to for two consecutive days...  

Krispy Kreme

        The hot and fresh sign was flashing at the I.T. Park branch! Hallelujah! My feet instantly trodded down and I found myself in the sweet atmosphere of the donut haven. In the knick of time, they were just bringing out the Strawberry Cheesecake variety and I didn't have to think of my choice anymore. No second thoughts, all green lights! And like it couldn't get any sweeter than that, I got my free glazed donut, too! I think that moment was meant for me. :D  

Dessert Factory

        I rarely hang out at this confection factory as a guilt-streak prevention measure because once the sweet tooth mode is activated, the whole week's worth of working out at the gym will might as well have to have never happened. O_O

           So anyway, like I've said before and will always stand by, I'd USUALLY pick fruits over chocolate desserts. So for this night, I chose Strawberry Dream - triple layer chocolate cake, strawberry mousse, topped with peach slices and fresh strawberries. This was a really pleasant one - light yet very satisfactory. Fresh strawberries always make me happy. :D

And that's my strawberry love story. :D

To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

xoxo,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

New Old

        I'm not a regular at Harbour City Dimsum restaurant and for some reason, I never order dessert when I dine there (not that I don't like dessert. I guess "Chinese" dessert just doesn't appeal to me.). Harbour City has been around since my childhood days but it was only tonight, thanks to my friend Luis Quibranza III, that I discovered an interesting dessert I'd mostly likely include to my regular line of orders whenever I dine there from here on. 

        So this here is called an ice cream roll. It's P55 and comes in choices of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. It's basically ice cream engulfed by a swiss roll or sponge roll. Quite crafty I'd say. I've never seen anything like this anywhere else yet. I personally like the plain swiss roll with chocolate ice cream. :)   

So why "New Old", you wonder? It's a new find in an old place. Well, for me at least. :)

Harbour City Dimsum is located at 3rd floor, Ayala Center Cebu, beside Balletcenter.

To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

xoxo,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

Cebu Secret Chows: A Perfect Ten Dining Experience

      It's been too long since I've posted about a secret food spot. I've been caught up with school and budget's been pretty tight but I finally got to visit one this month. What a relief!

     It was my dearest classmate's birthday on March 7. Chin-Chin is now 17 and I admit, I tend to forget her age because she's so mature! I feel like she's my age or is it the other way around? Haha. Just kidding.

     

     We planned to have lunch at J Center to grab some Cobo but it was too much of a hassle to get there because we came from the south campus. It would have to take 3 jeepney rides for us to get there and we were already pretty hungry. She decided to treat me to 10 Dove St. instead.

     10 Dove St. is located at Sto. Nino Village, Banilad. I've heard of this home-based restaurant years ago but I've never gotten to visit it 'til that day. I've only eaten their ube cake which my mom orders occasionally.

the birthday girl: Chin-Chin!

cute chairs that complement the ambience

Chin-Chin with their selection of their home-made cakes

cute menage (salt and pepper holders)!

     Finally having dined there thanks to Chin-Chin, the place was definitely a hidden treasure. It reminded me of the intimate setting at Cul de Sac down Maya St. But of course, this dainty little resto was special in its own way. They specialize in gourmet sandwiches which they offer with a choice of wheat or regular bread. 

      Like Cul de Sac, they have a set menu which consists of a soup, salad, sandwich and cake for only P 190. Great deal if you ask me! The menu was an interesting read. It was only there that I've encountered a wide variety of sandwiches meant as main dish and I did struggle a bit with my selections because I wanted to try so many of the choices. Anyway, I ended up with:

Soup: Brocolli and Cheese

     I've always been a fan of broccolli since I was younger hence the selection. Since it came with cheese, I was kinda expecting it to be slightly thick and elastic but unfortunately, my expectations were not met. I was disappointed when I found that the brocolli wasn't so fresh because the flowers were brownish. I had to season my soup a bit as dictated by my palate but there was a bit of a surprise when I discovered bits of extra miniature parmesan croutons as I dug down the soup.

Salad: Harvest Apple

chunky apple slices, black grapes, toasted whole walnuts, marshmallows and dried dates in light mayo 

      This actually just gave me the impression of a waldorf salad with marshmallows. I've heard of marshmallows in salads before but this was the first time I've tasted it. I'm not sure if it really suits my palate but it does add to the sweetness and texture of the salad. I also loved the combination of toasted walnuts and apples. And the natural sweetness of the grapes and dried dates melded well to complete the salad.

Sandwich: Poseidon's Quest

They're plating.

My plating. Hehe. :D

my real good fat ass sandwich! <3

       The highlight of the meal, one of their glorious sandwiches. I was feeling health-conscious that day so I opted for just a fish sandwich (wheat, of course). I was so glad they didn't use cream dory. It was breaded lamon-lamon (parrot fish) fillet, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber with dill mayo dressing. 

          Though it was just one layer, it was very filling and satisfying. The fish was cooked perfectly, tender and juicy on the inside. Chin-Chin and I switched half of our sandwiches to get a taste of both.

Dessert: Chocolate Decadence

          This, I was excited for. Dessert is always my favorite part of a meal. I wanted to try their carrot cake but this got the better of me. Irresistible. Dark chocolate ganache, moist and soft cake, with a luscious velvety filling. Double sinful!

As for Chin-Chin's choices....

Soup: Clam Chowder

       I found that our soups were of the same broth or base but hers was tastier because of the natural juices of the clam meat. 

Salad: Fandango

w/ a raspberry vinaigrette

iceberg lettuce, parmesan croutons, mandarin oranges, cheese and toasted walnuts

          This is one of their top selling salads but the vinaigrette was too thick. I think it was just raspberry jam added with a little oil and water; nothing special. 

Sandwich: Roast Beef

        This is just as good as a burger -- strips of beef tenderloin, sauteed onions and cheddar cheese. Really heavy. With the set meal, this is ultimately worth it. I loved this, too. Chin-Chin and I struggled to finish our meals because it was really heavy. 

Dessert: Mango Avocado Cake

      And of course, the perfect match to that heavy sandwich is a light fruity chiffon cake. This was really good; light yet flavorful enough and more than satisfactory. Mango and avocado are a perfect combination aside from the lovely color contrast; a teaser for the eyes and palate. 

      Coincidentally, 10 Dove has just turned 10 years old early this year and i'm sure it has left nostalgic marks on diners and still continues to. They are usually busy on weekends, both during lunch and dinner. This is a perfect place for a date away from the hustle and bustle of the city and even for meetings or an intimate party. 

10 Dove St., Banilad, Cebu City
For reservations, call (032) 346 0618. 
Operating hours: Monday - Saturday 11:30 a.m - 10:00 p.m.
Map: link


To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

xoxo,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)