One of the unlimited perks of staying in a luxury resort is to try the food being offered in their in-house restaurant which is usually the forefront in satisfying guests’ cravings. For Bluewater Panglao, Aplaya Restaurant does the magical moments with its wide offering of international and authentic local fare.
Aplaya means ‘seaside’, which is the perfect location of the restaurant. Buffet breakfast included in the room rates is being served in Aplaya. The first meal of the day will literally fill you up for another day in Bohol as the sea breeze from the sea ventilates the place.
Their buffet breakfast is segmented into main courses: noodles, cold cuts, fresh salads and fruits, some pancakes and bread, and a lot more. Of course, the friendly chef can make some omelet of your choice or fry some appetizing ‘danggit’ or ‘dried squid’.
Some areas of the buffet breakfast.
For lunch, we were able to sample the Adobo Rice (Php 320) which is fried rice having chicken adobo flakes and sauce and topped with Adobong Bisaya, was served in a bamboo. I have no idea what’s the difference between the Adobong Bisaya and the normal adobo, but I thought I was eating a luscious Lechon Kawali that time. We also had a bowl of Pinakbet (Php 290) and Tinolang Pugapo (Php 440), a native soup flavored with ginger, lemongrass, and onions. It is served with chayote, malunggay leaves and tomatoes.
Pinakbet (Php 290) and Tinolang Pugapo (Php 440).
If you happen to stay in Bluewater Panglao on a Saturday, they have this Barrio Fiesta, a cultural-dining experience and a chance to immerse in a colorful and upbeat Philippine cultural dance show while you feast on Boholano specialties, including the crispy and delish Lechon Kawali. Aside from Lechon Kawali, I also liked their take on grilled (or steamed? I forgot) Blue Marlin.
For dinner, you can go over their complete menu for your option of appetizer, soup, salad, main courses under the Kusina Filipina, some entrée, pasta, sandwiches, sweet treats, thirst quenchers and coolers. Also, they have live seafood from fish to seaweed, shells, and crustaceans that can be cooked in Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Thai, Singaporean and even Continental style.
We had the irresistible Lechon Kawali (Php 435), Hinalang na Manok (Php 320) and Asian Spring Rolls (Php 200) for dinner. I tried the Lechon Kawali thrice, twice from the buffet, and I can say that they are consistent when it comes to the crispiness of the pork belly. Hinalang na Manok is a Boholano specialty where chicken is cooked in onion, ginger, peppercorn, and chili, simmered in coconut milk. The flavor of the Asian Spring Roll was elevated by the peanut sauce.
Of course, we didn’t let the opportunity to taste the different desserts being offered. Bestsellers include the Boholano Ube Kinampay (Php 150), and Cheesecake (Php 150). It was my first time to hear and try the local delicacy kinampay. The dessert is actually a layer of coconut macaroons, halayang ube (purple yam) using Bohol’s ube kinampay, and cream with tapioca, served with a scoop of ube ice cream.
We were overwhelmed with the sweet treat but it wasn’t ended there, we also tried the Cheesecake (Php 150) served with mango and watermelon coulis. I’m a fan of cheesecakes so it is biased for me to compare the desserts we tried. Moreover, the last set of delights we had were Carrot Cake and Panna Cotta. For thirst quencher, their signature Lemongrass Blend is the best.
Cheesecake (Php 150), Carrot Cake and Panna Cotta.
The weekend stay in Bluewater Panglao wasn’t only about relaxation and pampering, it also gave us the chance to savor the flavors of Bohol that were intricately prepared and put together by the people behind Aplaya Restaurant.
APLAYA RESTAURANT, BLUEWATER PANGLAO
Bluewater Panglao Resort
Danao, Panglao Island, Bohol
Contact Nos.: 038-416-0695 / 038-416-0696
Website: www.bluewaterpanglao.com.ph
Email: panglao@bluewater.com.ph
