A sneak preview

Saturday, January 28, 2012

"REMEMBER Nina?" Carlos asked last week.

"Errrr yes, your friend who has a place in Boracay," I replied. (I met her once or twice over five years ago).

"She and her partner now runs the restaurant at the Pearl Farm Marina," he added.

Hmmmm….

The restaurant at the Pearl Farm Beach Resort Marina at what the real Dabawenyos would call the Lanang Beach Club is under new management, Carlos says, and it should be worth a try. And so we tried, Carlos, Mae, and I.

It’s shaping up to be a Spanish-inspired restaurant named Dos Mestizos, and… it has a tapas buffet every Friday! Drat. It wasn’t a Friday when we went there and I didn’t have time to go restaurant hopping last Friday. Still, we went, on a Tuesday. Double drat. * Bye tapas-all-you-can! *

We still ordered some… a single order of Jamon, manchego cheese, and green olives, just enough to distract the grumbling tummy while we waited for our main course the paella negra (which we were told is among their specialties) and bacalao. We also got a bottle of red wine to go with our tapas.

The jamon, manchego, and olives were good, but then how can you go wrong when you don’t make them? The real test was in the bacalao, and it was isperrrrrfect. I was savoring the fish while fanning myself (errrr… they’re not yet formally opened, still in the soft opening stage, and the aircon wasn’t functioning well).

The paella negra is good too, although I liked the bacalao better, still it’s good and worth a try. We ordered just enough for three (we got the small pan of paella and it was just perfect for three), and thus were able to savor everything. (I still liked the bacalao best).

The aircon, or what was left of it, was making it more and more difficult to sip wine and so we left as soon as we can as I was already fanning myself furiously as I sipped the last glass.

Still, it’s worth a visit once the aircon gets going, and yes, do try the bacalao. Although the tapas buffet should be good and the paella, too.

The price? Well, it’s in the marina of Pearl Farm, so don’t expect food court price. Think: up there.