Carnivores Wanted: Panglao Finally Gets a Sophisticated Chophouse

During dinner at the newest restaurant to open within Amorita Resort, general manager Leeds Trompeta said there wasn’t an authentic, elevated steak house in Panglao Island in Bohol. The nearest is all the way in Tagbilaran City in the main island of Bohol, which is a bit of a drive if you’re staying in one of the resorts in Panglao. 

The private dining area of The Lost Cow

Photo by PJ Cana.

Amorita sought to correct this imbalance in the dining options within the paradise island with The Lost Cow. Named after a wandering heifer who didn’t want to find out what happened to a herd of her bull brethren, the chop house serves a fine selection for those with a hankering for real, honest-to-goodness meats. The menu was developed by Amorita’s executive chef Greg Villalon and for hardcore carnivores, it does not disappoint.

ALSO READ

Amorita, Bohol: The Hidden Oasis of Panglao Where You Can Slow Down

For Chef Jordy Navarra, It's All About Making Food Relatable to Diners

There used to be an Italian concept in this space, but after the pandemic, resort officials have done a good job of transforming it into what is now The Lost Cow. Warm wood accents and neutral tones exude casual and inviting, straddling that fine line between sophisticated but not intimidating. It hits that exact spot when you’re in a tropical beach resort, where the mood is generally laidback, but you want to go “someplace nice” for a special dinner.

Of course, the real reason you’d want to come here is for the grub, and here’s what you can expect:

Chilling at the Cocktail Bar

Photo by PJ Cana.

Cocktails

You’re in Panglao to chill so you’d be forgiven if you’d want to start your dinner with a cocktail. We recommend the Meet You at Sunset (Pineapple rum infused with pineapple fruit, P360) and Maybe I Should (Don Papa rum, passion fruit, lime juice, angostura bitters, P400). That’ll get you in the mood for the feast that’s to come.

Appetizers

You can get the Patty Cake (Maryland Style Crab cake with apple radish slaw served with remoulade sauce, P700), or the Bridges of Madison County (roasted bone marrow with buttermilk biscuits, P650), but as long as you’re here and indulging, get the Chilling at the Cocktail Bar, which is almost exactly like it sounds: a crab and prawn cold platter served with smoked salmon remoulade, uni cocktail sauce, and coconut vinegar mignonette (P1,200). It says it's for sharing but if you finish off everything we won’t judge.

Madison County is roasted bone marrow with buttermilk biscuits

Photo by PJ Cana.

Mains

A group of diners occupying the private area ordered not one but two of The Lost Cow’s specialty: a massive USDA Prime Grade Tomahawk (what the restaurant calls Geronimo) weighing at least one kilogram (P10,000). Expectedly, the piece is good for sharing and it comes with four kinds of sauces and four side dishes.

However, at our table, there was a 250-gram USDA prime tenderloin called Longhorn (P1,850) and The Bronx, a USDA prime grade New York Strip weighing 300 grams. Both were beautifully cooked and served just the way diners requested them (mine was a medium). Chophouses live and die by their steaks, of course, and we’re happy to report the meats were seasoned well, tender, and moist.

Midnight Train to Georgia is maple-cured pork back ribs

Photo by PJ Cana.

There’s a lamb chop option, too, if you’re up for it (300-gram Wolverine, P1,350)

The good thing about a chophouse like The Lost Cow is the range of options available when you’re craving something other than a traditional steak. Lick your fingers with maple-cured pork ribs (Midnight Train to Georgia, P1,000), Kielbasa sausage (Winner Wiener, P685), and a chicken flavored with a dozen herbs and spices (The Genie, P650). Of course, if you want to remove the hemming and hawing, just go for the Ranger’s Roundup (P1,800), which is a selection of meats in one platter served with two sides and three sauces.

And speaking of sides, they’re almost as important as the meats themselves, which is why it’s integral to the experience. The Lost Cow offers the following, and truly, you can’t go wrong for choosing any of them: jalapeno cheddar corn bread, creamy ranch potato salad, apple and jicama slaw, and maple walnut baked sweet yams.

Ranger’s Roundup features a selection of meats in one platter

Photo by PJ Cana.

Dessert

Chef Greg wanted to finish strong, so the dessert selection is a parade of old time favorites with a twist. 

There’s salted caramel popcorn chocolate fudge cake (Hollywood Here I Come), banana cream butter mess (Banutter), pecan-crusted maple apple pie (Oh My Sweetie Pie), and smoked cheesecake with cherry cola (Marilyn Monroe).

Marilyn Monroe is turned into a cheesecake with cherry cola

Photo by PJ Cana.

Hollywood Here I Come is salted caramel popcorn chocolate fudge cake

Photo by PJ Cana.

Panglao might have a ton of dining options for worldly eaters and travelers, but the arrival of The Lost Cow in Amorita is a sure sign of things being kicked up a notch on this side of the world-class resort island. 

The Lost Cow is located at Amorita Resort in Panglao Island, Bohol. Cebu Pacific flies multiple times to Bohol-Panglao International Airport. From there, it’s a short 10-minute ride away to Amorita Resort.