A ‘Melty Mecca’

For many, childhood food experiments meant Milo rice, Milo and milk in equal powdered portions eaten as is, Chippy sandwiched between sliced bread, or any weird food pairings that worked for them at the time.

For JM Yap III, he would top his bowl of rice with Eden cheese and liquid seasoning, and then microwave it to melt the cheese. He loved how every bite was savory with a hint of sweetness. Years later, JM found himself experimenting on the perfect cheese mix for Fat Dois, a restaurant he co-owns and plays head chef at. The place is quite hard to miss, not only because of its stark red door but also because of the long line of customers eager to have a taste of its offerings.

The menu is simple—just three main items (its bestsellers) and a few sides. The Cheese Ribs—a generous slab of it—are pre-cut so that one simply has to pick each slice with a pair of tongs and coat it with the melted cheese before gobbling it up. Succulent strips of meat that have been basted with a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce are made even more delectable with the three-cheese blend.

The Cheesy Chixs come in three flavors—spicy, barbecue, and garlic soy. The boneless bite-size pieces of chicken take up half of the space on the hot plate. The other half? That power combo of mozzarella, cheddar, and cream cheese, that also does a great job in counteracting the heat should one choose the spicy variant.

The Spicy Noodles—served with Spam slices, cheese, kimchi, string mushrooms,

spring onions, and egg—is served bubbling hot, both in temperature and flavor. When taking a bite, try to have a little of everything in one spoonful for a flavor explosion you won’t see coming.

Fat Dois also has loaded kimchi rice, thick-cut fries, and the Shika-Shika—rice, short ribs, corn, nori strips, and an egg, arranged in a box which one can put a lid on and shake to combine the ingredients.

Located along A.S. Fortuna St., Mandaue City, Cebu, Fat Dois is open Monday to Sunday (except Friday) from 5:30 to 10 p.m.