Aria Cucina Italiana

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Aria Cucina Italian is a contemporary and modern Italian restaurant chain. Their branch in Boracay Island was among my must-try list of restaurants on our return trip last December. Many say that Aria Cucina Italian elevated the standard of restaurants in Boracay and we couldn't disagree with that. The tropical interiors, cozy ambiance, and excellent food truly satisfied hungry beach-goers like us!

While we were tempted to try as many items off of their menu, we felt like the best way to gauge the quality of an Italian restaurant is with their pizza. Hence, we quickly glanced over their pizza selection on the menu. In keeping with the tropical setting, we picked Frutti Di Mare (PhP 540 or US$ 11). This pizza consists of tomato sauce, garlic, seafood, and mozarella - basically everything I want in a pizza!

We both loved the pizza. Just look at our reactions, LOL! I love that they didn't scrimp on the seafood - we got a plentiful serving of shrimp, calamari, and fish! Same goes with the mozarella cheese too. I was in my happy place. I could have opted to eat here during the entire time we were in Boracay if not for my desire to try many other restaurants!

I couldn't resist sampling their Mousse ai Due Cioccolati (PhP 200 or US$ 4-5). It is a dessert filled with layers of white and dark chocolate mousse and topped with ground hazelnuts. This is supposed to be their house specialty. This was my least favorite part of the meal, though. For this price, I expected more and it was somewhat of a disappointment. 

While dining at Aria Cucina Italiana is not inexpensive, they give you good value for money. Their dessert was subpar but the pizza was definitely a winner. I can't wait to try their pastas when we go back - hopefully soon! Do yourself a favor and dine here when in Boracay.

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Thai Basil Boracay

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Prior to traveling to Thailand, I would not even entertain the thought of eating at a Thai cuisine restaurant. But when I tried my first pad thai, I was converted. Now, I would consider Thai cuisine as one of my top three favorite cuisines. Hence, it was no surprise that we decided to dine at Thai Basil on our recent trip to Boracay. Read on to find out about our dining experience...

As with any Southeast Asian cuisine restaurant, the interior decor and ambiance in Thai Basil is simple and unassuming. There is no need for all the bells and whistles. This restaurant clearly knows that the food is the main attraction here. With that, we proceed with confidence and probably hyped up by our excitement that we get to treat our taste buds to that same taste that got me to love Thai cuisine in the first place.

Of course, I couldn't pass up the chance to eat Thai Basil's Pad Thai so that was one of our orders. Thai Basil's did not disappoint. It has all the essence of an authentic Pad Thai that I tasted back in Thailand - savory, sweet, salty, with lots of texture from the peanuts, and a hint of spiciness. We also paired it with their Shrimp Satay, another Asian classic. Both dishes really hit the spot. Delicious in their respective ways.

The price range for each dish at Thai Basil is at PhP 200 (US $4) to PhP 500 (US $10). Each serving is ideal for 2-3 people (depending on your appetite), so I can say that is not a bad deal at all! 

Thai Basil is located at D'Mall in Station 2 of Boracay. 

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