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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Food: Boracay Dining

Date Budget: PhP 1500
Actual Spend: PhP 1420
Quality: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Accessibility: 4/5
Fun Factor: 3/5
Overall Experience: 3/5
Highlights 
  • Mongolian Buffet at Sun Village for only PhP 275 per person: fresh ingredients, great service!
  • Buffet Dinner with bottomless iced tea at La Carmela for only PhP 270 per person
  • Hunger-buster servings at Big Mouth
The Experience

After getting to Boracay around noon and checking in at La Oviedo at 2pm, our stomachs were already complaining loudly. After walking a few meters at the white beach, we found a Mongolian Buffet for PhP 275 each at Sun Village Restaurant at Station 2. We were welcomed by their great island ambiance.

Kirsten and I are not fans of the strong-smelling Mongolian food at malls (we actually stay away from those) so it was our first time to try something like this. Luckily, it left us good memories.

Their Mongolian Buffet had fresh ingredients and a wide variety of sauces (from curry powder to chili paste). The vegetables tasted fresh even when cooked. It was also nice to see your food cooked right in front of you.

You can also let them pick the sauces for you (good for beginners like us). We eventually tried experimenting on our own and I think we still need more practice (better leave it to the experts).
After taking a sailboat ride and walking through white beach (and seeing unusual-looking crabs along the way), we realized that it was already dinner time. After scouting for the best value dinner buffet at the beach, we ended up at La Carmela.  It's a hotel/resort along the white beach between stations 2 and 3.

La Carmela's buffet had some decent variety. They had pork, beef, chicken, salad, fruits, pastries, and even a Mongolian section (we had to say pass for this one as we already had a Mongolian-style lunch). At PhP 270 with bottomless iced tea, we think it's a good deal though we enjoyed our Mongolian buffet lunch more. The candle-lit ambiance was a plus though. 
Our buffet escapade continued through day two with our buffet lunch packaged with the island hopping tour (we'll talk about this more in our next post). Getting too much of buffets, we chose to do ala carte for our last dinner for this trip.
We stumbled across a brightly-lit food house named Big Mouth. The pictures in their menu looked appetizing so we decided to dine there. 

Their servings were indeed BIG. However, the taste was just so-so. We got some pork tonkatsu (bravo for the presentation) and liempo strips served on a sizzling plate. It wasn't really bad but we might not go back here in our next Boracay trips.

After eating this much in Boracay, we didn't really feel bloated. Unlike the buffets in Metro Manila, the ones in the island has a more 'lighter' feel likely due to the fresh veggies in their selections. We really wish there were similar buffets here.
Spend Breakdown
Sun Village Mongolian Buffet (275 *2 persons)
550
La Carmela Buffet Dinner  (270*2 persons)
540
Big Mouth
330
Actual Spend
1420

How to get there

  1. Click here for the guide on how to get to Boracay. 
  2. Once you reach Boracay's port, you may ride a tricycle going to Station 2.
    Note: Boats can NO LONGER unload passengers at the white beach (Stations 1, 2, and 3) due to government regulations.
  3. Tell the driver to drop you off at D'Mall (Station 2).

    Landmarks: White Beach, Station 2, D'Mall
    Address:
    D'Mall, Station 2
    Boracay, Malay
    Aklan, Philippines

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