EVEN MORE SUNBLOCK ON MY BACK, PLEASE
(Part 2, Boracay series)





As i had mentioned last year during our Dos Palmas beach outing, nothing screams "I had a grand vacation on the beach while everyone else were stuck at their office cubicles under blinding flourescent lighting" like a really great tan.

Of course, overdoing it by getting burnt to a crisp is worse than not going at all. I must have sounded like a broken record to my fellow Bora-mates, with my constant reminders to put on sunblock 20 min. before going out into the sun, re-applying after swimming, etc.

So, without any further ado, here is this beach outing's sunblock review: [Please check the relevant post under Dos Palmas Palawan for the previous sunblock review]

Face Shop Sunscreen Cream SPF 25++ - has a light floral scent and easy to apply. But doesn't absorb well at all. . . streaks when you perspire even a little bit.

Beach Hut Max SPF 75 - spray-on while helps in applying it on your body. Surprisingly absorbsd easily and quite effective, too. Finicky people might not like its alcohol content, though.

Nivea Sun High-Protection Sun Lotion SPF 30 - i'm not quite sure what the touted "specially for Asian skin" on the bottle meant, but it was non-greasy. The smell takes a little getting used to, but i liked it. A reasonably-priced, good-value-for-money sunblock at PHP354 for a 125 ml bottle, easily the cheapest amongst our surveyed sunblocks.

Nivea Sun Face Moisturizing Cream SPF 50 - has a rather strong smell, which unfortunately was off-putting as well. But it wasn't greasy or oily.

VMV Armada Sport SPF 70 - i was apprehensive at first that it would be sticky/oily as most ultra-high SPF sunblocks are, but these fears proved unfounded. Virtually no smell, spreads quite easily, absorbs very very well (doesn't streak) and it really stays on even after you dip into the water! It is pricey though, at nearly PHP1,000.00 for an 85 gm bottle.

And the winner is. . . .(drum roll, please) VMV Armada Sport SPF 70!!! (Clap, clap) R.T. even went as far as saying it was the "best ever" sunblock he has used.

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.)

G.U.S. NITPICKS!! (v. 13)

FIRELAKE GRILL, TAGAYTAY

Firelake Grill is one of those so-called "destination" restos that have sprouted up in Tagaytay in recent years. Surprisingly it has been around for two years already, as it hasn't had as much publicity as Antonio's or Sonya's Garden, etc.

On this Good Friday lunch, the resto was quite packed. Check out the gorgeous interiors below:



Charming, no?

On to the food.

The free bread bun was pleasantly warm, not hot; and quite a good-sized piece of bread, i must say. I wanted to ask for seconds (and thirds. . .), but thought better of it.




I ordered the lamb chops (see pic above). It was quite flavourful and tasty, although could have been cooked a bit longer. Overall, i'd say it was very good, but definitely not as good as the lamb chops at Antonio's (still no.1 in my book!) and Verbena at Discovery Country Suites.



My sister ordered the fish fillet (i think it was a barramundi) with pasta. I felt it was good, above average, but not really spectacular.

The staff was helpful, efficient, cheerful, even a little "familiar" in the case of this guy David. But he did recommend we order the Blackened Beef Salad with Asian greens, Thai chili dressing and blue cheese (not pictured), which proved to be quite fantastic!

We skipped the desserts, though, as they looked over-elaborate and guaranteed to give one a stomach ache, at least in my opinion. Instead, we had this cheesecake at Burger Bar by Massimo's nearby. It was one of the best cheesecakes i've tasted, its sweet crust in delightful contrast to the sour cream cheese. We gobbled it so fast, we didn't even have the chance to take a picture of it. :-d So, i guess a visit to the original Massimo's is in order.

Firelake Grill also has a fairly extensive list of soups, salads, pastas and steaks. Not cheap, but with its nice interiors, good food and overlooking view of Taal Volcano, it's well worth the drive from Manila.

(Firelake Grill is located at the Cliff House complex, around 100 meters away from the Tagaytay rotunda. It is IMMEDIATELY after Yellow Cab Pizza, on the left side of the road)