Italy on Boracay

I don’t believe the old adage “too much of a good thing…” In fact, I think the more of something that’s good, the better it is.

This certainly applies to one of Boracay’s iconic beachfront restaurants.

Strolling along White Beach and heading towards Station 2 at any time of the day or night will bring you to the Island’s most famous Italian restaurant, Aria Cucina Italiana. This is not just any beachfront restaurant, it’s a Boracay institution - in fact, it’s been part of Island life since 2003.

Regulars and tourists alike flock there early in the morning for coffees and breakfasts. The lunchtime crowds pack both inside and on the outside terrace, all enjoying an array of delightful Italian dishes, and many return back in the evening for sumptuous dinners and the spectacular sunset view.

Aria was one of few restaurants to remain open through the past few years of Boracay’s woes, and their standards and service never waned even one iota.

The staff are what one would expect, well trained, knowledgeable, and super efficient and friendly. A real credit to the owners and managers.

My wife and myself needed a break from the traditional Christmas and New Years fare that we had been stuffing down, so a delicious and different meal at Aria was just what we were looking for.

As is standard practice, my wife devours the menu with her eyes. The pictures of Spaghetti quickly made her mind up.

Even though the restaurant was full, the meals were served up quickly and both at the same time. The clams were very fresh, and the spaghetti was cooked perfectly - a few cherry tomatoes’ olive oil and parsley ensured all the ingredients blended nicely to enhance the flavour.

I wanted something on the small and light side - I need to lose a few kilos after Christmas, so I decided upon the mango and parma ham. I drizzled the ham with fresh lemon juice, and as I normally do with anything with lemon these days, is add just a twist of freshly ground black pepper. The dish was served just very slightly chilled, which made the mangoes texture just right, and the parma ham was as good as you’d find anywhere. A delicious and light lunchtime snack.

Fresh watermelon shakes washed down lunch as one would expect them to. And although my wife started to look at the delightful dessert menu, we thought better of it and headed back off along the beach in the homeward bound direction.