Sunday, August 13, 2006
Bamboo Lounge: Boracay's Finest Chinese Restaurant
By Jinggoy Salvador
Off the Beaten Track
IF YOU crave for a real tasty and filling Chinese cuisine, then there is only one restaurant in Boracay that you should head to, the Bamboo Lounge.
Tucked in a setting of lush greenery on a path connecting the famous White Beach and the equally popular Bolabog Beach, this restaurant enjoys a serene and private respite for diners who want to get away from the beachfront bustle.
A veritable hide-away, this makes Bamboo Lounge an ideal place to loosen up, feast on the island's best Chinese cuisine and enjoy the chill-out music the spot has also been known for.
From the Chinese staple of dimsum, stir-fry delicacies, variety of rice preparations and the famous Peking duck, noodles and meat, the restaurant also boasts of its salads with an Oriental twist and other Asian fusion dishes.
From the long list of tempting dishes in the menu, I have narrowed down my choices to a few dishes, which deserve a five-star rating in my list. Let's start with the staple dish, the rice. The Yang Chow fried rice may be the most popular but you must try the Lotus Fried Rice. The Lotus Fried Rice is as tasty as the image it presents. This rich flavor is due to a fusion of ingredients such as duck meat, shrimp, mushrooms, vegetables and the Bamboo Lounge secret sauce. The preparation is then steamed in a Lotus leaf lined bowl, thus the name.
If you were on a diet or a vegetarian, then I would recommend the Vegetarian Treat. A creative mixture of highly nutritious components, the Vegetarian Treat is a complete meal in itself. Soft tofu and broccoli flower are the main ingredients of the dish and showered with snow peas, two kinds of mushrooms, carrots and fried garlic bits stir-fried over soya oil. The hefty serving can serve two-three persons and is dish of choice by the vegetarians. They will also be thrilled to know that no MSG added to this dish.
When it comes to salads in the Bamboo Lounge Menu, the Bong's Oriental Salad is the most outstanding dish, as commented by the diners themselves. This salad is named after the chef who concocted a fusion of sweet, tangy flavors that has made this dish a must-try for the first timers and must-have for the regular diners.
This dish is huge and can serve four people.
The salad uses only fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit that make the dish a refreshing experience. Crisp Iceberg and Lola Rossa lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, seaweed, sesame seeds, finely-shredded Bamboo Lounge ingredients, herbs and fresh orange that gives the sweet taste an exciting contrast in color on the green cuisine. It is the Bamboo Lounge Oriental Dressing that complements and completes the salad. The ingredients making up the dressing is the best kept secret of the restaurant, it is fruit-based using all natural ingredients. No cream, thus making this dish a healthy meal.
Since you are at it, why not complement your dinner fare with the restaurant's signature drink, the Sangria? Unlike the typical Sangria, the Bamboo Lunge Sangria is an ingenuous mix of flavors from wine, cerveza, fresh fruits and a few other secret additives that gives this drink a distinctive taste unique only to this lounge. It is cool and refreshing, the drink is very mild and can be enjoyed at any time of the day, over cocktails or with your meal, it will perfectly complement any dish of choice.
Skim through the menu, I am pretty sure you will find the mouth-watering choices too hard to resist. But what I gave you are my recommendations and these are the items I keep asking for whenever I find myself in the comfy cushions of the lounge.
In less than a year of operation the restaurant has gained a loyal following and has become the Chinese restaurant of choice by both the locals and visitors. It is of no surprise that Bamboo Lounge has been considered as one of Boracay's best restaurants and the Best Chinese Restaurant by a good number of national publications.
Aside from the food that has become the talk of the island, the Bamboo Lounge is also known as the Red Lounge due to the opulent use of red lighting in their Zen-like interiors. From the abundant foliage, an intriguing and intense color of crimson illumination emanates catching any passers-by attention at night.
The Sangria, the lounge's signature cocktail drink is also of the same hue.
When in Boracay, never miss out on the chance to dine at Bamboo Lounge. Chill-out and enjoy a truly Asian experience.
Bamboo Lounge is at Bolabog Road, Boracay Island. Telephone (36) 288 3161.
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