Shoot First Eat Later

Lunch at Boracay Crab House

As soon as I finished taking pictures of the rooms at Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa we hightailed out of there for a much needed late lunch. We couldn’t wait for the resort’s free shuttle so we hired their van to take us Escondido Beach Resort to eat at Boracay Crab House.

The van dropped us off at the corner and we had to walk in the narrow road that led to the hotel.

Escondido Beach Resort

Right across the resort was the restaurant.

We arrived at the restaurant at around 2:30 pm that’s why we were the only customers.

Boracay Crab House menu

pineapple shake P75

garlic fried rice P45@

sinigang na hipon P295

I don’t know what was in their special sauce but it was spectacular. I tasted coconut milk as the base but whatever else was in it made the simple boiled crab into a very tasty dish.

Boracay Crabhouse Special P650

This was an instance that the sauce alone could be a viand for the garlic rice. In local parlance, “sauce pa lang ulam na.”

Our second crab was doused with coconut cream sauce. Not bad but it wasn’t as good as the first crab. We wanted to order another Boracay Crabhouse special but they were out of crabs. They still had to buy more crabs for the night’s dinner service.

coco crab P650

Aligue is crab fat and sauce made with it is rich, salty, savory and a bit tangy. Prawns with aligue sauce is a classic Filipino dish and this version was really, really delicious. I couldn’t help but eat a couple of spoonful of garlic rice with the sauce. We actually ordered one more since we were ‘bitin.’

aligue prawns P295

The crispy shrimp was good too.

crispy shrimp P195

I found the price very, very reasonable for all the fresh crab and prawns we ate. I highly recommend this restaurant in Boracay.

It’s sad but this was my last meal outside of Shangri-La hotel . It was not practical to go out just to eat. For one it could be quite costly if you miss their free shuttle which ran at specific times. The hotel van that took us to the restaurant cost P150 per head for one way. It cost P600 pesos for the 4 of us!

The tricycle going from the restaurant to Shangri-La cost P150 instead of the usual P75. The tricycle couldn’t drop us off at the entrance either. We had to be dropped at a waiting shed halfway to the resort and waited for the hotel van to pick us up. Remember the masseuse I used at Discovery Shores? She refused to go to Shangri-La because of the same transportation issues even though I told her I will pay for her ride.

Boracay Crab House
Escondido Beach Resort
Zone Escondido, Station 1, Balabag, Boracay Island
Malay, Aklan, Philippines
telephone: +63922-640-1981
cellular phone: +63922-850-1161
website

Breakfast Buffet at Discovery Shores Boracay

I eat low fat yogurt with fresh fruit every single day. The only time I let loose is when I stay in a hotel that has buffet breakfast included.

I was so excited to show you the pictures of Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa that I forgot to post the breakfast buffet at Discovery Shores’ Sands Restaurant.

omelet station

calamansi, ham & cheese muffins, banana bread

bread

I’ve never seen so many kinds of cheese in a breakfast buffet. Fantastic! And they served it with dried mangoes. Nice touch.

cheese plate

smoked fish

oatmeal

fresh fruit

fruits

juice

cereal

salad bar

They also had a lot of hot dishes with local and international favorites.

congee

congee toppings

coffee and hot chocolate

Here’s my breakfast plate. The calamansi muffin was pretty good. Almost as good as the one from Real Coffee. If you’ve seen my other breakfast posts you will see my love for sausages of all kinds. It’s weird but I can live without bacon or corned beef both which I really love pre-diet days but I still can’t resist sausages. For my healthy contribution I ate a bowl of oatmeal topped with sweet mangoes and oranges. I was quite full after this plate plus my requisite two cups of coffee.

This was the gorgeous view while I ate breakfast.

After breakfast I went to the beach for a quick dip in the sea. I was disappointed that all the beach loungers were taken until the guard asked me if I was with the group who occupied the first two chairs the day before. I said yes and he told me he reserved it again for us. Isn’t that amazing?

The tote bag below was a free gift from the hotel.

I had to have my super favorite pandan water that they give to all the guests. They must have noticed how much I loved it that they gave me a whole carafe of it.

pandan water

Soon enough another staff member came along with cold towels. How I love the ultra attentive and personal service given by Discovery Shores’ staff to it’s guests.

How cool is this? Taho on the beach.

Discovery Shores Boracay
Station 1, Balabag Boracay Island
5608 Malay, Aklan Philippines
telephone: (63 36) 288-4500 / (63 2) 720-8888
email: dsbrsvn@discovery.com.ph

Manila Sales and Reservations Office
Discovery Center
25 ADB Ave. Ortigas Center, Pasig City
telephone: (632) 720-8888
direct lines: (632) 719-6692 to 719-6695/719-6697/719-6699

website
Facebook

Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa

My trip last April to Boracay was a short one but I got to stay in two of the island’s best hotels. My first night was spent at Discovery Shores and the next two nights I got to experience another level of luxury at Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa. How lucky was I?

We had to leave Discovery Shores because they were fully booked and we couldn’t extend our stay. I didn’t mind since I also really wanted to see Shangri-La’s beautiful resort.

lobby lounge

part of the lobby lounge

Really nice view from the lobby lounge which I never got to sit in at all.

After checking in we rode the golf cart to our rooms. You can call for a golf cart anytime you need to go anywhere. After a while we realized it was faster to walk and healthier too.

All our rooms were in the timog or south wing which had views of the sea. The hilaga or north wing had garden views.

My first stop was to see the suite of Elizabeth’s parents. It was huge!!!

seaview suite

The room even had an outdoor jacuzzi!

walk-in closet

The shower was double the size of the one in our deluxe room.

They also had a Nespresso machine as well as an electric hotpot for water.

I helped myself to an espresso.

I was so envious of the tea set-up. There were even two tea pots! Check out the 4 tins of loose leaf tea. The choices were green, earl, jasmine and oolong. Elizabeth’s mom was so nice to give me a couple of cans of tea.

glass bottled water

This was our first room. Why our first? We actually changed rooms three times. I was fine sharing this king bed with Elizabeth but she suggested we move to a room with two beds instead. Sure why not?

I noticed their linens were a bit crumpled.

deluxe seaview room

All the deluxe rooms had two daybeds in the balcony. It was a nice place to relax when I was tired of the beach and pool.

This was the view from the room.

The spacious bathroom had two doors.

L’Occitane toiletries

Only instant coffee and tea bags in this room.

An elevator ride down and a few steps away and we were at the beach.

The sand and water isn’t as nice as in White Beach in station one of Discovery Shores but it was very private. It felt like I had my own beach. There was hardly any people. There was another beach on the other side near the pool area.

I chanced upon a romantic and private dinner on the beach specially catered by the hotel.

special beachside dinner

From the beach there was a short cut to the pool.

I had a quick swim in the beautiful pool which had several sections. I knew the hotel was fully booked but I felt I was all alone in this paradise.

This was our second room, a deluxe seaview with two double beds. I was fine with it but Elizabeth swore she stayed in a bigger room with bigger beds before.

I was surprised with a much smaller bathroom with only one door and one sink.

There was no glass shower enclosures either. I wonder if this was for handicap access or the shower curtains were just to save space. It was unacceptable to us so we requested to change to another room.

The staff were really accommodating and moved all our belongings while we had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. Finally we got the room we loved. The room was indeed much bigger and had two queen beds. This room can easily sleep four people.

premiere family seaview room

The bathroom was identical to the first room so we were very happy.

Look what I found on my side table.

On the basement level of the resort was the health club, a boutique and the entertainment center.

regalo boutique

The entertainment center was really big.

entertainment center

Aside from the usual board games they also had sungka (local shell game).

I spent an hour of fun filled activities with Christine, Michelle and Andrew the nieces and nephew of Elizabeth. Naturally they beat me in basketball, air hockey, table tennis and foosball. I didn’t bother with billiards since I’m sure they will laugh at my amateur efforts.

There were even two rooms for video games. I was glad there were no kids playing there since the point of going to the beach was to get them away from video games.

Karoke rooms were available too.

They also had books and dvds you can borrow and take to your rooms.

Shangri-La’s resort was really world class. The rooms were very luxurious and surprisingly the rates were almost the same as Discovery Shores. I’m sure you’re all wondering which hotel I liked better? Believe me I asked myself the same thing over and over again. I’m really torn and can’t decide.

For location and the beach my choice would be Discovery Shores. Their service and ‘freebies’ are also top notch. But for an overall resort and hotel accommodation the facilities of Shangri-La can’t be beat. I was extremely happy and lucky to have experienced both fantastic hotels in one trip.

Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa
Barangay Yapak, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan, 5608, Philippines
telephone: (63 36) 288-4988
website
Facebook

Dinner at Kasbah, Boracay

One of the best things I liked about Kasbah was it’s location. It’s right next to the Discovery Shores hotel where we stayed. We didn’t need to go where the crowds were. A short walk on the beach with the cool breeze blowing our hair and in a minute we were there.

It was my first time ever to eat in an authentic Moroccan restaurant in the Philippines. I was quite excited since I knew lamb is an essential part of Moroccan cuisine and I just love lamb. I would rather eat lamb than beef any day. The only problem is the lamb dishes in Manila’s restaurants aren’t that great so I just cook it myself at home.

Really nice ambiance but quite a challenge for taking food shots without a flash.

I had to use a nearby spot light for these pictures. We started our meal with 4 kinds of dips. Two were made with eggplant while one was made with red bell pepper and of course the hummus was made with garbanzo beans. The dips were all very tasty and well seasoned.

zaalouk, mechoula, hummus harissa, moutabal (baba ganoush) P595

Their gambas was made with prawns instead of the usual small shrimp that’s why an order yielded only 3 pieces. It tasted different from the Spanish version since this dish was made with chermoula sauce, a popular Moroccan staple made with cilantro and other spices.

gambas marocain P385

gazpacho Marakesh P185

I always see watermelon and feta cheese salad in magazines and on tv and have always wanted to try this unusual combination. I liked the contrast of sweet watermelon and salty feta cheese and black olives. This is easy to make at home so I will definitely be having this salad soon.

watermelon, feta & olives salad P385

Thanks to Jason who ordered the lamb chops and was nice enough to give me one to try. The lamb was simply delicious! It was well marinated in herbs and spices and chargrilled to perfection. It’s a cliche but true when I say it was tender and juicy. The price of P895 was quite high but at least we got 4 relatively large pieces of lamb chops. I’ve had tiny bite sized lamb chops that cost more than this.

Maghreb lamb chops P895

A tagine is both slow cooked stew and the dome shaped clay pot used in cooking Morocco’s most popular dish.

lamb tagine P925

I was so happy all my dinner companions were also lamb lovers like me. I usually just like lamb chops and not the other parts of the lamb like the shoulder or the leg. This stew made with prunes, honey and almonds was so aromatic with hints of sweetness that carried through the super tender meat all the way to the bone that I couldn’t help but love it too.

They used lamb ribs in the tagine.

The baklava was a sweet and crunchy way to end my best meal in Boracay. It’s not cheap but I highly recommend anyone going to Boracay to have a least one meal at Kasbah. It was worth every peso!!!

baklava P210

Kasbah’s menu
cold appetizers, salads, soups & Moroccan appetizers, wraps & kebabs,
tagines, exotic Moroccan delights, kids meals & desserts

Kasbah
Station One, White Beach, Boracay, Aklan (next to Discovery Shores Hotel)
telephone: + 63 36 288 4790
website
Facebook

Real Coffee, Boracay

Who hasn’t heard of Real Coffee’s famous calamansi muffin? Blog after blog have written about this ‘not to be missed’ treat. So after our lunch at Mañana Mexican Cuisine we went in search of some coffee and dessert.

Real Coffee was located at the end of a small alley. It wasn’t hard to find since there were signs everywhere.

The kitchen looked just like a home kitchen.

This is Mamma Lee who together with her daughter Nadine run Real Coffee.

Admittedly I’m a coffee snob. I’ve seen how drip coffee is meticulously made in Third Wave coffee shops in San Francisco so I was cringing a bit when I saw hot water from an airpot being poured into a drip coffee maker while being vigorously stirred.

I ordered real coffee which was a shot of espresso added to brewed coffee. They used a moka pot to make the espresso.

Since it was so hot I couldn’t bear to drink hot coffee so I ordered my Real Coffee iced. It was just ok. It wasn’t strong enough for me despite the shot of espresso. Since it was iced the brewed coffee had to be stronger too but it was just regular strength. Nevertheless it was a pleasant relief from the heat.

I love peanut butter and it’s rare that I see peanut butter brownies in Manila that’s why when I saw it on the counter I immediately ordered one. The brownie had a good and yummy peanut butter layer which I loved. I just wish the chocolate part was fudgier.

iced real coffee P100, peanut butter chocolate chip brownie P80

I’m not a muffin lover. I’d rather eat a cookie or brownie over a muffin. I don’t think I’ve ever posted a muffin on this blog before. But since it’s the most popular item I had to try it.

At first bite my first thoughts were, “What’s so special about it? Why is everyone raving about it?” It was tender and had a distinct and pleasant calamansi flavor but I didn’t love it that much. We still bought a couple to take out. Later in the afternoon when I wasn’t so full anymore I took another bite of a calamansi muffin and that’s when I appreciated it more. It was really good! Moist, not too sweet and such a lovely citrus flavor.

At the airport I met up again with my friends Gem and Lisa and they told me they ordered two dozen calamansi muffins to take back to Manila. Real Coffee delivered the muffins to their hotel for only P50 delivery fee. Darn it. I wish I bought a box too.

Since I don’t have plans on going back to Boracay soon I will just try this calamansi muffin recipe hack of Pepper.Ph. By the way I agree with Mama Lee. 😀

calamansi muffin P45

ginger tea P100

More wise words from Mamma Lee.

Real Coffee’s menu

Real Coffee & Tea Cafe
Boracay, Aklan
telephone: +63-36-2885340
(located in an alley in between Astoria and Zuzuni)

Lunch at Mañana Mexican Cuisine

My first meal in Boracay was in Mañana Mexican Cuisine. I never thought I’d eat Mexican food in Boracay but my friends highly recommended it.

From Discovery Shores we took a tricycle to D’Mall to get to the restaurant.

I saw some new restaurants that weren’t there the last time I went to Boracay.

Halowich

Super Submarine Sandwich Shop

I wonder if this Chinese restaurant was any good?

888 Seafood Chinese Taiwanese Style Seafood

After walking a few minutes we arrived at Mañana which didn’t have air-conditioning like most restaurants in the area.

It was right on the beach. Others like staying in hotels in this area the convenience of having lots of restaurants and shopping nearby. I find it too crowded and too commercialized. I still prefer staying in the area of Discovery Shores.

I ordered the Mañana beef salad which came in a big fried taco shell.

Mañana beef salad P346

I enjoyed my salad a lot. The oodles of melted cheese definitely added tons of flavor. The ground beef was very flavorful and with the tomato salsa in the salad I didn’t add any more dressing or condiments. I specially liked the thin and crunchy taco shell. I’m sure this wasn’t a healthy salad but what the heck I was on vacation!

condiments

Elizabeth ordered the beef tacos that was served with three soft tortillas. Based on the picture there was more veggies than beef. She said it was just ok.

beef tacos P385

Jason said “this is Mexican?” It looked and tasted more like Chinese stir fry but he still ate it all.

beef sizzling plate P385

I guess I was the only one satisfied with our meal. The food wasn’t bad but based on what we ordered I can’t rave about this restaurant.

Mañana Mexican Cuisine’s menu

Mañana Mexican Cuisine
Station 1, Front Beach, Balabag, Boracay Malay, Aklan
website
Facebook

FIC Vermont Classic Frozen Custard

As a food blogger I sometimes get free stuff to review. Sometime they email me informing me of the products I will expect. Sometimes said products never arrive. Often times I receive them as promised.

The best products are those I don’t expect at all like this box from FIC or Fruits in Ice Cream. Normally it takes me a while to review these products since I prioritze my travels or restaurant meals. But when I receive something this nicely packaged and well thought of campaign I didn’t waste time in shooting and eating the ice cream.

I was so surprised to find 3 pints of frozen custard.

It also came with toppings to make different custard concoctions. How cute is that?

A recipe card was provided too. But of course I just had to try my own creations right?

I’m not much of an ice cream lover. As a matter of fact I never buy ice cream in the supermarket. Eating ice cream usually makes me cough since I usually find it too sweet. But FIC’s frozen custard was so creamy and not cloyingly sweet that I didn’t cough at all.

My first creation was straight off their recipe card since the cheesecake flavored frozen custard was just perfect with the blueberry sauce and graham cracker crumbs. This was my second favorite flavor. It tasted like smooth and mild cheesecake.

blueberry cheese frozen custard

The brownie batter frozen custard was my favorite flavor. I would have gladly eaten it plain but the addition of sliced almonds made it even better. The chocolate flavor wasn’t too intense but it was enough to satisfy my chocolate cravings.

brownie batter frozen custard

French vanilla is one flavor I would never buy. I was thinking what can I do to vanilla frozen custard to make it something I would love?

French vanilla frozen custard

I know! I’ll pour my favorite espresso on the vanilla custard and make an affogato, a traditional Italian treat which I adore.

Did you notice the reflection on the stainless cup? I just realized the hazards of using reflective containers in photography while I was shooting this.

Affogato made with frozen custard was even yummier. Now I love vanilla frozen custard. Thanks FIC for letting me try all these fab flavors.

affogato

FIC Vermont Classic Frozen Custard is now available in their scoop shops around town as well as in Lulubelle in Power Plant and Makati Med.

Fruits in Ice Cream (FIC)
website
Facebook

Discovery Shores Boracay

My first view of Discovery Shores was through their rear entrance which was quite unremarkable.

My disappointment in the entrance was quickly erased by their smiling staff who offered me a cold drink as well as the nice guys who carried my bag and showed me to my room.

A beautiful layout and pool area was the trade-off for rooms not having an ocean view. But then who needs a view when you can experience the pristine beach and water just a few steps from your room.

Yes, the sand is blindingly white and fine.

Most hotels charge for drinks but here they gave away snow cones. They had dalandan and grape flavors that day.

I understand why Discovery Shores has won so many accolades world wide. They are so many small and unexpected touches around the hotel. Free cookies don’t cost much but say more specially to cookie monsters like me.

I was so lucky to be invited to join my friend and her family in their first trip to Boracay. Her parents stayed in a 1 bedroom suite. This was their living/dining room. 2 people could sleep on those comfy sofa beds.

We hanged around in this room when we weren’t in the beach.

one bedroom suite

This was our room, a junior suite which was the smallest room in the hotel. It had a very comfortable day bed which I slept on. This room is good for 3-4 people.

junior suite

There were enough outlets for all our gadgets. That’s not my laptop. I was there for just pure r&r!

The bathroom was not the best I’ve seen but it was simple and modern.

There were small bottles of Molton Brown toiletries and much bigger sized in-house brand.

You’ll never go hungry in this hotel with free snacks like pili nuts, cookies and dried mangoes constantly refilled.

Both rooms had books you can borrow. How did they know that these 3 were some of my favorite authors?

The best way to soak in Discovery Shores’ hospitality was relaxing on the beach loungers while drinking their refreshing pandan water. I loved this lightly sweetened water so much I must have drank a liter on my first day.

pandan water

At exactly 5:00 pm six staff members arrived bearing treats. I was speechless.

First I was offered a cold mist of orange mint, cucumber or plain Evian. The cool mist on my face, arms and legs was a pleasant relief from the humidity.

A flower for behind my ear. Aww….

Snacks?

I got a piece of hotdog wrapped in bacon.

Mango pops? Yes please. These were so creamy and delicious. They’d make a killing if they sold it.

Fresh fruits? Yes! But I didn’t have any hands left. One hand held on to the hotdog while the other was busy with my mango pop. Darn they should give us plates too! 😀 Did you notice all their sincere smiles? It’s more fun in the Philippines!!!

Even in the height of summer Station 1 wasn’t crowded. I will always stay in Station 1.

I wore the slippers provided by the hotel.

I love these shots of the sunset in Boracay.

This is what Discovery Shores look like at night.

Our room was on the ground floor and just after the pool. I loved it’s location.

When we got back to our room after dinner more goodies awaited us. The leche flan was so creamy and sweet.

Even better was the pichi pichi which was one of the best I’ve eaten. Really gooey with just the right amount of sugar and fresh coconut.

pichi pichi

We already received free cloth tote bags earlier in the day so we were surprised to find more gifts from the hotel.

We each got cell phone dry boxes!! I used mine the next day. Thanks again Discovery Shores.

My first night was capped with an in-room massage by a masseuse we met outside the hotel who only charged us P400 an hour. It was so gracious of the hotel to allow them to massage the guests even though the hotel had their own spa and massage services. I had an amazing sleep that night.

These are just some of the reasons why Discovery Shores is one of the best if not the best hotel to stay in Boracay. It’s worth every peso or dollar I tell you.

Discovery Shores Boracay
Station 1, Balabag Boracay Island
5608 Malay, Aklan Philippines
telephone: (63 36) 288-4500 / (63 2) 720-8888
email: dsbrsvn@discovery.com.ph

Manila Sales and Reservations Office
Discovery Center
25 ADB Ave. Ortigas Center, Pasig City
telephone: (632) 720-8888
direct lines: (632) 719-6692 to 719-6695/719-6697/719-6699

website
Facebook

Boracay Airport

Summer is over in the Philippines and it’s been raining almost everyday. To remind you of drier days and blue skies I’ll be doing a series of posts on my short trip to Boracay last April.

Imagine my surprise and joy on seeing two longtime friends, sisters Gem and Lisa, on the same flight to Boracay.

The last time I was in Boracay was about 5 years ago. The Caticlan airport didn’t look as nice. I’m glad they fixed it up.

The first time I went to Boracay I stayed in Sur hotel which was a nice mid budget hotel on station 1. I had to arrange my own transportation and that meant taking a tricycle and a boat and another tricycle just to get to the hotel.

This time I was staying in Discovery Shores and it was first class travel all the way. I was met by their representative at the airport who took care of my bag and accompanied me to their air-conditioned van.

The van took me the Fairways and Bluewaters welcome center to ride the boat that will take me to Boracay Island.

I was given a baller band to wear through the duration of my stay at the hotel.

I was the only passenger in the air-conditioned boat until a family of four boarded a few minutes later.

A welcome cold towel was greatly appreciated as I was already feeling the summer heat.

Oooh a bottle of cold water and a pack of oatmeal cookies too!! I sat right in front of the air-con.

The final leg of our journey was to take another van that took us directly to the hotel. I felt so pampered. Kudos to the staff of Discovery Shores. I hadn’t even reached the hotel I was already grinning like a fool. That’s what I call traveling in style and comfort. No bumpy tricycle ride this time.

Dinner at Cova tapas y sangria

I still have a long backlog of posts from a trip to Boracay to my recent trip to Europe but I’m writing about my recent dinner at Cova first. Rochelle and I as well as several US based cousins just came back from Spain where we had a wonderful time eating all kinds of tapas specially in San Sebastian and Barcelona. When we came back home we still had a tapas hangover and was missing it badly.

We wanted to treat a HS classmate who came home from the USA and I suggested Cova to relive our tapas memories. This was actually my first time to eat tapas (small plates of savory dishes) in Manila.

The place was very small but the unique ceiling made it look so much more interesting. Rochelle said it felt like she was inside the mouth of a whale. Such imagination!

Some of the names of the tapas or pintxos are spelled in the Catalan language and not in Spanish that’s why some items on the menu seem unfamiliar. Catalan is spoken in Barcelona.

Cova menu (click to enlarge)

The sangria was super sweet and quite good. I just commented to our server that there was so little fruits in our carafe and he offered to add more but I declined. Nevertheless I could taste the infusion of fruits in the red wine.

Cova red sangria – 1 liter P895

Most of us liked the citrusy white wine sangria more.

summer peachy white wine sangria – 1 liter P895

Let me get the following opinions or observations out before I go in detail of each dish.

Overall the tapas were excellent. Some dishes tasted even better than in Spain.
The serving size even the racion which was good for 3-4 was tiny in relevance to the price. But then tapas are really supposed to be small dishes which are meant to be shared.
Some of the must try dishes indicated in their menu I wish we skipped.
I guess the tapas were really meant for appetizers and not dinner for 6 hungry women with big appetites that’s why our bill was astronomical? For 6 of us our bill came to P7,410 or $177 or 145€.
Even with the shock of the bill I really enjoyed our meal and would definitely go back. Now I know what to order and that will definitely keep the final bill much lower.

So here’s my guide on what to order in Cova. We ordered all racion portions which was for 3-4 while the tapa portion was for 1-2 people.

MUST ORDER
In Spain boquerones or marinated fresh anchovies were my favorite and these brought back so much memories. I loved the flavor of the sherry vinegar on the firm yet tender fresh fish. The addition of avocado was something different.

boquerones P280

It’s strange but I don’t remember seeing lengua in the tapas bars we went to in Spain but I’m glad Cova has this Filipino favorite. Their version was delicious with a creamy mushroom sauce. The ox tongue was super tender and soaked up all the yummy sauce.

lengua con setas P480

One of the dishes that literally blew me away was the salpicao made with wagyu veal cheeks, paprika, garlic and olive oil. Eaten with toasted bread a small spoonful was enough to savor the complex flavors of this dish which seemed to have been cooked for hours. Even though this order couldn’t have been more than 1/2 cup it was worth it. We asked for more bread to soak up the sauce.

salpicao de mejillas de ternera P480

toasted bread

I saw a TV feature on Cova before I left for Spain and they featured this dish among others. When I went to Spain I actively looked for this item in the menu. It wasn’t until my last meal in Barcelona that I saw something similar but regular french fries was used instead. It was good but not as fabulous as Cova’s creation.

We all unanimously voted the shoestring potatoes topped with chorizo bits, aioli and a fried egg as our favorite dish. We weren’t even halfway through this mountain of crispy potatoes and we wanted to order another one. It was the generous aioli that gave this dish an extra flavor kick that was out of this world. You MUST order this!!!!

huevos cabreados P299

The black paella was really shallow maybe just 1/4″ high of rice so you would think it’s expensive at P900 but it’s the 3 large prawns and fried soft shell crab that pushed the cost up. Anyway it was worth it. The paella was very flavorful and the rice was just a tad too soft for my taste. The drizzle of aioli was once again just delicious with the rice. This is definitely one of the best paellas I’ve eaten in Manila.

paella negra P900

OPTIONAL TO ORDER
The next two dishes are actually marked as “must try” on their menu. But for me it’s optional if you’re feeling adventurous.

Espuma bacalao is foam made with salt cod or bacalao and it has pieces of bacalao, potato and olives underneath the foam. It’s actually an interesting dish with a nicely flavored foam and hearty pieces of fish. But for the price of P380 for a small glass there’s not much to go around. Rochelle ordered 3 glasses that’s another reason for our expensive bill.

espuma bacalao P380

Since none of us were fans of raw beef this was hardly touched. But if you like steak tartare then you should try this.

tartar de toro P320

SKIP THIS
Another “must try” in the menu so we tried it. Soak Iberico ham in milk and remove said ham after a number of hours. That’s what this was – super expensive ham milk. I’d rather eat Iberico ham and not just it’s essence. The veal sweetbread cookies didn’t make an impression either.

cappuccino de jamon Iberico P299

This ravioli made with ox tail, foie gras, shitake mushroom and ox tail jus wasn’t really that bad but for four bite sized pieces P480 was a bit too much. Yes, I know there’s foie gras inside but I didn’t really taste it. I think it melted inside since we all found this ravioli too greasy. Too bad I liked the texture and flavor of the ox tail.

ravioli de rabo de toro P480

For dessert I ordered the creme Catalan but another table got the last few orders so we were left with the xurros or churros con chocolate. The four pieces of fried dough fritters were finger sized and sorry to say tasted very doughy and uncooked on the inside. It was so disappointing for me. I did love the thick chili spiked chocolate paste which I ate on it’s own.

xurros con xoco P220

Despite some misses I still highly recommend everyone try the tapas at Cova. It’s as near as you can get to authentic tapas from Spain. I must say some dishes were done even better and tweaked to the more discriminate Filipino taste buds.

Cova tapas y sangria
22 Jupiter Street, Barangay Bel-air,
Makati City, Philippines
telephone: 478-9700
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