A ‘luscious’ day at the Boracay Garden Resort
BY ANGELA B. LOPEZ DE LEON

I think Boracay Island in Aklan province is not just about its crystal clear and white sand beach, it also a haven for food.
Restaurants and hotels in this island offer unparalleled food. There will always be a place that will suit your particular taste, whatever it may be.
And among the many restaurants in Boracay that I love coming back to and surely on my list is the restaurant inside Boracay Garden Resort.
Patrons and travelers seeking for a really unique, delicious, and satisfying healthy meal should check and taste the old and new menu items of Boracay Garden Resort because it is really worth to try.
"The resort not just offers an assortment of healthy and guilt-free dishes but we really make sure that every meal is delectable, so that our guests can certainly enjoy their stay in the resort," said Henry Chusuey, Boracay Regency chairman, over dinner with a group of media people.
"People should also watch out for the café that we will soon put up here. It is a part of our on-going renovations. The ‘Garden Café’ will probably be completed before December," he added.
Boracay Garden Resort rests on a two-hectare property located at the center of White Beach Station 2 with easy access to both the beach front and main road.
The resort has about 200 well-appointed rooms styled with modern and Mediterranean interiors that are surrounded by two swimming pools, landscaped gardens, and al fresco restaurant and bar.
It also features private KTV rooms with modern equipment, gym and fitness center with 24-hour standby generators and security.
During our stay at the resort, Food and Beverage manager Mario Gatmaitan let us have a taste of their newest menu items.
He served us with these new set of special dishes, which included a soup and a dessert with a fresh fruit juice or fruit shake on the side. Fruits vary from mango, banana, pineapple, papaya, or watermelon.
The first item that I highly recommend for everyone to try is the "Surf and Turf" – a dish with grilled tiger prawns and prime beef tenderloin, serve with mashed pumpkin potato and asparagus with emulsion of burgundy and bearbaise sauce. We went crazy over this one!
Followed by "Mozzarella Caprese," a salad with sun-ripened tomato, shaved mozzarella cheese, basil and balsamic vinaigrette. Delicious!
Then, the "Squash Bisque" with shrimp and carrots in cream.
And for a non-sinful dessert, you can try their unique "Kalabasa Leche Flan."
"We only used the freshest ingredients in all our dishes. We always prepare healthy food, cocktails, and drinks. However, we also consider the needs and requests of guests who are not really diet conscious. We try to serve meals in balance and with health benefits," Gatmaitan noted.
He said that aside from the new set of menu items, guests can still enjoy some of the resort’s specialties such as the pan-seared scallop with ponzu vinaigrette and fresh shitake mushroom, seafood crepe with white wine cream sauce, chicken binakol soup, chicken breast tim, and char-grilled lapu-lapu fillet in saffron juice.
Guests can also feast on gastronomic delights such as the shrimp ukoy, classic ceasar salad served with ahi-tuna, lentil roast, and the stir-fry tofu with snow peas with oyster sauce.
Aside from these meals, Gatmaitan further noted that they also serve authentic Filipino specialties as well as Korean dishes.