One of the things I always treasure in life is my family and I wouldn't trade them for the whole world.
So, whenever I get the chance to spend time with them, I make it sure that it would be memorable.
I have lived alone for six years now, ran into people I shouldn't run to, made experiences I soon regretted and I only get home twice or thrice a year during Christmas or Summer vacations or when there is a special occasion since I worked and lived on the opposite side of Cebu which is a few miles away from my parents' house.
Last week, my family and I decided we should eat out and I had been eyeing this restaurant for months since I love its ambiance and the idea that it is a garden restaurant.
BAKHAW GARDEN RESTAURANT is located in Mahawak, Medellin, Cebu. It is just few minutes of drive away from our house. The restaurant is located just in front of the owner's house (literally how a garden should be but is just open to public for dining in). They serve authentic Filipino cuisines which is stationed in the middle of nearby resorts and beaches in Mahawak.
When we arrived at the place, it felt home-y and relaxing with all the plants surrounding it, and oh, I am a sucker for yellow or warm lights. It just makes the place more comfortable and cozy and it gives me that kind of warmth that is indescribable and inexplainable. And that is one of the reasons why I wanted to visit the place during the night because I wanted to experience its lights' beauty. We just walked in since we hadn't made any reservations. Gladly, the place was not jampacked with people at that time and we were remarkably accommodated by their staff.
When we went inside the place, a magnificent view of Koi fishes and the two-storey dining place welcomed us. The place depicts a Filipino signature home with various plants everywhere, native wooden tables, chairs and stairs, and there was also a cage where love birds can be found which you can enjoy watching while waiting for the foods that you order.
We roamed around the place and after a few minutes, we found a spot at the ground floor of the restaurant. We looked unto their menu and they totally have several cuisines that would make you feel like home and will definitely satisfy your tastebuds. They serve native chicken soup, beef steak, pork and chicken barbecue, Sinigang na pasayan (one of my favorites), pochero (beef soup), grilled Bangus (milkfish), and a lot more. They also have desserts like Halo-Halo, pizzas, burger and fries.
We ordered XXL sized Tinolang Manok, Beef Steak, Chicken Curry, Grilled chicken, Sinigang na pasayan and Grilled Bangus.
Our order didn't take too long to be served. It just took roughly thirty to forty minutes considering the amount of food we ordered. While waiting, we just enjoyed our time watching the fishes and the birds and the plants around us and what amazed us most was their recycled light covers in which at first we thought it was some kind of an expensive glass or ceramic cover but turned out it was just a six liter water bottle covering the lights. It's just the little things that amazed us and me or maybe it was just brought by the hunger and the dreadful feeling of wanting to eat their delicious foods right away. But yea, the way they recycle the bottles and made it an icon to their restaurant astonished me.
This is me (right front), my cousin beside me, my elder sister, her husband, my mother (left front), my father beside her, my two cousins and my nephew.
When the food was served, we then managed to distribute the places to each other and my father uttered some prayers before we started eating. The food were delectable and if you are someone from afar visiting the place, it would surely make you feel like you are at the comfort of your own home.
We just chatted while eating and talked about life experiences and updates. I have never been so open to my family about what's going on in my life even until now but listening to my mother's stories eases me. I have not shared anything to them about my struggles and the battles I have fought alone inside me because I only want to share to them the good things so as they wouldn't worry about me working from afar but hearing her voice heals the wounds that are within me for quite a while now. They may have not known the specifics but I am glad that they had healed me just by spending time with them.
And this garden restaurant had somehow contributed to my healing for it gave me the additional warmth and comfort I definitely needed. And the food, yes. They are chef's kiss exquisite.
Surely, I will come back.