It has been a while since we did a domestic trip from Manila and my first target turned out to be Bohol haha. My obsession took me to this side of Panglao Island - a quiet side away from the craziness of Alona Beach. I was initially looking at Modala Beach Resort as an accommodation option so we dropped by just in case we wanted to return in the future. We had a late lunch at their resort restaurant Mangaon Ta and it was one of the highlights of our trip. Let me tell you about what I found out haha.
We were initially a bit saddened with the limited restaurant options at the Moadto Strip Mall next door and opted to check out the resort side of the beach since they were the ones who built the compound. We found many people and foreigners just lounging around and dining at their Mangaon Ta restaurant. The attentive staff happily welcomed us to one of their outdoor tables with the Doljo Beach view.
I was on the hunt for the Boholano purple ube kinampay and it was the first thing that caught my eye in their local menu. Meanwhile, Jeff is always out for some kambing so it was an easy decision haha. The prices were reasonable as well and serving sizes.
I added some local red rice too hoping it was the Bohol rose pink type I read about.
Jeff loved the Kalderetang Kanding (goat stew). I believe they added a quinoa twist and it tasted like the chef infused some Western flavors to a local dish. Very innovative, leveled-up and pairs well with rice.
I was very impressed with the Pork Sinigang sa Ube. It tasted like the sinigang of my childhood and even better with the ube, which absorbed the tamarind kick and functioned like a vegetable (somewhat like radish in sinigang). They used premium pork belly too - like Cebu lechon! I could eat this over and over with hot rice.. Yum! The way ube was used as well was an eye-opener for me.
After our satisfying first lunch in Bohol, we hung out at their beachfront benches.
The sand was repeatedly being cleaned manually to remove the seaweed buildup while we were there. We also watched them setting up a sunset wedding by the beach.
Mangaon Ta was a tough one to beat for the rest of our trip and we were constantly thinking of going back again to try the rest of the menu. Too bad our trip was short and we only had limited tummy space ;) Go here and taste our best meal in Panglao Bohol. I don't think enough people recommend this hidden gem.
