Where I ate in Bohol

Alona

 When we first went to Bohol, my family didn't want me to spend so much on food, that's why we went away from the beachfront restos which were generally more expenisve than those by the provincial road.
Now that I was here on my own, I still went to the road but this time, I was going to splurge a little to dine at what Lonely Planet and a local tv show declared the best restaurant in Alona Beach, Bohol: L'elephant bleu.

 I ordered the house specialty, Garlic prawns at P420 and as with all things, the experience did not live up to the hype. The prawns were fresh and cooked well but the taste was quite underwhelming.

 But I did love the creme brulee (P150) It was a bit pricey for my taste, but what the heck, it was my birthday after all!

 Meanwhile, I did pass by the crowded beach front to find a lot of restaurants offering seafood ready for grilling. They charged by the gram so the prices weren't set. But for the meat meals, I saw grilled pork belly with rice for P180, which is reasonable.

The next day I again went to the beach for breakfast. (Breakfast at Alona Tropical was priced at P250 and my officemate who ate there said it wasn't very good)
I went to Trudi's Place which has been on Alona for a long time and known for their tasty and cheap meals.

Someone made this on the sand below Trudi's

 I leafed throught their extensive menu and ordered the tocino meal for P140, which came with a slice of mango and instant coffee or Milo. It wasn't outstanding but it was quite filling. Note that water isn't always free in Alona beach so I paid P25 for a bottle of water.

 For lunch I went to Bohol Bee Farm's branch on the beach called The Buzz. They pride themselves in serving organic food grown from their own farm. The first floor serves ice cream and their bread and pastries. The second floor is where one can order meals.
I ordered the chicken tinola P260 with red rice. The meals here are definitely more expensive than usual. While I was waiting, I got a pleasant surprise! Complimentary squash bread with a sampling of their pest spread and their honey-mango spread. Whoever thought of this is a genius. While they do offer free samples at the main branch, I didn't appreciate them as much as I did here.
This made me want to buy some bread and some honey spread later.

 Then came my tinola, the most unusual tinola I have ever had. Instead of the usual chayote and ginger broth, I saw heaps of veggies in my bowl. The healthiest meal I had in Bohol! And surprisingly, it was good, too!

 This is the organic red rice that came with my order. the sweet potato on top was a nice touch.

 The Buzz is a cool place to hang out in. There's airconditoning on the first floor but none on the second floor but there's free wifi and free water. The view is great and the ambience is top-notch.
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Dumaluan

When I transferred to Dumaluan Beach the next day, I knew that there were 2 choices: Dumaluan Beach Resort 2's restaurant, and DBR Grill, which was at the nearby public beach.  I had already eaten a squash bread (P10) which I bought from The Buzz but I was still feeling a bit hungry so I strolled along the beach and found DBR Grill.

I loved the set up of the "cottages", which reminded me of the covered tables in a beach in Quezon. Plus, the view was amazing.

Since it was the off-peak season, there were hardly any people around. I ordered a mango shake for P60. I don't know what kind of milk they put in it but it was really thick and I felt full for hours.

By 7:30pm, I was still full but I was afraid DBR Grill might close shop early so I bought some grilled pork with rice for P__ It was ok, but nothing special. But the rice was really expensive for P20 a cup.

Tip: I f you walk out to the road, they say there's a carinderia that sells rice for P10.

DBR Grill also had seafood ready for grilling but they charged by the gram so the price wasn't always the same. But I heard that an 8-inch stuffed squid went for P130-P160 pesos.

The next day I had to wake up early because the included buffet breakfast at Dumaluan Beach Resort was only available from 5:30am to 9pm! Nothing fancy, there was a soup that tasted like tinola, some breaded meat, ampalaya, eggs and watermelon. I missed the Pinoy staples like tocino, longganisa and danggit. It could be ordered a la carte if you were willing to pay.
They also had free-flowing coffee and juice. Most importantly, free water.

Tip: Take advantage of the free water because they will not give away water after 9am unless you order something from the menu.

For merienda, I was back at DBR Grill where I had some good La Paz batchoy soup for P60.

Tip: If you want water, just go to the sari-sari store near DBR Grill. They sell a 2 liter bottle of great-tasting water for P40. I don't know why, but it tasted mildly sweeter than ordinary water.

Dumaluan Beach Resort 2 also offers grilled food but it's pricier. Nice presentation, though

For my last dinner in Bohol, I finally ate at the resort's restaurant. It was definitely more expensive here! A cup of rice was P40! I ordered a mango shake for P90__

I think the other items on the menu are for sharing, though.

and _Fish Ficcata_for P265.  It was ok but maybe I should have ordered something else. I was afraid to spend more because I heard on the news that there was a storm coming our way on the day of my flight back home and I wanted to have some emergency money in case my flight was cancelled.

Here's a photo of the menu

And finally, here are some of the items I bought as pasalubong. 16 packs of peanut kisses for P135, kalamay in coconut for P50, Bohol tarsier shirts for P130, a tarsier toy that you could hang on your car for P50, and a smalll jar of Bohol Bee farm honey spread for P190.

Tip: You cannot hand-carry or declare as carry-on the kalamay in coconut. Apparently, it might be used as a weapon so you have to check it in as baggage.