Restaurant-Dining Critiques

Tamarind Restaurant
Puerta Galera
Sabang Beach
Philippines
Prices: Inexpensive

On islands, life usually moves more slowly, people will slow down to meet the pace and leave the city mentality behind, try to relax and overlook certain shortcomings. This is how it is on the volcanic island of Midoro, which has a lovely, natural all-weather harbor with just a narrow opening that winds into the former crater of an extinct volcano; it makes for a completely enclosed harbor in which a boat could ride out a typhoon. Puerta Galera is only four hours south of Manila and is surrounded by beaches that are easily accessible by boat or jeepney.
Inexpensive cottages on the beach just meters from the sea are available. On Sabang Beach the Tamarind Restaurant offers grilled prawns and chicken on a barbecue constructed from beach stones. At high tide the waves’ crash onto the concrete terrace on the seaward side, at lower tides you may enjoy the lapping water while sipping a drink in one of the canvas sling chairs. The decor is island chic: lacquered bamboo interior splashes of light cast onto table tops by bulbs hidden beneath attractive, palm frond covered shades, halved coconuts hang on ropes from bamboo beams with waxy-leafed, green vines trailing down from them.

The only other viable dining choice, at the time, in Sabang was the Tropicana that serves German/Swiss dishes and screens videos in the downstairs room.

I was warned to take care not to walk in dark areas when night falls, especially over the footpath going from Sabang Beach to La Laguna. This is generally a good rule to follow anywhere in the Philippines.

White Beach is about thirty minutes from Sabang by boat and it is beautiful. It has a white sand beach that drops down to over one’s head within three meters of the shore.
Freshly caught fish may be purchased and cooked there or brought away. There is a great variety of species of fish available as the day goes on.