PRANA Restaurant at Mandala Spa

(Part 1, Boracay series)

(This is the start of a series of unrelated posts regarding my recent trip to the "finest tropical beach in the world", Boracay Island. I don't know whether it lives up to this grand billing, but what the heck, the sand was powdery-white, the sun shining merrily and the beach babes a-plenty and that's all that matters!)

So, you might ask, what was yours truly, a certified carnivore, doing at this vegetarian restaurant?

Well, i thought, if Prana's food was as great as Mandala Spa's massages, surely it would be worth a try, right?

So, here's how our first-ever visit to a vegetarian resto went:

Check out the drinks we ordered, Mango Lassi for R.T. and Calamansi-Mint Slush for yours truly. Truth be told, my drink didn't exactly look that great. . .R.T. thought it looked like "puke"; i though he was being uncharitable, since for me, it resembled a glass of viscous, brackish canal water. ;-D

Both the calamansi and the mint were rather overpowering, and i had to dilute it with water a few times. But overall, very refreshing.

Meanwhile, on to the soups. My Pappa Al Pomodoro (tomato soup) was really something else! Full of intense flavor without being cloying, it was quite filling and was one of the best tomato soups i've ever tasted!

However, R.T. pronounced his Asparagus soup (see above) as "bland". I guess it wasn't what he expected, since it had milk, which was quite unexpected. (The menu just said this soup has "a hint of lemon", nowhere did it say it was "overwhelmingly tasting of milk"!!)

I had mixed feelings about my entree, Cashew Nut Paella. On one hand, i never imagined cashew nuts and paella would go together. The rice was infused with curry, and it actually was a nice-tasting dish. But for some reason, i never fully warmed up to it, and barely finished one-third of my plate.

R.T.'s bad luck wasn't over. His Tagillatelle with Courgette sauce was simply average, nothing to write home about.

All in all, the menu at Prana looks palatable enough (i.e. you wouldn't feel like you have to eat grass and leaves with twigs). Other conventional entrees included Phad Thai, Eggplant mozarella, Nasi Goreng, Pan-fried Tofu, etc. and there is a selection of 5 salads as well.

Prana's interiors were lovely, too. I thought that with the rather high ceiling, wooden floors, old-fashioned ceiling fan, etc., it had this "Old-World" charm. We were seated at the small balcony/veranda, where the breeze was strong and the sunlight was just warm enough without being too hot and disturbing. Very nice, indeed.

So, what was our verdict?

Hmmm. . . .despite the mixed results, I personally think Prana is worth another try next time i'm in Boracay. But something tells me i will be eating alone that next time!!



(EPILOGUE:

According to reliable sources, GUS and R.T. were spotted feasting on imported rib-eye and tenderloin at Steakhouse Boracay that same night.)