Boracay's Sababi of D'Talipapa for Buttered Prawns and Tapas de Dos Mestizos

Last year I posted a double feature on my solo trip to Boracay, which you can click here and here. I wanted to try D'Talipapa, but decided against it.

This year, with friends in tow, we went to D'Talipapa's Sababi. D'Talipapa is a cluster of restaurants surrounding a wet market where you can buy your proteins, mostly seafood, and accompanying vegetables and fruits. You then have these cooked in one of the stalls, just like Macapagal Boulevard's Seaside. At Sababi we had perfectly cooked buttered prawns: the skin did not stick to the meat even after resting. The prawns were fresh and meaty.

 Don't expect anything fancy--just fresh catch and breaking bread at its most basic. 

Sababi
Aklan D'Talipapa
Boracay

The other night we went to Dos Mestizos. We had a delightful salsa dip that came with the complimentary bread. We then had tapas. 

I was enamored with the bold Spanish flavors, like those of the callos: so buttery soft and rich.

The reliable chorizos got smaller but taste as good as before.

We had refreshing sangria to wash down our tapas.

The best tapa for me is the tasty calamares (no need for the dip). The combination of soft flesh and crunchy batter shows good technique.

The salpicao is also good--rich, flavorful.

Dos Mestizos
Remedios Street, Sitio Manggayad
Boracay
(+63) 036 288 5786

Boracay: All Things Savory

This is my second entry on my recent restaurant run in Boracay. You can check my earlier entry on the sweet stuff here. For my non-food posts, you can go here, here, and here. 

1. Smoke's Pork Kao Pad

The kao pad (Thai fried rice) also comes in chicken but since my default fast-food meat is poultry, I went for pork. This is one savory and flavorful dish from the 24-hour restaurant. Imagine rice flavored with either (I'm guessing here) shrimp or fish paste, topped with strips of fried egg and ripening mango, the sweet and sour of which contrasts beautifully with the fried pork and rice.

Smoke Restaurant

D'Mall, Station 2, Boracay 

(+036) 288-6014 

2. Aria Cucina Italiana's Marinara Pasta

Just divine. I went to other tony and/or hyped restaurants, and I ended up disappointed, but not here in Aria. I've never been partial to tomato-based sauces, but this one is light and delicate, making me want for more. I had to slow down to savor the dish--the squid and shrimp were so fresh, and came out sweet. This is one of the better pastas I tasted and I don't mind paying more for this.

Aria Cucina Italiana

D'Mall, Station 2, Boracay 

(+036) 288-6223

3. Dos Mestizos

I came for a mojito, but lingered after ordering their excellent chorizo tapa. Their home-made Spanish sausages were to die for--very flavorful and garlicky that I wanted rice to go with the tapa. Perfect with the complimentary bread and the accompanying potatoes. By the way, the tomato and onion dip of the complimentary bread  was so good.

Dos Mestizos

Remedios Street, Sitio Manggayad

Malay, Aklan

(+036) 288-5786

4. Real Coffee and Tea Cafe's Marty's Chicken Omelette with Pesto

For those with hefty appetites, this generous dish is just right to jump-start the day--it was delicious and creamy. Just be sure that your omelette include pesto, as it went well with the egos and tomatoes. This was heaven on a plate. For my post on the cafe's calamansi muffins, go here. 

Real Coffee and Tea Cafe
Sea World, Station 2
Balabag, Boracay
(+036) 288-5340

5. Manana Mexican Cuisine's Pollo Taco

The restaurant's chicken soft taco was a winner, despite the unsatisfactory service--the waiter who served me not only look bored, but he seems to prefer attending to foreigners. You can read the rest of the unfortunate incident here. If you don't mind extra heat, the chopped tomato and spicy sauces were quite potent. 

6. Bite Club Burger's Burgerella with Wasabi Mayo and Teriyaki Sauce

This is one hefty burger, truly a a meal in itself. This was my first meal in Boracay in my recent visit. It was juicy, beefy, and laden with mozarella, with the wasabi providing a nice kick.

Bite Club Burger

D'Mall, Station 2, Boracay 

(+036) 288-5947

7. True Food Indian Cuisine's Lamb Rogan and Naan Bread 

The soft, chewy bread was perfect with the aromatic, spicy, oh-so-tender lamb. I love sopping the sauce with the bread. The spice level slowly builds up to a satisfying end. 

True Food Indian Cuisine
Station 2, Boracay
(+036) 288-5947

Boracay's La Carmela Hotel for Lechon Kawali

I love pork. Unlike most, I'm not queasy eating pork fat. Fat makes meat flavorful--remove it and the meat tastes, ah, less interesting. What I particularly favor is the portion where the meat and fat meets--that to me is heaven.

Next to adobo (pork stewed in vinegar. This is arguably the country's national dish), I love lechon kawali, crispy pan-fried roasted pork belly. Many dip this either in a spicy soy sauce mix or a sweetish liver-based condiment, but I prefer fermented fish paste, unsauteed.

Last year the best lechon kawali I ever tasted was from La Carmela Hotel, Boracay. The skin was crunchy, the meat oh-so-soft. My mouth water as I write. There was no need for dip, as the dish was so good on its own. The relish was quite interesting, as well. Instead of the usual achara--pickled green papaya, they used what appears to be banana pith.

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Boracay's Real Coffee and Tea Cafe for Calamansi Muffins

Eating certain food triggers fond scenes of things past. Strawberries remind me of the wild varieties we used to pick on our way to school during our brief stay in Irian Jaya (now West Papua), Indonesia. Yesterday my office-mate brought back from her travel what appeared to be ordinary muffins, but tasted unmistakably of calamansi (citrofortunella microcarpa, also known as calamondin or acid orange). That instant I was transported to Boracay's Real Coffee and Tea cafe, a small unpretentious dining spot tucked in a corner of Station 1, a few steps away from the madding crowd.

Calamansi muffin is the cafe's signature offering. It's quite tart, so I pair it with tea. The last time I was there, I chanced upon the owner, American Nadine Rosaia, who was quite the charmer--very warm, and she was wearing pink sparkly shoes. She said she has been serving coffee for 15 years, back in the day when Boracay was less harried. That day, December 27 of last year, marked the cafe's anniversary, and she still remembers pouring drinks to her first three customers. She let us (me and a couple who were engaged) in on the ingredients of her special coffee brew, saying she sources her ingredients from all over the world.

I can't wait to return.

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