Fudging Around

WE'VE heard it all before: a new pastry shop here, another new one there; yeah, they’re practically everywhere. Step inside Fudge, though, along A.S. Fortuna St. near the intersection going to Maria Luisa, and you’ll see that it’s not just another pastry shop.

Yeah, they serve a lot of different pastries, cookies and desserts, but they also serve some pretty good versions of everyday dishes, and some, not-so-everyday. Take for example their “Tuyo Spaghetti.” Think of it as a simplified Cebuano version of spaghetti alla puttanesca (without the tomatoes) and you won’t be too far off the mark.

The dish is actually quite good, the olive oil and noodles pretty much bringing down the saltiness of the tuyo to a more tolerable level.

A more exotic dish at Fudge again uses spaghetti, but with a sauce made mostly of crab fat with some prawns thrown in for good measure. Whether people order them because they like it or just solely out of curiosity is still a mystery, but I have heard that these two dishes sell very well. Still, of the two, I’d recommend the “Tuyo Spaghetti,” hands down.

Pair these with Fudge’s version of garlic bread and you won’t go wrong. They have a different take on this favorite pasta add-on, though. It’s a small baguette, served with a garlic bulb with the top sliced off. You’re supposed to take a clove from the bulb and squeeze the insides onto the bread and spread it all over. It’s a little messy, but the experience is pretty fun.

If you go for soups, Fudge has a fantastic chunky minestrone, loaded with veggies like carrots, tomato chunks, corn, red beans and peas, with bits of bacon and bow-tie pasta (farfalle, I think they’re called). It also has shavings of Parmesan, to give it a little “bite.”

Other great options from the menu are the beef salpicao, with just the right garlicky taste, served with rice, and a very nice parmesan-crusted snapper piccata, with spaghetti pomodoro on the side.

And the desserts? You’ll go crazy at the restaurant. You should try their “Rum Balls.” I’ve tasted them once, and I got pretty much hooked. When I went back, they were sold out, which I think is the usual case, considering how delicious they are.

Aside from the rum balls, the place has one of the best sans rivals you’ll ever find in Cebu. Seriously.

I’m sure everyone has heard of chocolate chip cookies, but Fudge has quite the opposite: cookie-chipped chocolate. It’s a flat piece of chocolate with cookie chips, I kid you not.

With all these things to eat, you’ll definitely end up being thirsty. While I usually order a glass of cola with my food, I couldn’t help but give the “Fudge Iced Tea” a taste. It has an interesting flavor to it, not quite lemony, not quite orangey, not like tea at all, but a combination of all three, and very refreshing to drink. Which brings us to the restaurant’s milkshake.

It’s a real milkshake, made with real milk and ice cream, and will freeze your brains because you’d want another serving after you’ve finished a glass. Yes, it’s that good.

The place might be out of the way for some people, but for the serious foodies and sweets addicts, a trip down to Banilad shouldn’t be a chore. In which case, don’t fudge around then, so you can “fudge” around.