Balboa

Following the dinner at The Strip Hollywood Steakhouse, the second restaurant we explored in the new East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza was Balboa.  For those who are not familiar, Balboa is another baby of Marvin Agustin who also owns Marciano's, Sumo Sam, John and Yoko, Mr. Kurosawa, etc.  To tell the truth, we were deciding whether to try Balboa or Corazon across them and the interiors of Balboa won over Corazon's.  LOL.  There's a certain charm to it and that was already enough to convince us to go for Balboa.  

See?  It has a certain homey yet sophisticated feel to it.  Complete with nice floral chairs and the moose (or deer?) hanging on the wall.  Haha!

...and now it's time for the food.  Here's what we had:

Mushroom Soup

Didn't appreciate it that much.  Balboa's mushroom soup lacks flavor.  

Squash Soup

Didn't like this one either.  Again, it tasted watered down.

Oyster Rockefeller

Just alright.

4 Cheese Pizza

This was ok, but not superb.  I guess I got spoiled by those extra thin, super crispy pizzas from other restaurants that this one didn't impress me anymore.

Truffle Mushroom Linguine

We sent back the truffle mushroom linguine because we couldn't detect even a hint of truffle even if our noses were mere millimeters away from the pasta.  Came back with a nice truffle scent, and yet, it was just... normal.

I guess it's safe to say that we weren't the least bit blown away by Balboa.  The interiors are nice, but sadly, that's about it.  Hope it's just the opening blues.  2 out of 5 stars.

Balboa is at 4/F Shangri-la Plaza Mall, East Wing, Shaw Blvd cor. EDSA, Wack Wack, Mandaluyong

TeaTap Cafe

Once upon a time, amidst all the milk tea shops along Wilson St., another tea shop opens.  It's name?  TeaTap Cafe.  While this tea shop is unknown, soon people started hanging out there and in no time, it became the not-so-secret spot for all milk tea lovers.  What I specially love about TeaTap Cafe is their cozy interiors.  If you're one to frequent almost all the milk tea shops like me, then you will agree with me that most of them lack the interior factor.  This is where TeaTap Cafe veers away from the norm and looks inviting enough that you'll feel like staying longer.  Plus points that their place is very spacious and quiet.  Perfect whether you'd want to bring a book with you, or just to casually catch up with friends over a cup of yummy milk tea.  Oh and did I mention that they have food too?  Not just food, but good food.  Here let me show you:

Royal Black Milk Tea with Pearl

Ebiko Pasta

Takoyaki

Curry Hamburg Rice

Hungry now?  As you can see, they don't scrimp on ingredients.  Everything, and I mean everything tastes delicious.  I particularly love their Royal Milk Tea, because I think it's one of the strongest milk teas in the market.  So next time you find yourself in Wilson St. San Juan, whether you want to grab a quick drink or a quick bite, why not try out TeaTap Cafe?  You won't regret it.  

TeaTap Cafe is at G/F Ongpauco Sisters Bldg., P. Guevarra cor Wilson St. Greenhills, San Juan.

Boracay Eats: Aria

A trip to Boracay is never complete without the food.  Being the foodie that I am, I made sure to make the proper research as to where the best restaurants are, so that I won't live in regret about not trying the restaurants that people are raving about.  The list was quite long; I wasn't even sure we could go through half of them, with just 3 days on the island.  But guess what?  I was able to cross everything off my list!  Thank you, dear family, for bearing with my food adventures.  And for bearing with me shooing you away when  you try to touch the food that I haven't photographed yet.  I love you guys :)

That being said, let's get to the first one on the list:  Aria.  For a long time now, Aria would be the first thing that people will say when you ask them for restaurant recommendations.  There was even some sort of a commotion among the food community when news spread that they were opening in Bonifacio High Street Central just over a year ago.  Those who tried the BHS Central branch were disappointed.  Some said it's nothing compared to the Boracay branch.  So I never did attempt to try for the fear of a letdown.  So when we got to Boracay on the first day, the first thing I did was bug everyone to have dinner in Aria.  They gave in!  How did it go?  Read on: 

Aria at night

What we had:

Insalata di uva, lattuga, acciuga e mozzarella (a salad of lettuce, grapes, anchovies and fresh mozzarella tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing)

The salad was nice and crisp.  Though I'd like my balsamic vinaigrette a little sweeter, the mozzarella more than made up for it.  

Tagliatelle con tartufo, asparagi e prosciutto di parma (homemade tagliatelle with white truffle sauce, asparagus and parma ham)

I'm a sucker for anything with truffle/truffle oil, so this one is a no-brainer.  I love how strong the truffle smell is; that just means they didn't scrimp on the truffle oil!  This counts as one of the best truffle pasta I've ever tasted.  Two thumbs up!  

Spaghetti al gorgonzola (spaghetti with a gorgonzola cheese sauce)

The gorgonzola spaghetti is also delicious.  It was just right without the overpowering smell.  But my heart belonged to the truffle pasta the moment it entered my mouth.

Pollo alla cacciatora (bite sized chicken sauteed in an aromatic red wine sauce)

The only meat dish for the night.  The chicken itself was tender, but the taste was just ok, nothing fancy.  

Pizza al Metro (giant trio pizza, any three flavor combinations)

5 people vs. one humongous pizza.  And yes, the 5 people won.  Or is it 3?  Mom and Dad gave up after having a slice of each of the three flavors.  Brother, Hubby and I had to finish the whole thing by ourselves!  

Here are the three flavors we chose:

Mamma mia (tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, grilled eggplant, param ham and shaved parmesan)

Aria (tomato sauce, mozzarella, parma ham)

Salsiccia (Italian sausage tomato sauce, mozzarella)

I initially wanted to get the 4 cheese pizza, but Dad wasn't a fan of too much cheese, so we got these three.  The verdict?  I would've loved more toppings, but the crust itself is oh so delicious!

Overall Aria gets a 4 out of 5 stars.  The people have spoken; it truly is one of Boracay's gems. 

Aria is at D' Mall Station 2, Boracay.