Punta Bulata 2: native feasts

Back in London it is too cold for June: the sun comes and goes, and the weather is windy and rainy more often than clear. wonder | wander | women comfort ourselves with the recent memory of our visit to Punta Bulata, and besides the scenery and the swimming, we daydream about the food.

squid sisig

As soon as we arrived, just after noon, we couldn't wait to eat. Lunch was just perfect: sizzling squid sisig, crispy adobo flakes, and garlic rice.

La Veranda

Punta Bulata's restaurant La Veranda has a perfect view of the sea and an attentive staff who made us feel instantly at home. Many of the ingredients are grown right on the property; the vegetable gardens and fruit trees make a beautiful addition to the grounds.

Indian mango tree over the pool

Of course this means everything is fresh, especially the fruit. We sampled all our favourites: fruit shakes, frozen iced tea, fruit platters at breakfast - we had it all.

watermelon shakes

As soon as we set foot out of our cabana and sat somewhere, a server would appear with a carafe of water and ask if we wanted a drink or a snack. We threw ourselves into this hobbit-like lifestyle of endless meals: breakfast, midday refreshments, lunch, merienda, dinner...repeat.

breakfast with coffee

Breakfast is usually our favourite meal of the day, but this time we couldn't decide. La Veranda has an extensive menu with a speciality in native food: we were torn between trying everything and sticking to old favourites. We had inasal, salpicao, kinilaw, and of course lots of rice.

salpicao & ensaladang Pinoy

With all the fresh ingredients we were spoilt for choice. The only problem was remembering to save room for dessert!

black sambo delicacy

La Veranda also has a good selection of wine, beer and cocktails. Since we were a pair of lightweights, we contented ourselves with sharing the occasional ice-cold San Miguel between us and making up for it with fruit drinks instead.

Green mango shake, rare in the Northern Hemisphere
but ubiquitous at home!

Even now, we miss the amazing food and friendly staff who never failed to entertain us with local stories. Hopefully we'll visit - and eat - again soon.

our comfort food