DoVa makes Brunch always a Good Idea

When I asked Chef Miguel Cordova what's his personal favorite among the many gustatory delights he created for DoVa, he enthusiastically answered "Eggs Benedict". And right on cue, a serving of DoVa's specialty made it's way to our table.

Eggs Benedict as defined in Wikipedia is an American brunch or breakfast dish that consists of two halves of an English muffin each of which is topped with Canadian bacon – or sometimes ham or bacon – a poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. With a little tweak, DoVa's version consists of a brioche bun with farmer's ham and poached egg with Hollandaise (a sauce which is an emulsion of egg yolk and liquid butter, usually seasoned with lemon juice, salt, and a little white pepper or cayenne pepper.-Wiki) with fries on the sides.

Chef Miguel shared how he appreciated the brunch culture in Cambodia during one of his vacations. It inspired him to open the first DoVa Brunch Cafe in Lapaz around two years ago. A different concept yet still with a touch of Afrique's and Esca's, two of his family's popular restaurants here in Iloilo City. 

Now with this new branch located at One Global Center building at Megaworld's Iloilo Business Park, it's a realization of another food dream that come true and slowly but surely on track to change the change the Iloilo dining scene.

So what's makes brunch always a good idea at DoVa? You've meet Eggs Benedict but it's always a gastronomic pleasure to it once more. It's like having another order of your favorite, savoring every bite with gusto.

How about some some baked beans, sausage, bacon, toast and fries? It's the Big Brunch Plate and just by looking it at, you know you are in for a good, heavy and delicious meal.

If you opt for pancakes, how about partnering it with bacon ang sausage for another yummy brunch plate. You'll surely have a satisfied tummy!

French Toasts are always a good idea. Plain and on their own, they're already good until the last bite. But if they come with fruits likes banana and strawberries with all the trimmings, savor and enjoy it while last. Of course, you can always have another serving!

But if you opt for a more traditional meal, DoVa has lots to offer aside from brunch items. You can start with some cold cuts and cured meats. A sampler platter consists of speck ham, prosciutto and salami milano served with crisps.

Salads are also great meal starters and there's shortage of delicious mixes at DoVa. the Greek Quinoa Salad is a mix of greens, feta cheese, olives, Spanish onions and balsamic vinaigrette combined with quinoa - a high nutritious grain that has gained immense popularity among health buffs. Check out more quinoa .

There's also the "standard" salad with fruits, nuts and greens. The Cashes Brittle Salad has cashew brittle, green apples, diced peaches and strawberries embraced by strawberry balsamic cream.

Going for more savoury appetizers? Check out the Deep Fried Cheeseballs (with chipotle swirl and  marinara sauce) and Hang-over Fries (french fries served with pulled pokr, poached egg, bacon, chipotle mayo and cilantro mayo).

To satisfy any pizza cravings, DoVa serves brick oven pizza in Salami, Backyard BBQ, Salmon & Capers, and Prosciutto & Aragula.

The Backyard BBQ is a flavourful pizza and it reminds you of your last barbecue meal - smoky in both aroma and taste with strips of barbecued meat topped a barbecue-inspired sauce and cheese. Meanwhile, straight forward as it is, the Salmon and Capers variant has strips of salmon with capers tossed in in a cheesified dough.

Now unto the main entrees starting with Grandma's Meatloaf. It's pure meat bliss with gravy,  tomato sauce and baked potato - inspired by one of the heirloom recipes of the family.

The Sticky Pork Ribs is a best seller as one can truly enjoy the taste of slow cooked pork ribs in a sweet yet flavorful sauce with mashed potato and veggies on the wide. There's also a new item on the which is  Pork Ribs Polenta - the same ribs but with tomato ragu sauce, polenta and chili flakes.

Moving on to the beef specialties, my favorite that night turned out to be Braised Beef Brisket. It was the combination of the melt in your mouth beef and the flavorsome sauce it was serve with - that kept me craving and raving ... even until now while looking at this photo.

Another beef that made its way on our table was the Beef Stew which was still not on the menu board that time. Tender to the last bite coupled with a a savory sauce that is familiar with the local taste. 

Chickien is also on the menu and there's Herbed Roasted Chicken with peperronata sauce with vegetables angd mashed potato/rice.

The Crispy Soy Ginger Chicken is more on the light side, almost appetizer. Its a polenta crusted (?) fried chicken with seasoned soy and ginger and serevd with zucchini fries, cabbage slaw and chipotle dip.

A special preview of what they will be offering for Christmas (or maybe even before that) was in the form of the Holiday Ham served served with peaches and green apple slices.

Ice cream for dessert is always a good idea! And DoVa serves artisan ice cream that comes in strawberry and coffee with new to the taste flavours like lemon lychee and lemon ginger. 

And speaking of lychee, here's our favorite drink of the night - Apple-Lychee shake. One glass wasn't enough so I had two making it a perfect starter and ender to a wonderful night of good food and good company at Dova - where brunch is always a good idea!