Luxury Boracay hotel impresses with food options
+8 
Boracay spoils you. From the 17 coves and beaches and the clean, pristine water that shines in gradients of blue, to the 4-kilometer stretch of powdery soft sand that allows for easy strolls and fancy castles, the beloved island continues to give and entice.
If you don’t think those perks are enough, The Lind Hotel completes the equation. They have matched Boracay’s beauty by coming up with their own set of charms: king beds in its spacious rooms, an inviting infinity pool located four levels high, The Spa Wellness, super friendly service, a beachfront decked with cozy beds (not all resorts have this) and, something I’m quite particular about (for obvious reasons), impressive food.
I have to admit that some of the dishes I once loved on the island have recently been disappointing, while some have become excruciatingly expensive and don’t match up to their price. So it’s reassuring to know that the luxury lifestyle hotel has a delicious arsenal that can fill this void.
“Our aim is to be able to provide multiple options throughout the guests’ stay,” says general manager Zsolt Siket. Even if you order from the regular menu during the day, there are many other dishes you can explore and enjoy at night. Plus, according to Siket, the chefs review and add dishes to their roster of restaurants every quarter, so you can guarantee that there’s something new to try on your visit.
I live to tell the tale, as I recently spent three days and two nights in the hotel and had a great meal each time. Tartine, their air-conditioned Asian restaurant (in case you can’t stand the island heat), offers playful numbers such as Bicol express lumpia, smoked fish and kesong puti empanada, teriyaki salmon noodle salad, crunchy pork and kimchi burger and mixed seafood escabeche.
But of the lot, the ceviche section and desserts caught my fancy as I knew they would be refreshing. The kinilaw na pugita woke up the palate with the kick from turmeric and chili, then pacified it with cucumber and white radish, while the watermelon bingsu, shaved watermelon-milk ice with yellow watermelon jam and sweet monggo beans, provided a less filling but equally satisfying alternative to halo-halo. It’s the same with the baked Alaska, where coconut parfait and pineapple sherbet snuggled underneath a bed of torched Swiss meringue.
‘Sisig’ pizza
Apart from the coastal ambiance, other enticing items available at Crust are the homemade pasta, brick-oven pizzas, roasted meats and seafood. I thoroughly enjoyed their Serrano ham and manchego croquetas, signature six-cheese pizza (cream cheese, parmesan, fresh mozzarella, smoked cheddar, goat and blue cheeses), prawn saganaki (prawns in a pool of feta-studded tomato and chili sauce), falafel with hummus and beetroot risotto with mint gremolata. Their sisig pizza pops up every now and then, and it did during my stay, and I downed it with a refreshing cocktail.
Afternoon tea at The Lind’s +36 (3 p.m. to 5 p.m.) flexes the culinary muscles of Dutch pastry chef Johnny Struijk with savory finger sandwiches like roast beef and horseradish cream, and smoked salmon with dill and Dijon, as well as sweet treats such as carrot and walnut cake, seasonal fruit tart, and my favorite, tea and raisin scones with clotted cream and raspberry preserve.
In the same establishment, you can also indulge in healthier options like eggplant and mushroom Monte Cristo, vegetarian banh mi, Buddha bowls and a slew of salads, including pomelo and watercress dressed in chili.
Executive chef Iain Murray shows us the tricks up his sleeve by offering themed dinners by the beach, from tapas and street food to curries and barbecue, which I got to feast on on a Friday night. Meats were served non-stop—grilled char sui chicken wings, beef koftas, Andouille smoked sausage, grilled prawns and Japanese Omi A5 wagyu striploin, which you can lace with their delicious tangy homemade garlic sauce.
When you still can, cap off each meal with a dessert, as they have some confectionary standouts, like Basque cheesecake, homemade gelatos, tres leches cake and the one I still dream of, a kaya toast made of coffee ice cream, soy sauce caramel and a pandan-coconut milk-soaked French toast.
Hotel restaurants don’t usually make the cut in Boracay, but I highly suggest that The Lind make it to your itinerary, as it certainly gave me some of my best recent dining experiences on the island.
The Lind Hotel is expanding to more top destinations in the country—Coron, Palawan and Siargao. And in those places, just like in Boracay, guests can expect them to provide noteworthy food, beverages and service.
The Lind Boracay is located at Station 1, Brgy. Balaban, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan; tel. no. (02) 8835-8888. Follow the author at @fooddudeph on Instagram.
