A Breezy Beach Breakfast at Ambassador Beach Resort

When in Boracay Island during monsoon season, one may experience unpredictable weather occurrences. It could rain from the evening until dawn, sunny in the morning until noon, overcast in the afternoon until it slightly clears for sunset, and then rain again at dinner time.  There are also some heavenly days wherein the clear blue sky unfailingly shines upon the entire island.

The best option would be in this case is to take advantage of the low season rates of hotels along White Beach.  That way every minute of one’s own holiday is spent right there where one could just walk from one end of the beach’s white sand to the other end, amid stops at preferred establishments and the calming panorama of the sea.

For those opting for inland accommodations, start your morning regimen by walking along the coast and treat yourself with a breezy breakfast on the White Beach instead.  An ideal breakfast stop would be is at Ambassador Beach Resort in the beach’s Northern end where the finest and widest expanse of white sand is found.

Starting from 6:00 to 10:30 a.m. in-house and outside guests of the 5-star resort can partake of its daily breakfast buffet.  With the delightful setup of various delectable dishes, roofed outdoor dining and see-through windbreakers, guests could actually spend their early morn relaxing, reading a book or swimming in between a series of breakfast servings.

Ambassador Beach Resort’s breakfast buffet presents fresh tropical fruits (mango, papaya, pineapple, dragon fruit, etc.), cold cuts, a counter for made-to-order pancakes, waffles and eggs, a bread slicing area, freshly baked pastries (danish, cream puff, muffins, scones, croissants, bagels, cinnamon roll, eclair, miniature cakes, etc.), assorted porridge items (cocoa flakes, corn flakes and muesli), cold milk, natural yogurt, assorted juice dispensers (orange, mango, pineapple and iced tea), and an assembly of appetizing warm dishes (crispy bacon, hotdogs, beef tapa, chicken adobo, buttered vegetables, pancit canton, french fries, soup, etc.) specially prepared by notable chef Fortune Fulgar and served by well-trained waitstaff.

Bread Baskets

Porridge and Juice Counter

Crispy Bacon with Scrambled Eggs

Chicken Adobo

Have these sumptuous staples and all-you-can-drink coffee or hot chocolate for only 550 Php per person.  What’s more is that the Ambassador Beach Resort is located at the prime spot of Boracay’s White Beach.

Check out its website: http://ambassadorinparadise.com.

Atis: The Fruit of a Thousand Cataracts

There is a peculiar fruit that permeates the markets and fruit stands during the humid season.  It looks like an enlarged raspberry with a lumpy yellow-green husk that tenderly cracks open to reveal teardrops of toxic black seeds peering through its shiny cream pulp.  In Arabic, the fruit in question is known as Ashta, in English it is Sweetsop, while in Filipino it is known as the older sister of all or Atis.

Atis is a fruit that originated in tropical Americas and is common in tropical countries.  It matures in summertime and grows well in warm temperature. The edible part is the creamy flesh that coats the oval black seeds. When picking the ripe one, feel it first with the palm of your hand.  Choose the one that is tender but not squashy.  It’s ripe when it feels soft and juicy in the palate and tastes as sweet like a banana. It can be used as an alternative to milk when blended and chilled; an ice cream; a sauce for a salty fish dish; and simply as a desert on its own.

Furthermore, it is low in fat and rich in potassium, iron and vitamin C, though it should be eaten moderately for its high caloric value.

The versatility of this fruit extends to its healing properties.  In Central America and in Asia, the leaves are boiled in water and used as a bath to alleviate rheumatic pain, to hasten menstrual flow and treat dysentery colds and fever; the crushed leaves are inhaled for dizziness; the juice or the paste of the black seeds of an unripe fruit is applied to cure insect bites, as well as an oily cream massaged into a lice-infected head; and it’s chloroform is being tested to combat breast cancer.

Atis is also great as an ice cream.  Try this recipe out:

300 ml Evaporate Milk

1 egg

¾ cup sugar

2 cups seeded Atis pulp

Scald the milk with sugar in a saucepan, then gradually add egg, stirring constantly. Cook for about 2 minutes then remove from heat.  Let it cool.  Stir in ashta pulp and pour into a bowl. Freeze until it reaches the right consistency.  Eat it with a spoon or scoop it on a cone and slurp it.

Sarap!!!