Boracay, The Sunny Side Group Way
Once you've done Boracay, you feel like you've fully figured it out. Ask anyone and they'll have answers at the ready for the best resorts, restaurants, beaches, and activities—the same ones they go and do as creatures of habit. But, Boracay has a lot more to offer these days, thanks, in part, to Emmanuel "Nowie" and Odette Potenciano's The Sunny Side Group which has opened up several food concepts on the island, as well as a cozy boutique hotel named Seaworthy Boracay.
Recently, we were taken across a food tour on the island by the group. Below, you'll find a microguide to what to eat, drink, and eat (again) from the group's different food concepts.
The Sunny Side Café
If it's a classic breakfast you're after, The Sunny Side Café is your best bet. The café, which serves all-day breakfast, baked goods, and specialty coffee, describes itself as the island's best breakfast—and they're not wrong. There's the bacon and mango grilled cheese which sounds like a trip, but it's really really good. You just have to try the house-made bacon and mango jam combo for yourself.
The café's take on the island's famous street food, the Choriburger, is also worth mentioning as they use in-house baked bread. And, yes, it's as flavorful as one would expect. As the café is a breakfast place, we have to urge you to try their giant pancakes. Choose from Ube and Cereal Milk, Malagos Chocolate, and more.
Percy Seafood
A trip to the beach is never complete without indulging in fresh seafood. In Boracay, there's Seaworthy's in-house restaurant Percy Seafood (yes, that's a cheeky reference to Rick Riordan's classic series Percy Jackson and the Olympians).
You can get Asian and Western dishes such as the Royal Seafood Tagine: prawns, mussels, fish, and squid on a bed of couscous, harissa, and preserved lemons; Cha Ca La Vong which features fish marinated in turmeric and then topped off with dill; Seafood Cioppino made up of fish, squid, and shellfish. Then, there's the crab:Â Thai Curry Crab, Typhoon Shelter Crab, you name it.
Hello Sailor
Still standing and looking for a drink? Head to Hello Sailor, a craft cocktail bar that not only has drinks but also offers a perfect view of Willy's Rock and Boracay's legendary sunset. The menu was created by David Ong of The Curator and Oto, which have appeared in Asia's 50 Best Bars, and is heavily inspired by local fruits and botanicals.
Standouts include the Sunseeker (bourbon, mango, elderflower, pineapple, lemon), the High Tide (tequila, batwan, guava, lime), and Sink or Swim (vodka, mangosteen, coconut, roasted barley, panutsa or palm sugar).
Spicebird
Spicebird was conceptualized to be the place to go after swimming in Boracay's white, sugary, and powdery sand. "You go swimming, you get hungry," says Nowie Potenciano. The restaurant is situated in the heart of D'Mall Plaza which is a stone's throw away from the beach. Spicebird grills meat in piri-piri style which pairs perfectly with sauces made in-house.Â
Order the Piri-Piri Grilled Pork and Chicken to start, then check out their new offerings of seafood:Â Piri-Piri Crab, Grilled Scallops, and fresh Aklan oysters. Vegan and vegetarian options are also available with the Eggplant and Squash Board and Piri-Piri Falafel.
Coco Mama/Ube Mama
We dubbed Coco Mama the best island dessert in 2017 and that still holds to this day. It's quite an experience: coconut ice cream served in a coconut shell with fresh coconut strips, ripe mango cubes, heirloom sticky rice from Banawe, and toasted pinipig from Laguna. Did we mention it's vegan-friendly, gluten-free, lactose-free, and dairy free?
What's new is that Coco Mama has opened a new dessert shop called Ube Mama. The dessert—which features two big scoops of vegan ube ice cream topped with vegan ube pudding, salted coconut cream, cornflakes, and palitaw—already has us dreaming of coming back to the island.
The Sunny Side Pizza
The group used to offer almost every other cuisine except pizza. Until now. The group's newest concept—The Sunny Side Pizza—is here to put new twists on pizza, calzone, vegan-friendly pizza, and pasta. The items in the menu are made in The Sunny Side Café way with bacon hot honey pizza with house-made bacon from the café, as well as their own hot honey.
Flavors from Spicebird also come in with the sausage pizza which has merguez sausage from the restaurant, kesong puti, and onions. While you're there, get some pasta to complement the pizza with choices like the eggplant and sausage lasagna, giant meatball spaghetti, and shrimp and garlic noodles.
Clearly, the Sunny Side Group has something to fill your tummy, whatever you're in the mood for. Head to these spots the next time you find yourself in the island.
