Crispy chicken fillet – McDonald’s

Crispy chicken fillet - McDonald's
Served with rice and gravy.ย 60 PHP
McDonald’s, Boracay PHILIPPINES

Lol, this is how I like my McDonald’s chicken – served with gravy and rice! This will never happen in the States, but it really should. I mean fast food is super unhealthy already in the US, why not add a side of gravy, lol! For real though, this was delicious. ๐Ÿ™‚

Boracay Regency boat shuttle
Boracay Regency boat shuttle.

Goddess salad – Little Star Pizza

Goddess salad - Little Star Pizza
Baby gems with a creamy pesto dressing, topped with chives and toasted almonds.ย  Small $8
Little Star Pizza, San Francisco CA

I’m not a big salad guy (I like to eat meat), but this goddess salad was delicious. The simple combination of the pesto dressing and toasted almonds on top of the large, crisp gem lettuce was perfect. And the small order was perfect for two people. Yum!

Wyder's pear cider - Little Star Pizza
Wyder’s pear cider. $5

Conk fungus
Conk/polypore fungus (Ganoderma?), Bon Tempe Lake.

Chicken croquettes – Cozina

Chicken croquettes - Cozina
Potato croquettes filled with chicken, topped with chopped chicken and aioli. 330 PHP
Cozina, Boracay PHILIPPINES

Mmm. these little morsels were really tasty, but everything at this restaurant seemed a tad overpriced which kinda took away from the enjoyment. The croquettes were warm and fluffy and had a great flavor. Noms!

Waiter call-pad - Cozina
Waiter call-pad. I love these things. They’re super helpful especially when you’re dining on the beach and the server has to walk to and from the restaurant.

Boracay sunset
Boracay sunset, Station 1.

Prawns with green beans – Radio Africa & Kitchen

Prawns with green beans - Radio Africa & Kitchen
Almonds and berbere (spice mixture). Pre fixe menu
Radio Africa & Kitchen, San Francisco CA

I really liked these prawns – they had a lot of flavor. They were probably on the verge of being overcooked so they could have been a bit more tender, but I still liked the dish overall.

Sparkling rose wine - Radio Africa & Kitchen
Sparkling rose wine.

Classical guitar jukebox monkey
Classical guitar jukebox monkey, Valencia Street.

Talong (eggplant) salad – Mesa

Talong (eggplant) salad - Mesa
Grilled eggplant soaked in sweet tangy vinaigrette. 250 PHP
Mesa, Boracay PHILIPPINES

I really do love eating eggplants, so it was a shame and annoying that this grilled eggplant salad wasn’t very good. It tasted WAY too sour the eggplants were cooked unevenly. Some were undercooked and on the hard side, and others were overcooked and super mushy. Lame!

Main wing pool, Boracay Regency
Main wing pool at night, view from our room.

McSpicy sandwich – McDonald’s

McSpicy sandwich - McDonald's
Spiced whole chicken meat topped with lettuce and special mayo. 99 PHP
McDonald’s, Boracay PHILIPPINES

We caved in and got McDonald’s because it was close to our section of the beach and we needed an afternoon snack. I think this McSpicy sandwich is much better than the McChicken sandwiches back in the States. Hmm, screwed once again.

McFloat - McDonald's
McFloat. 22 PHP

Boracay Regency beach section
Boracay Regency beach section of Station 2.

Spicy beef empanada – Venga Empanadas

Spicy beef empanada - Venga Empanadas
Slow cooked ribs in hot chile sauce with chipotle peppers. $2.75
Venga Empanadas, San Francisco CA

Spicy beef empanada - Venga Empanadas
There was absolutely no spicy heat to this empanada. The overwhelming flavor was that of sour vinegar so they should really call this a vinegar beef empanada. To its credit, there was some great chile flavors and the beef cubes were nice and tender. Overall, this was good but it still didn’t make up for the atrocious service.

Bon Tempe Lake
Bon Tempe Lake with Mt. Tam in the distance.

Breakfast #2 – Boracay Regency

Breakfast #2 - Boracay Regency
Ham, grapefruit, beef, skinless longanisa, bacon, chicken nuggets, and garlic rice.
Boracay Regency, Boracay PHILIPPINES

Omg, I ate SO much for breakfast that morning! I really liked the options so I went all out and even had items from the dessert section. I think it’s OK to over-eat when you’re on vacation, hehe.

Breakfast #2 - Boracay Regency
Chow mein, egg omelet, skinless longanisa, potato, French toast, blueberry cream cheese danish, and sweet roll.

Boracay Regency view
Interesting view from the Main Wing of the hotel. The abandoned tower in the middle is actually some person’s hut now.

Jerusalem artichoke and butternut squash soups – Radio Africa & Kitchen

Jerusalem artichoke and butternut squash soups - Radio Africa & Kitchen
Artichoke soup with leeks and fenugreek. Butternut squash soup with chestnuts and Ethiopian curry. Pre fixe menu
Radio Africa & Kitchen, San Francisco CA

The artichoke soup was really delicious, and nice and warm. The butternut squash soup on the other hand was cold and not very appetizing because of it. Thank goodness there were two to choose from.

Crab salad crostini - Radio Africa & Kitchen
Crab salad crostini. Complimentary
These were delicious little bites compliments of the chef. I liked that it was made with real crab and not imitation.

Downtown view
Downtown view from my office.

Pomelo salad with latik – Mesa

Pomelo salad with latik - Mesa
Fresh pomelo chunks with grated coconut and house dressing. 250 PHP
Mesa, Boracay PHILIPPINES

This was a very different dish for me. I liked the pomelo wedges and the toasted coconut was good, but I’m still on the fence regarding the milky dressing. It didn’t taste bad, but I’m not sure that it added to the flavors of the salad. Latik refers to solid coconut curds, by the way, but I had difficulty differentiating them from the toasted shaved coconut. I did like the presentation in the banana leaf!

Manhattan - Mesa
Manhattan. 180 PHP

Sailing around Boracay
Sailing around the island.

Taiwan classic pearl milk tea – Sharetea

Taiwan classic pearl milk tea - Sharetea
With red bean. Large 110 PHP
Sharetea, Boracay PHILIPPINES

I love boba milk teas! Sure they’re just milky sugar bombs, but that doesn’t mean I don’t crave them every once in a while. And they’re great to drink on the beach because they’re nice and cold. The pearls are fun to eat and the entire drinks is just yummy. ๐Ÿ™‚

Nightlife in Boracay
Nightlife in Boracay. I thought this pics turned out cool. The disco lights flashed at just the right time to give an awesome filtered effect. #nofilter

Argentine beef empanada – Venga Empanadas

Argentine beef empanada - Venga Empanadas
Natural ground beef, onions, red bell pepper, hardboiled egg. $2.75
Venga Empanadas, San Francisco CA

Omg, the service here was super LAME! The guy at the counter appeared and acted like he was too busy doing nothing than actually wanting to help customers. There was nobody in the frickin’ restaurant! I guess he also assumes that everyone wants their food to-go because he didn’t even ask and just shoved my food into a paper bag. They reheat the premade empanadas before serving, which is nice, but the dough/crust still tasted raw and uncooked. The Argentine beef empanada was boring and very forgetful. It’s like I never even ate the damn thing. Why is this on the 7×7 List?! Ridiculous.

7ร—7 Magazineโ€™s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die โ€“ 2012

Serpentine monardella
Serpentine monardella (Monardella purpurea, Lamiaceae), Bon Tempe Lake.