Although from reading my previous post, you might think that I just survived on fruit smoothies the whole time in Boracay, but I did actually eat meals too! haha. Since Yunseo, Chris, and I had so much amazing veg food at Manila, we were a little concerned about what we would find in Boracay. But in the end, we needn't have worried. White Beach and D'Mall are jam-packed with a slew of international cuisines (Japanese, American, Italian, Greek, Mexican, Filippino, Korean... ), and most of them have at least one veg option, or they are willing to cater to your veg needs. Although on some occasions, it did take a little extra effort and patience, we were still able to find or request some scrumptious veg*an eats.
For our first meal on the island, we went to CYMA, a Greek restaurant tucked away in one of the alleys of D'Mall. Apparently, it's a chain with locations all over the Philippines, and it's pretty famous for its veg-friendly menu.
Appetizers: Pita bread and hummus topped with grilled vegetables.
I ordered their 'Family-Style Greek Salad' which was a huge plate of greens, mixed with bow tie pasta, cucumbers, tomatoes, scallions, pine nuts, capers, and olives, dressed with traditional Greek Vinaigrette, and served with delicious garlic bread. This was definitely not your average salad. It was juicy and very filling!
Yunseo's vegetarian 'Roka Pasta'- sauteed arugula and tomatoes, sprinkled with some grated parmesan cheese.
Chris' Veggie Skewers with pita bread.
On one of the nights, we were in search of good Mexican food but without much luck. In the end, we found ourselves at another Greek restaurant called 'The Cafe Mediterranean.'
For some reason, it seemed that the Mediterranean restaurants had the best veg options. The food was really great and I'm so glad we ended up eating there.
Eggplant Panini with fries.
An absolutely incredible bowl of curry soup with bread.
A side of green beans sauteed with garlic.
Falafel in a pita wrap.
Fresh mangoes for dessert! Or was it our appetizer? can't remember... Anyway, that was one of the best meals I had at Boracay.
Unfortunately, not every meal was such a vegan success. 'Manana' is a Mexican restaurant we found along Boat Station 2. Unfortunately, they had very poor veggie selections. There were hardly any veg options on their menu, so we had to make special requests, which was like pulling teeth. The waiter kept taking our order and then coming back with bad news, like "we can't make that" or "without cheese or sour cream, there will just be lettuce in your enchilada." In the end, Chris and I ordered a veggie burrito, off the menu.
Our plates came with a patty of rice, mashed potatoes, a dollop of refried beans, some kind of creamed corn, a tomato flower, and one lone tortilla chip.
The burritos were rather disappointing in terms of fillings, but we were so hungry at that point, we would've eaten cardboard and been satisfied. In terms of flavor, I guess it was actually pretty good. Or maybe that was just my hunger talking.
Unfortunately, Yunseo's vegetarian tostadas looked very scary... They were basically just lettuce covered with a blanket of melted cheese. I don't think she was so impressed because she only ate one of them. So yea. My advice to any vegan going to Boracay is to avoid the Mexican restaurants...
Here's a Thai restaurant at D'Mall that we stopped at for lunch.
This was a special order of vegan pad thai. Chris basically just asked, "can you make pad thai with all the vegetables you've got, and with tofu instead of meat?" And they did! We even saw the chef run over to the Japanese restaurant next door to get the tofu. haha. They were very accommodating. :)
This was pineapple fried rice, which everyone agreed was a little mushy...
Another great meal we had was at a very chill beach restaurant-bar with an amusing name: "Nigi Nigi Nu Noos e NuNu Noos." Now when you see a restaurant with such a funky name, you know you're in for a good time. Oh, and we were also lured by the "vegetarian specialties" written on their menu sign post:
My order of 'Pancit,' a Filipino fried noodle dish. This was pretty similar to Korean japchae, and it was very comforting and delicious.
Yunseo's vegetarian pizza (cheese on top).
Chris' fruit salad. Hm, I know Chris ordered an entree too, but I can't remember what it was and I don't seem to have a picture! blast.
Before heading to Boracay, I did a little research on eating vegan on the island, and all search results recommended 'Prana' a vegetarian restaurant which is a part of the tranquil Mandala Spa. We knew it was gonna be a little fancier and more upscale, so we saved it for our last meal on the island. :) One last hurrah.
The spas was about a 5 minute tricycle ride away from White Beach, surrounded by lush greenery and ambient lighting. We got there at night so things were pretty dark, but the spa grounds looked incredibly relaxing and posh. I would've loved to get a massage here, but that would've cost an arm and leg... Since it was separated from all the other activity going on at White Beach, the area was very quiet and peaceful. I don't think many people know about the restaurant because it was rather empty. Either that, or tourists can't be bothered to leave the comforts and accessibility of all the other restaurants on White Beach in order to trek to a vegetarian restaurant. But I highly recommend it to all visitors because it is indeed an oasis of calmness and sophistication.
What I absolutely loved about 'Prana' was the diverse menu and fresh, healthy, clean ingredients. This mango salad was nothing short of awesome.
Chris' pan fried tofu dish. I got a bite of his tofu and thought it was amazing. I'm not sure what the sauce was, but it was yummm.
Yunseo's tomato pasta.
My order of vegetable curry with rice. The curry was fantastic and I loved the whole cumin seeds in it. It came with a tall hill of white rice which I didn't finish, but that curry was gone in a few minutes flat.
Yunseo also ordered their apple crumble. It was a beautiful sight, but not vegan, so I just admired it from afar. :)
So that was the veg food scene at Boracay. For the most part, it was a delightful medley of international cuisines and flavors. There were also a lot more restaurants that I wanted to try out, had we stayed longer. I would've also loved to eat at CYMA, the Mediterranean Cafe and Prana again- they were definite favorites.