BORACAY EDITION 2014 : Dos Mestizos Spanish Cuisine

Dos Mestizos is a renowned and well-loved Spanish restaurant located along a small alley at the side of Station 3 (in line with La Carmela Boracay Resort). Most tricycle drivers are familiar with it but usually they drop you off at the main street and you'll have to walk it from there. This was what happened to me during this visit. 

As its name suggests, it is the brainchild of two mestizos  (meaning a man of mixed race; an offspring of European and Asian/American descent) : Jose Carlos Remedios fondly called "Binggoy" and the late Jose Ramon Nieto. My husband and I were fortunate enough to meet Binggoy and his lovely wife Nina during our visit.

For starters, we were given a basket of warm homemade bread with some tomatoes and pesto dip. As I broke down the soft bread and dipped it on each sauce, our conversation of life and all others things began, one that will last a few good hours. 

Chef- owner Binggoy proudly boasts that their dishes are actually better than the plain authentic Spanish cuisine. This is because he made some tweaks to make it more savory and flavorful, making sure they use only the finest ingredients on the island. Binggoy was part of the mestizo circles in Davao and Cebu and grew up with Castilian staples like bacalao, albondigas, salpicao de vaca, tortilla de patata, paellas on their dining table. This was the inspiration for opening up a restaurant as such.

Their Tapas are their bestsellers so be sure to order a few; I was in the mood for seafood that night so we ordered all seafood tapas and paella;

Gambas al Ajillo Php 350.00
Sauteed Shrimp in Garlic and Olive Oil. Shrimps had that nice firm bite and the play of garlic and chillies really give it a unique kick.

Almejas de Vino Blanco Php 190.00

Fresh luscious clams gently cooked in white wine. This is good to eat with the complimentary bread as well; very similar to the Belgian dish Moules only that is served with frites (fries). 

Paella Negra (small - Php 820.00 good for 2-3 pax)
Paella cooked in fresh squid ink. My favorite type of paella despite the fact that it makes me conscious of smiling with my teeth out afterwards. It's worth the embarrassment! *hahaha* 
 Their version is flavorful , slightly salty (because of the nature of squid ink) topped with a generous portion of squid meat, bell peppers, boiled egg and a special garlic aoili on the side. They patently do not scrimp on ingredients as evidently shown in the picture. The whole platter is almost covered with toppings.

Here is a pic of the sunkissed writer (please remind me to put more sunscreen next time because this truthfully looks painful!) and Chef/Owner Binggoy Remedios with the very interesting history wall full of portraits of renowned Boracay personalities at the background. As Binggoy carefully enumerated each one,  it gave me that warm sense of nostalgia even if I'm not a native of Boracay. It was as if we were looking through a series of precious pictures from an old family album and reminiscing the good old days. He explained that each of them made a great contribution into making the island  what is it today. I love how Dos Mestizos celebrates the people of Boracay and tells that story through its food and walls. 

We definitely had a loveliest time with Nina and Binggoy that night chatting about family, sustainable and natural farming, homeschooling, Davao (it turns out that Binggoy grew up there and knew my Dad's sibling and cousins) and a whole lot more. One night of chatting was not enough and we promised to keep in touch. More than the excellent meal, meeting and talking to these two kindred souls turned out to be the highlight of our visit. A true gem in the island!

Dos Mestizos
Remedios Street, Sitio Manggayad
Boracay Island, Malay 5608
Aklan, Philippines
Tel No. (036) 288 5786
Website : http://www.dosmestizos.com/
Email : dosmestizos@yahoo.com
Menu available : Dos Mestizos Menu


La vida es beuna (Life is Good!),
Pattie