Culinary Superlatives

Arroz Caldo – Hardly anyone cares to do this right, but we do.

Longganiza – Philippine breakfast sausage of the highest order. Made in our own pantry, slightly on the lean side, with just a hint of sweetness and a smattering of spice. Nobody does it better, we humbly inform you.

Mangoes – Tart, firm, with hardly any fibrousness, Cebu mangoes are quite unlike their poor relations from Mexico or Africa, and are considered the world standard by connoisseurs.

Dwarf Pineapples – Crunchy instead of pulpy, and naturally sweet. Even the pith is delicious. Without any question the best pineapple on earth, and available only in Cebu and nearby islands (certainly not Manila).

Ensaymada – From our own pastry shop using an old-fashioned recipe. Beloved by all children regardless of background.

Croissants – Light, flaky, buttery but not oily. You’d have a hard time finding a better one in Paris. (As a matter of fact, we never have.) From our own pâtissièr (as are all the breads, pastries, and desserts served in the resort).

Pan de Sal – Possibly the last remaining properly-made Philippine breakfast bun – chewy, stretchy, with a subtle wheat flavor. Some of our Filipino guests order it by the dozen to take home.

Prawns Tempura at Fiji – Tiger prawns almost as big as chicken drumsticks, coated in rice-flour batter and deep-fried. Certainly the best in the country, our tempura would hold its own in Tokyo, or anywhere.

Black Lechon at Themed Dinner Buffet – Roast suckling pig, cooked on the premises using our own special recipe and cooking process. Cebu roast pig is widely-regarded by Filipinos as the best in the country, and Plantation Bay’s is about as good as Cebu gets.

The World’s Best Kare-Kare at Kilimanjaro – Philippine oxtail stew with banana flowers in peanut sauce, served with shrimp paste on the side. There’s nothing quite like this dish anywhere else in the world, and ours is the World’s Best. Messy and fun: eat with a spoon, and leave the Hermes ties and scarves at home.

Hand-Prepared Caesar Salad at Palermo – Nothing like American Caesar Salad, the Philippine version (some would say, original) is thick, creamy, garlicky, lemony, and piquant. This dressing doesn’t keep at all, and so must be prepared from scratch each time it is ordered. When our waiters are having a good day, our Caesar outshines the best from Manila; on a bad day, it’s still better than anything east of the Pacific.

Spaghetti Carbonara at Palermo – Almost exactly like the best in Rome, but richer.

San Francisco Bay Style Calamari Tenders at Palermo – A sweet, tender, crusty calamari treat, with our own special savory sauces.

Bicol Express at Fiji – Succulent pork, coconut milk, and chile come together in a regional favorite, but less spicy than usual.

Beef Steak Teriyaki at Fiji – Juicy tenderloin cubes with the full flavor of the Japanese hibachi original.

Spaghetti Peperoncino at Kilimanjaro – This classic spaghetti dish also known as ‘Spaghetti al Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino’, is made only of simple ingredients, fresh sliced garlic sautéed in fine olive oil though not browned, chopped mild green chilis, and crushed black pepper. It is usually finished with shaved Pecorino cheese. We put more ingredients into our dish than Italians normally do, giving it a stronger, “in your face” flavor, that you absolutely won’t find a match to in Italy. So, it’s not “authentic”, but it’s better.

Kagoshima Wagyu Sirloin at Palermo – World’s Best Non-Japanese Method of Cooking Japanese Specialty Beef. In Japan, their super-marbled beef is prepared on a low-heat teppanyaki cooking surface, usually done Medium Rare, with the fat trimmings mostly discarded. Here at Plantation Bay, we have a totally different take on how to extract maximum flavor out of the world’s richest beef — by char-broiling at High Flame to make a Maillard crust, then continuing to cook on Low until Well-Done. (Ignorant meat purists can stop reading now.) This results in an incomparable meaty flavor contrasted with burst-in-your-mouth pockets of seared fat. It’s an emotional, mystical experience.

Chile con Carne – Our meat is diced, not ground, and we use just the right amount of chili powder and other condiments, kidney beans, and fresh bell peppers (“chile” means pepper as in bell pepper, or is a shorthand way of referring to the whole dish; “chili” is a spice). Then we mix in yesterday’s leftovers and simmer for hours. Trust us, this is the way to do it. South-of-the-border purists might not be impressed by our “moderately spicy” chile, but if your standards are based on what’s generally available in Los Angeles or in cans, this is as good as it gets.

Hot Dogs – Really! We didn’t make them, but we searched high and low for the world’s best, and came up with a tie: Hebrew National Jumbo (all-beef), and Armour Kielbasa (beef, pork, and turkey). Then we went through a heck of a lot of trouble importing them. Plantation Bay is the only place in Asia (and probably the US, too, for all we know) which serves the two best hot dogs in the world.

Barcelona Breakfast – Our take on the Barcelona favorite, with the ordinary-sounding ingredients turned into something magical.

Char-broiled Hamburger – Our patties are made in-house with a precise blend of different cuts of beef, and go through a multi-stage grinding process to assure the right texture and cohesion. Then they’re seared over a real fire, with the flames licking all around. In all our travels in America, we haven’t found any burger, anywhere, at any price, as outright delicious as ours. And you can quote us on that.

Three Chocolate Fascination at Fiji – Know what Guy Lian Fruits de Mer Belgian chocolates are? Our mousse cake is built on a similar concept, layering white, milk, and dark chocolate flavors in a single chocolate-lovers’ delight.

Home-made Ice Cream available in all restaurants – Extra rich and extra creamy Homemade Ice Cream (Peanut Butter Chocolate, Vanilla, Mango, Strawberry, Jackfruit, and Ube).

Crepes Samurai at Fiji – Just about the most mouth-filling and refined way to enjoy mangoes.

HALO-HALO SUNDAE at Kilimanjaro – Halo-Halo: the term means “mixed up” and this is a mixture of Filipino fruit preserves and custard. The favorite Filipino dessert, and we make it even better. All ice cream instead of shaved ice.

Stonehenge Fudge at Kilimanjaro – Architecturally speaking, a magnificent erection.

Flaming Alaska Resurrection at Fiji or Palermo – An old-fashioned dessert “resurrected” with extra-thick merengue coating a home-made ice cream core, the “igloo” then flamed at your table. Enough for two, a memorable indulgence for one.