The Food @ Bellarocca [2 of 3]

OAP | Bellarocca Blog Series
Bellarocca Rocks! | The Food @ Bellarocca | Awesome Things to do in Bellarocca

The second part of the Bellarocca series focuses on why the food needs a lot of improvement in the resort. This post is not meant to discourage you from going to Bellarocca but to be straightforward about what to expect and what will you be paying for.

Also, I want to challenge Bellarocca to improve its dishes because it is really unfair to serve not-so-good food at such expensive prices. We don’t want the Philippines to be known for having 5-star resorts with ho-hum food, do we?

Greek Salad (P420 +10%sc). Feta cheese, tomato, cucumber, bell peppers, onions, olives. Served with red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing.

This salad is one of the few Greek-inspired food in this Santorini-themed resort’s menu. The vegetables are good — not freshly picked but at least they don’t look tired. The dressing’s healthy but forgettable.

 

What to Eat in Bellarocca?

Complimentary Soft Rolls.
Surprisingly, a lot of people rave about their pillow-soft sweet bread. I’m not sure if the bread is really good or if the other food is just bad compared to the bread. Anyway, we loved it too!

 

All Day Dining Ala Carte Menu
Salads and Appetizers | Soups from the Kettle, Healthy Vegetarian, Pasta | Sausages, Sandwiches, Filipino Specials | Main Course, Asian Favorites | Kids Menu, Pizzas, Dessert | Pica-Pica

In Villa Ala Carte Menu
Appetizer & Soup | Salad, Pasta Dish, Vegetarian | Main Course and Steaks | Desserts

Drinks Menu: 
Champagne, Sparkling Wines, Rose Wine | Red and White Wines, Barista Corner | Coffee, Teas, and Mocktails | Long Drinks, Cocktails, Martini | Aperitif Cocktails, After Dinner Cocktails, Shooters, The Premium, Cognac, Brandy, Armagnac | Whiskie, Single Malts, Bourbons, Irish Whiskey, Gin, Vodka, Tequila, Rums | Shochu, Sake, Aperitifs, Digestiv, Sherry, Liquers, Fresh Fruit Shake  | Fruit Juice, Beers around the world, Sparkling and Mineral Water, Sodas

The price range of the ala carte dishes is similar to that of a hotel in Manila (particularly Shangri-La). Thing is, you don’t have any other option as to where to eat in the resort — you are literally “taken hostage” to buy their food. Prepare to spend at least P500 to P750/head/meal on average.

While there, we ordered from the All Day Dining menu versus the In Villa menu because the latter is just an overpriced version of the former. Here are snapshots of what we ate in Bellarocca:

 

Pizza Margherita (P420 +10%sc). Basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella.

The pizza, which is good for 2, has a cookie-like base. We usually order the basic pizza or 4-cheese (if available) to gauge the quality of the pizza in any establishment. Bellarocca’s Pizza Margherita was good for filling our tummies, but it’s not something we wanted to order again.

Fisherman’s Platter (P850 +10%sc). Breaded Cod Fish Fillet, Shrimps, Calamari and Crispy Onion Rings. Served with Coleslaw, Tartar Sauce and French Fries.

One thing I learned is that the seafood in Bellarocca is not fresh. I can’t blame them because Marinduque is known for its devastated marine life due to illegal fishing and mining. 🙁 Not sure if they import the seafood from Manila (that would explain why the seafood in this dish tasted frozen and bland already).

Eggplant Lasagna (P450 +10%sc). Layers of eggplant baked with parmesan & tomatoes.

We enjoyed this entree only because we asked the chef personally to make this into Moussaka with lots of beef. 

TIP: The waiters don’t know much about the menu, so it would be best to ask the chef directly.

Green Curried Chicken (P450 +10%sc). Marinated strips of chicken cooked with mushroom, fish sauce, coconut milk, lemongrass and cilantro. Served with Jasmine Rice.

This is supposed to be the best seller in the ala carte menu. The curry tasted a bit tame, even with the fish sauce. It was just OK for me.

Fillet of Grouper “Orient Style” (P620 +10%sc). Lapu-Lapu fillet baked with shoju ginger. Served with crisp rice and vegetables.

We asked the chef what fresh seafood was available in the kitchen. He told us he still had one last batch of Lapu-Lapu. When the fish arrived, it smelled like the sea and it tasted like it was about to get rotten. I learned then and there to never trust that chef again with seafood!

Kofta Kebab and Shrimp (P590 +10%sc). Broiled minced pork and bacon paired in a shrimp curry with basmati rice and broiled vegetables.

We were really craving for something Mediterranean, and this was a letdown. The food at Cafe Mediterranean is much, much better than this P600 dish.

Greek Style Vegetable Kebabs (P480 +10%sc). With couscous and Feta Cheese.

The presentation was appetizing, but the couscous they used was of very poor quality.

Pasta Bolognaise (P390 +10%sc). Meat Sauce and Parmesan Cheese.

Anything with minced pork or beef is really good, so it is safe to order this Pasta and the Moussaka above.

Chicken Cordon Bleu (P580 +10%sc). On a bed of Pasta Al Aglio e Olio and Sauteed Vegetables.

It’s supposed to be another best seller, but it was really bland and the pasta was a bit overcooked.

TIP: I heard from Joey that their Lechon Kawali is good. Try that out!

 

Easter Sunday Brunch Buffet

Buffet: Breakfast – P750 +10%sc, Lunch – P1,200+10%sc, Dinner – P1,500 +10%sc per person

We tried the buffet during their Easter Sunday Brunch. It was supposed to be the one of the best spreads since it’s Easter Sunday. They only have buffets when there are a lot of people in the resort. During Holy Week, there were about 100+ people booked. (They said that they’re fully booked, but I doubt it.)

 

Well, the hush-hush discussion among the people staying during that Holy Week weekend was that the food was not good. We tried the dishes — and they really looked appetizing — but they failed to deliver in terms of flavor. I couldn’t tell if the problem was with the sauce or the taste of the meat.

TIP: Order Ala Carte every single time!

The best part of the buffet was the dessert spread. It was quite impressive.

TIP: What we did was one person ordered buffet while the rest of us ordered ala carte. Then, we tried to get a taste of the dessert (just a spoonful) from the person who had the buffet. 🙂

 

Breakfast @ Bellarocca

Beef Tapa (P320 +10%sc). Marinated striploin served with atchara, plain or garlic rice, and eggs.

Breakfast at Bellarocca is not something to be excited about, but it is cheaper and a lot better than the Ala Carte menu. We opted to have late breakfasts (around 10am) since the rooms were really nice and we just wanted to relax. 

The Beef Tapa was good. (Generally, anything with meat in Bellarocca is good.) I didn’t get to try the steak though. Have you?

Here are the breakfast choices:
Breakfast menu, Cereals and Dairies, Fresh from the Bakery | Eggs and Omelettes, Morning Entree

Eggs Benedict (P280 +10%sc). Served on a homemade English Muffin, Country Ham, Spinach and Hollandaise.

The Eggs Benedict didn’t just look yummy, it tasted good too.

Arroz Caldo with Condiments (P180 +10%sc). Native congee with strips of chicken and spring onion.

We ordered this because it’s one of the cheapest items on the breakfast menu. It still tasted a bit bland despite the condiments.

TIP: Stick with Tapsilog, Longsilog or Tocilog.

How much should you budget for your food in Bellarocca?

Our average meal expense per person was P500 (taking into consideration our cheaper breakfast and expensive dinner). Most people I know just ate Brunch and Early Dinner there. If you get the all-in package rates @ Bellarocca, then you don’t have to worry about the price of the Ala Carte Meals.

Read More: OAP | Bellarocca Blog Series
1. Bellarocca Rocks! 
2. The Food @ Bellarocca 
3. Awesome Things to do in Bellarocca 

Disclosure clause:
Our Bellarocca Hotel was part of the prize package that we won from the Sofitel Siete Pecados Contest — here’s the winning entry: Planning Your Awesome Sofitel Escape. We paid for our Seair Flights, all the Meals and all other expenses. We don’t really know the owners or the PR agency marketing Bellarocca. We just met the French GM during our visit 🙂

Live an Awesome Life,

 
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Call or Text Me: +63917 5683-627 (LOVE-OAP)
Follow Me FacebookTwitterFlickrYoutube

P.S. If you have been to Bellarocca, can you give us a tip on what dishes you found yummy there? Your recommendations would help OAP readers choose the best dishes when they visit Bellarocca. Thanks!