Backyard BBQ, Boracay
Wandering around the beautiful Filipino island of Boracay, we stumbled across Backyard BBQ, Boracay. Yep we’ll give this a try thought I. Packed out – a good sign. Smoky, BBQ smells a wafting – another good sign. Smiley faces – always a good sign. Mix of locals and foreign, again a good sign in my reckoning.
Now I just read their Facebook page for Backyard BBQ, Boracay and they get a bit of a slating from a couple of guys stating foreigners get preference and they are rude to Filipinos. Well we experienced nothing like, yes I am foreign but Mary is not and neither are my kids. The guys that waited on us were nothing but fun and helpful. Moving fans for us because it was hot and Jude and I were sweating. They even recommended Smoke, the local restaurant in the wet market that I have already blogged about, when they were full one day.
Only one ‘complaint’ and this is miniscule – was that they messed an order up one time we went there. But the food I got was still absolutely delicious so who cares. We went here twice for lunch so I am combining two trips to one. Believe me there is no way we could have eaten all that food at one sitting at Backyard BBQ, Boracay.
This was ‘The Bomb’ a great big hunk of steak, slow-cooked and BBQ’d, with some nice veggies and smoky rice. But hold on a minute what’s that bone with a hole in the middle of it? Yes folks this dish comes with a great big chunk of bone marrow – BOOM!!! Doesn’t get better in my reckoning. Nicely done Backyard BBQ, Boracay, this dish is a cracker.
Just so so good. A pork belly cut into cubes – not quite all the way through though, so it arrives in one piece, and then get your hands in there and pull off the bits to chomp on. This thing of beauty comes with three dipping sauces as you’ll see above. There is a vinegar with chili and white pepper, American mustard, and their famous secret dipping sauce. Now Ollie and I were then on the case of taste testing this to guess what was in it – we got the following correct but still, the waiter said there was more in there, but we could not fathom what; pineapple juice, roasted and crushed peanuts, honey, soy and ???
This really was a great dish. So much so that Amy herself had this the very next day ha ha!!!
This sweetcorn is exceptional. I would eat this again and again and again. That’s the slight complaint above, as I did order it again and it never came – they missed it off the order. Damn them!!! LOL. So of course I had to create it when I got home. I did this at a Pia and Steve Rutherford BBQ, and our very good mate Wills Dunbar did indeed state that it was the very best sweet corn he had ever had. There you have it folks!
Quick recipe for you that I made up to try and replicate. Take 1 big zip lock bag and throw in the following;
- 4 sweet-corn cobs, that I trimmed, cleaned, and cut into 1″ pieces;
- 1/2 a pack of salted butter;
- 1/2 cup soy sauce;
- 3 tablespoons of brown sugar; and
- A good pinch of salt and pepper.
Leave that out of the fridge to let the butter soften and then give it all a good massage together. Keep repeating this every 10 minutes or so. When you’re ready whack these bad boys on the grill, or as we did this day the hotplate of a BBQ. Now don’t panic when it starts browning, that’s just the sugar and soy caramelizing. Let it get a little charred and then serve. This really is THE BEST SWEET-CORN EVER – and now Wills you can make it yourself buddy!
This is the local dessert called Halo Halo. Kind of interesting looking right? Now this will take some explaining and also confirming that this tastes sublime. I am not a massive sweet dessert person as you know, I am way more savoury, and this is what this is.
It consists of shaved ice as a base, yam ice cream (the purple stuff), condensed milk, shaved coconut, different coloured jellies, red beans, leche flan (like a custard) and some green slimy stuff that Mary advises is again jelly. On a hot day this is what you need believe me – YUMMY.
End of lunch #1 with Backyard BBQ, Boracay and let’s have a little fun. Jude clearly is the perfect little angel. And yours truly, well for those that know me this character is kind of very apt. Plus also reminds me of my gift from my mate Spencer when I cooked his Pie n Mash with Mr C of The Shamen – my Semi-Naked Chef apron.
Push down hard on the brakes, slam on the hand brake and throw an anchor out the window. STOP that bus. This gear was heavenly. Slow-cooked pork, then BBQ’d, and then pulled/stripped, and then deep-fried until crispy. I don’t often, but for this I will. Incredible food, served with some dips. Crack a Pilsen and sit back and enjoy.
WOW!!! Nicely done Backyard BBQ, Boracay.
Clearly, Ollie is in a beef mood every he visits Backyard BBQ, Boracay. Have a look at this one. Almost a peasant style, with big hunks of potatoes, and vegetables amidst the tender corned beef chunks. And lurking in there, all secret-like, are the little marbled globules of fatty bone marrow. Delicious.
Or is it? This is another part of my messed up order this day. No sweet corn either. Whoops Backyard BBQ, Boracay. But whatever this was it was still well nice, so not really any complaints per se, albeit I really did miss the sweet corn.
I tell you – to each their own; but sometimes the place may be having a bad day, or the individual may be having a bad day, so I truly do get the point of a balanced opinion. But we went here twice and both days it was amazing. And you sit right on a corner so you have a great time people-watching whilst quaffing this incredible fair and supping a cold one or four. We loved it.
Backyard BBQ, Boracay is a place that is on the must-try list for The Semi-Naked Chef. If you are in Boracay get down there one day, but make a booking – that is highly recommended. ENJOY!!!
