FILIPINOS are generally hardworking -- leaving home an hour or even hours ahead just to report on time, and then bracing the rush hour after work. The quintessential Filipino laborer is like that, for he or she puts his or her nose to the grindstone every single day just to make ends meet, after all, the bills and expenses are going nowhere. The worker who toils deserves to feel like royalty, even at least for some days or occasions.
And what better way to make a Filipino feel like a king or a queen than to satiate his cravings with a sumptuous meal!
Nowadays, with the rise of health consciousness and physical fitness, more people choose to lessen their consumption of red meat and resort to eating poultry and seafood. Thankfully, a restaurant like Seafood Island is already accessible to the public who craves for a seafood feast without compromising quality and the best part, it will not break the bank! Seafood Island is usually good for groups and/or families since most meals are good for sharing.
For starters, you can check out their “boodle feasts” which has fried rice and different kinds of seafood. We ordered the “Tali Beach” which has pork barbecue, chicken inasal, grilled tilapia, squid, eggplant, and tomatoes, combined with steamed shrimp, crab, sauteed mussels (tahong), lato, and of course, bagoong rice topped with dilis, plus watermelon and green mango slices for dessert. It costs P1,725 and that is good for six persons—what a steal! My family complemented the Tali Beach boodle feast by adding extra orders of Seafood Laing (P220), Grilled Stuffed Pusit (P385), and Chopsuey (P289). Of course, the seafood feast cannot be called a “feast” if we will not eat with our hands while drinking ice cold soda—talk about Pinoy salo-salo vibes!
Overall, food quality is good, the serving is enough, the seafoods are fresh, and the prices are reasonable. The restaurant has a nice ambiance which gives the vibe of a beach and the staff is approachable and helpful with the orders. My family headed to the SM Telabastagan branch but Seafood Island also has other branches, including SM Clark, Marquee Mall, and other Metro Manila malls.
Hardworking Filipino families are really in it for a treat once they visit Seafood Island! After working hard or being in school for five days a week or even more, it would not hurt to indulge and treat ourselves at times. After all, the diligent deserves the fine things in life, in this case, a sumptuous Filipino salo-salo! (Justin Joseph C. Dizon, AUF intern)