One of the many perks of travelling is the chance to meet interesting people from all walks of life, with all sorts of life stories. And like all good conversations, good encounters start with food.

We’ve been eyeing to try Caffe di Roma’s notoriously popular Cheesecake-on-a-Stick. So when chance presented itself, we grabbed it by the collar.

After meandering around the sandy shores of Jumeirah Beach Residences, we headed straight to Il Caffe de Roma, situated directly in front of the Hilton Hotel. Greeted by a strangely wide-smiled attendant, we were ushered inside and were seated on the pastry bar, a premiere, sugar-rush seat for sweet-toothed folks. Which means only one thing – this seat is not for me.

Needless to say, I was looking forward for the experience more than the food.

It was prepared from scratch in front of us. The presentation and the cheesecake itself was ok, but it was too sweet for my taste, as expected. While the food was expectedly underwhelming for my savory palate, the pasticciere was unexpectedly entertaining.

Barely a month in Dubai, Frankie moved to the Middle East from Bucharest, Romania after years of working there. Originally from the Philippines, he now speaks with an Eastern Romance tone, mixing Romanian and Catalan with his Tagalog gab.

With the tone of his voice and through his eyes, his sadness resonates. Quite normal for people who just moved to a place that feels different to what you were accustomed to for many years; that feeling of uncertainty about the future and that longing to come back to what you think is normal.

We spent a good 30 minutes talking. I was entertained, partly because I was fascinated with how he can keep a conversation, but mostly because it triggered my love for geography, history and foreign languages.

We left the premises that night with smiles on our faces. Overrated food, for sure. Experience? Over the top. We hope to come back.

Adio, prietene.