Saturday, November 08, 2008 No last resort By Luis A. Quibranza III
WHEN a local beach resort that has been around since ’81 still thrives with locals and tourists until today, you know they’re not just some “last resort.”
Welcome to Costabella Tropical Beach Hotel located in Buyong, Mactan Island, Cebu. Not only has it been in the resort scene for quite some time now, they have also managed to keep up with the modern trends by undergoing renovations to upgrade their amenities.
Marita Arambulo, who is now on her third year as general manager of Costabella, shares that “love for food” inspired the family to delve into the businesses they have now. So it’s not totally surprising, that their latest developed section of the resort boasts of great taste.
Welcome to Brisa. The new pool-dining outlet of Costabella offers Pan-Asian cuisine. This means recipes can be as extensive coming from countries like Vietnam, China, Korea, Thailand and the Philippines.
Behold the tangigue carpaccio. A daring fusion of a dish very well known to usually go best with beef. But here, thinly sliced fish generously served with olive oil, sesame oil, a tinge of wasabi and basil makes up a very satisfying appetizer.
There’s also the soft-shell crab salad served with a right mix of greens. And to top it off, the creamy coriander dressing brings all off these flavors to an exact marriage. Just right to whet your appetites for the main course.
The waiters came and served an upside-down cone made up of a banana leaf on top of a plate. This as we would all know later on was rice. Still warm and with a pleasurable aroma, it would soon go as a perfect compliment to the Thai beef curry.
The beef, simmered in a red coconut sauce, is tender. And letting the red sauce seep in the rice before a spoonful is a flavorful treat.
And a bite of the coconut-crusted prawns didn’t seem to distract either. Deep-fried and served with a curry sauce, the crunchy coconut crust allows us to appreciate more the soft texture of the prawns.
I was caught by surprise as the baked, golden brown cassava cake served to us was nowhere near typical and predicatble.
Chewy and sweet, this native delicacy of shredded cassava topped with melted cheese was a splendid ender for the course.
“The advantage with being a ‘small’ company is that we can adapt, make decisions faster. Another is that we can easily address the needs of the guest,” explains Marita.
With that being said, Costabella proves that it is here not only to cater great flavors prepared in Brisa, but it also makes available a whole resort as a person’s preferred getaway from the hassles of city living.
