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Don't expect three-star services or accommodations. In fact, as soon as we arrived, shuttled by our hotel service, my mother looked uneasily at the place, slightly taken aback by the sari-sari store ambiance and street-side quality which she had not been expecting. This is not a fine dining place, although later on, we would find out its food is actually better and fresher than many hotel-grade places we've tried. My older brother promised us that the place was good, telling us his best meal in his past Boracay trips were always held at this place, with a cuppa of beer and basking in that tropical summer glow. Troopers that we were, we forged on.
I followed my dad and brother around, happily taking pictures as they peered at the wet market's offerings and started negotiations. Haggling is a must. They take one look at you, size you up as a tourist, and jack prices up high. It's better to have an idea of how much the seafood market value really is as a guide to haggling, although you can also just automatically start haggling at like 40% less. Soon enough, they'll give you a fair price.
My dad bought scallops, lapu-lapu fish, crabs, lobsters and a lesser-known seafood named diwal or angel wing clams. We turned these over to the paluto place, called Plato D'Boracay, a few steps away, and settled for lunch.
A feast for kings, that is. Now, I'm not very fond of seafood. I like it as much as the next person, but eating seafood fresh from the market, fresh from the waters, was an experience that elevated my appreciation of how good seafood could really be if it was cooked and caught right. There's a quality to it that's earthier, more succulent than ones that have been aged a day or two or lost some of its freshness in transportation. I could imagine that they tasted like the seas, that we were practically beach-front and so close to the waters unlike a hotel restaurant where you are enclosed by decorated yet concrete walls.
We raved about the food for days and days. Even up to day, during one of our famous food reminiscing episodes, this meal always comes up.
You can consult with Plato D' Boracay how you want it cooked. Their ingredients are probably very simple; surprising yet familiar flavors that somehow complement and highlight the natural flavors of the seafood. I tasted a ketchuppy garlicky component in the crabs, which was a surprisingly tasty outcome, unique from the usual experience of buttered or chili crab. I particularly loved the diwal, which was soft, tender, flavorful and delicious. The closest description I can appropriate would probably be of mussels, but um, 100x times better. And oh my, the scallops! Cheesy, garlicky, sumptuous.
It was a delight to see as all the dishes were coming out, looking very impressive in their cooked splendor as we oohed and ahhed. Then there was a deep, significant silence as we all dug in and filled our bellies to our heart's content, basking in the feeling of a really good, really unforgettable meal. I still dream about it to this very day. Lol.
Pictures of the market and our fantastic meal.
