Some private villages have secrets. Sto. Niño Village in Banilad has two, and one of them has been around since 2010 and can be found at the end of Maya Street, the first street on the right upon entering this quiet village. (The other secret is on another street.)
Cafe Old Cul de Sac29 Maya Street, Sto. Niño Village, Banilad, Cebu City(032) 346 1676Daily 11AM-2PM and 6PM-10PM
Dine al fresco or AC (aircon) fresco :-)
My three friends and I sought this secret out. And we found Cafe Old Cul de Sac deserted at lunch. Though deserted, we had to wait for half an hour for our food. I shall not let you wait like we did. Here's what we had and what each of us thought:
My fish fillet with lemon (Php 200) is just what its name suggests: fish fillet with lemon! Juicy fish, nothing extraordinary, but I liked it. (Maybe because I like anything lemony, like the lemon poppyseed cupcake from Sweet Little Things.)
Mister Baktin had the Osso Buco (Php 320) and he says: "The Old Cul de Sac succeeds by reinventing the middle ground between those high-end restaurants at Crossroads and your favorite hole-in-the-wall at downtown Colon. But those who have been to this hidden gem in Banilad, don't care about Cebu's culinary landscape in the first place. They come here to enjoy the impeccably tender (yet reasonably priced) Osso Buco and other home-cooked meals. They do know now, that good food, especially at the Old Cul de Sac, is finally within everyone's reach." All these words read oink to me, but somewhere in the middle I understood he oinkingly liked it!
Miss Bee's Rhapsody in Blue (Php 220)? "Creamy. I love it." Ah, an insect of few words.
And Mister Libby, the (fake) king of vienna sausages, who had the fish nuggets with tartar dip (Php 200), had this to say: "Cul-de-Sac is that dead end in one of Sto. Nino Village's junctions that I wouldn't mind finding myself at, once or twice in my lifetime. I recommend any of their fish meals and Osso Bucco. If there was any of the food I tasted and least liked, it would be their pasta. Nonetheless, taste is arguably relative." Yup, Sir Libby liked his food (better than Libby's Vienna sausage?). Except maybe for the Spicy Tuna Aglio Olio (Php 130).
Spicy Tuna Aglio Olio
Each of the above, except for the pasta, comes with a cup of mushroom soup and a little bowl of mango ice cream.
If our opinions of these dishes do not entice you,check out their menu (click to enlarge) for other options:
Food
Drinks