FOOD | Dining one May evening

From time to time, I have this habit of leaving the beaten path and going for a stroll or a ride either to muse or just feel the wind brush against my face. It was in this kind of mood that I went out of the office one Tuesday evening.

I felt hungry so I walked idly to look for a dining place. Finding none that interest me, I hailed a cab and found myself cruising around the city for a place to eat.

I knew what I was looking for – a quiet, dim-lighted, cozy restaurant where the music is cool and the food is not "life-threatening" meaning, less fat, more on veggies and sea foods. I’m thinking of fine dining ambience but hopefully, one that’s not going to rob me of my money.

I passed by fast food joints but wasn’t in the mood that evening for deep-fried food and the usual noisy, impersonal service we have been accustomed to in a rush to fill an empty stomach.

So I moved on, remembering a place my friend Dodong mentioned to me once. The streets in the city’s uptown district were deserted when in fact it was still nine o’clock. The wind-blown trees that lined the streets looked forlorn, as there were fewer cars and people. The city was without its usual hustle and bustle.

I found myself at the back of Cebu Doctors’ Hospital. I got off the cab in front of Aikasarrap. I’ve been on a look-out for excellent restaurant, pizza parlors, and cafes which have artistic interiors and serve great-tasting food at affordable prices. Aikassarap promises to be one.

I went inside and was greeted by softly lighted interiors. There were no white lights; only indirect yellow lighting illuminated the place. The walls and ceiling were in warm earth tones.

For the furniture there’s a choice of wrought iron chairs with marble-topped tables and cozy, cushioned sofa benches. I prefer the heavy wrought iron chairs with their rough finish that gave them character. They’re heavy so they stay in place providing a comfortable seating experience.

The floor looked worn though it certainly was of new tiles made to look distressed to give the place a sense of history. Some antique pieces provide accent to the rustic ambience of the place together with some books placed on a wooden sideboard.

The place is small but one doesn’t feel like it’s cramped with the help of a wide mirror on one side of the room running almost the full length of the wall. That and the glass façade at the entrance extend one’s view beyond the opaque proximate obstructions.

Soft, soothing country music wafting through the air completes the warm, rustic feel of the place. The cozy, homey ambiance lulled me. For the city weary dweller, the place is a good antidote to the noisy, techie sophistication and rush of day-to-day life. There are books and magazines to entertain oneself while waiting for the food to arrive. I saw Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind together with some popular suspense novels.

I approached the counter at the other end of the room and ordered food. There are no waiters. I asked for steamed vegetables made up of beans, carrots, cauliflower and potato sauteed with butter; coupled with curried seafood made up of shrimps, squid, and some veggies and spices like beans, mushroom, cauliflower, red and green bell peppers. All these were served with rice on a thick black heavy plate. The silver that went with the plate were sturdy and sparkling. These were delivered to my table after roughly seven minutes. Together with the root beer, I paid a little more than a hundred pesos for the food.

The veggies were apparently not overcooked as they’re still crunchy and juicy. The butter gives the needed enhancing taste to match the blandness of the veggies aside from leaving a pleasant taste in the mouth. Curry mixed with veggies and other spices gave the seafood an exotic taste one can savor.

A glass of white wine would have been perfect to cap the sumptuous dinner. But they don't have any wines yet. There's beer, which I don’t like to drink after dinner, for it tends to make me feel bloated. I settled for a glass of root beer instead.

There were other customers inside the restaurant, mostly students and professionals in either colored scrub suits or white medical uniforms. They’re not a noisy lot so I didn’t feel distracted by their presence. The place is perfect for conversation and when enjoying a hearty meal.
It's the kind of place that allows one to think and listen deeply to the inner stirrings of the soul or that of your companion.

It was pouring buckets of rain when I went out. I forgot to bring along my coat and would have been drenched had not a cab arrived just on time. But I was thinking, who cares if I get wet?

I was feeling oblivious to the concrete edifices of the city, I looked up and there was only rain and the treetops swaying, welcoming summer’s end and the onset of the rainy season. I would have walked in the heavy downpour and be in touch with mother nature, but I remember, I needed to go back to the office.

It’s back to the beaten path.