Aria Restaurant, Boracay

Aria Restaurant, Boracay

 

This was our first night in Boracay after a rather long journey commencing at something like 0930 that morning. We were expecting a 3 hour flight and short trip from the airport to the suites we were staying in, and a nice afternoon on the beach. But not to be. Slightly fleeced by the 15 minutes from the airport statement as in fact there are two airports, an international one and a domestic one, and yep the statements of 15 minutes from airport were referring to the domestic one – see the blog – anyways that aside, we arrived to the hotel at 1830 and pretty much needed to dump bags and run for dinner. We chose Aria Restaurant, Boracay at D’Mall Station 2.

A little up there on Peso front.

A funny story re this. It’s now 1900 or something. We’re wondering through a place we have never been before, D’Mall, that starts as shops and then gradually becomes more foodie with restaurants and hotel frontage as far as the eye can see. In front of you is a huge screen with bamboo scaffold.

Now I am putting this video footage here now – but reference it below in the final paragraphs – all will become clear. I just want you to focus on my closing words in the clip; “I don’t know if we’re going to make it up the hill though?”

We meander and eventually settle on Aria Restaurant, Boracay – looks nice, busy, and they then offer us an outside seat. Sitting there on what I thought was fake sand, with fake palm trees, I still slipped off my flip flops and let sand slip between my toes. A nice beer in hand too, and loads and loads of people milling back and forth to people watch. This is nice I was thinking to myself, but I wonder what they’re building on the other side of the big screen. It truly looked like a building site.

“Excuse me mate? But what’s on the other sides of the screen? Building work?” says I.

“Er no Sir, that would be the beach. We put the screens up because of the wind.” says the waiter.

So I am actually sat on the beach, White Beach?” says I.

“Yes Sir!” says he.

So off I wander and slip through one of the covered openings in the screen – and BOOM!

See what I mean. You sit on the other sides of this screen to the left and you cannot see the other side because it is pitch black, but of course form the beach side and with the lights of the restaurant you can indeed see through to the action. This made this ‘discovery’ even more surprising. To walk through this little gap in the screen and see this amazing beach, and believe me it goes the same distance the other way, as we are smack bang in the middle here.

To my main dish. I saw truffle and Parma ham mentioned in the same dish and my decision was made. So I had Tagliatelle Tartufo. Basically tagliatelle, with a white truffle sauce, Parma ham atop, three little asparagus spears and a drizzle of oil. This was really nice. Or at least really nice until about 1/2 way down, as then all the sauce had gone and all that was left was clumped together lumps of tagliatelle. Less is more Aria Restaurant, Boracay. Less pasta please, more sauce and this would have been a cracker. But I did really like this.

Not ideal I know – our first night in Philippines and we’re eating Italian, but hey. We were hungry in an unknown place, and Aria Restaurant, Boracay was busy with a mix of people. Looked good to me.

So yes the kids ordered pizza. Pizza sat on White Beach, Boracay.

Now the pizzas were damn good.

Ollie ordered the Quattro Formaggi – yep 4 cheese. Really very good this one.

Whereas Amy goes for the aptly named Aria Pizza. Yep a kid with high expectations, she wants to get into that Parma ham – and she did so very well in fact. She demolished this, apart from one slice I grabbed and one for Jude. Yes this pizza was bloody nice. Superb with the cold Pilsen I had in my hand at the time.

Sadly no picture of Mary’s Fish in tomato sauce or Tanguige Acquapaza with rice. Feedback from the wife was that she really enjoyed the fish. It was very tasty. Again not on the amazing scale, but very tasty.

Actually no dessert, but my girls did run off and buy these spinny light things, which at night created a great photo and a slow aperture. Quite cool right.

And to close this one off. A funny story re the return home. We couldn’t wait for the free return bus as we were mid hour, and I think all a bit grumpy still from the trip. So let’s take a tuk tuk or as known in the Philippines a tricycle. Off we go. We love these things – see the video footage at the other blog. Whizzing through the busy streets, people shopping, people eating, people just doing what people do, along the beaches, stars out and beautiful warm wafting air breezing over you – I like it.

BUT.

With me, Ollie, Amy, Mary and Jude in the tricycle would we make it up the hill?

The answer in short is no. We got about 1/3 up after the driver had taken a HUGE high speed run up, gears crunched, we started to go backwards, the driver started to panic; “Get out, get out!!!” We all jumped out. We underpaid and had to walk the remaining 2/3. Maybe I should not have had that final beer and 2 spoon-fulls of tagliatella at Aria Restaurant, Boracay.

Aria Restaurant, Boracay is good. It really was nice. Staff were very pleasant, atmosphere great, truly wonderful to sit with sand in between toes, lots to watch – food was nice. I would not sing from the rafters about it, but I would also not complain about it either. It was good. I might go again. The Semi-naked Chef and family enjoyed it. ENJOY!!!