Last December, my husband Marc and I visited Boracay for the third time with our favorite travel buddies, Nina, Melo, and Eric just a few days before Christmas. Through Melo (who had already visited the restaurant during his prior visit), we were fortunate enough to experience a scrumptious dinner prepared by the crew of Kasbah Bar and Restaurant.

Frankly, I was very skeptical when I first heard that we would be having Moroccan dishes for dinner. I have never been the type to be “adventurous” when it comes to food. You can put me on a boat and ride angry waves while wearing a dilapidated life vest even if I don’t know how to swim—that’s adventure. But food? Food is something you put in your mouth; it’s just not something I’d like to mess with. But to my surprise, my Kasbah dinner was far from horrifying—it was a truly delightful gastronomical experience.

Evelyn Peña, Kasbah’s operations manager, guided us through our meal. For starters, Evelyn introduced us to three kinds of Moroccan dips: Zaalouk (a puree of cooked eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini), Mechouia (roasted bell peppers and spices), and Hummus. Their Hummus is like any other Hummus I’ve tasted (but maybe it’s just me, I’m really not that particular to chickpeas), and Mechouia’s taste was a bit too strong, in my opinion. But Zaalouk was my favorite—it was a concoction cooked with just the right amount of spices, and slight tang of tomatoes. My companions and I did a bit of experimenting—topping the pita with both the Mechouia and Hummus made a delicious combination: the strong taste of red bell peppers were toned down a bit by the Hummus.

The main dishes we had for dinner were Kasbah’s best: Moroccan Grilled Shrimp, Lamb Kebabs, Chicken Tagine, Beef Tagine, and Seafood Saffron Tagine. It was at this moment that I hated myself for not taking care of my health better—eating seafood would trigger my asthma, so I was only able to feast on the Lamb Kebabs and Beef Tagine. I wasn’t allergic to chicken, but I could only have a little taste of the delectable Chicken Tagine for fear of triggering an attack of asthma (only the week before, I had a short stint at the emergency room of the hospital near our subdivision and I didn’t want to risk it, being so far away from home). I didn’t have enough of the chicken to really remember how exactly it tasted like, except for the meat being tender and the blend of spices weren’t as strong as that of the Beef Tagine.

Despite its appearance, the Beef Tagine wasn’t like an ordinary stew. It had a flavorful combination of sweetness and saltiness, and a strong taste of spices I could not identify. This dish went particularly well with the Couscous cooked with raisins. A generous spoonful of the Couscous and Beef Tagine brought about an unusual combination of flavors on my taste buds—each bite of raisin erupted with fruity sweetness, just enough to tone down the tagine’s strong saltiness and brought out the taste of exotic spices.

I have no other word to fully describe the Lamb Kebab except for one: delicious! The meat was cooked just right: the meat was very tender without being raw. This dish was accompanied by a dip (most likely a blend of spices and yogurt), which complemented the kebab perfectly. Adding a slice of the skewered tomatoes set off a surprising burst of tang, rightly supplementing the subtle smokey taste of grilled lamb and the slight sweetness of yogurt.

Hands down, a gastronomical adventure at Kasbah’s is a truly delightful experience—and that’s considering I was only able to savor two of their house specialties. My travel companions went crazy over the Seafood Saffron Tagine. Being happy eaters, I would trust their judgment :)

A Kasbah experience isn’t complete without a short tour of its bar and restaurant. The authentic Moroccan lamps give the place a romantic feel—dinner by the beach lit by colorful lamps and artistic interior. Walls are painted with simple white and a touch of blue—a hue that the owners (husband and wife, Martin and Donna) had a difficult time procuring.

Uniquely-framed mirrors lined the walls, while a number of Moroccan art were scattered inside the restaurant—corners, the bar, the tables… Every where you looked, you’d find something unique and Moroccan. The interior design was artistic, but without overdoing it. I was very surprised when Martin told me that they didn’t hire a professional to do the interiors—they bought the Moroccan art and lamps without knowing how they would go together. Well, they certainly did a wonderful job putting everything in place!

I would strongly recommend Kasbah to anyone visiting Boracay who would like a unique dining experience. Be prepared to spend a bit though. Dining at Kasbah isn’t cheap (a seafood main dish costs about Php400++), but it’s definitely worth it. My husband and I are thrifty diners, but Kasbah is definitely a must-be on our Boracay itinerary, a place we’ll go back to every time we visit the island.

Kasbah Bar and Restaurant
Station 1, Balabag
Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan
Phone: (036) 2884790
Mobile : 0923-3533803
Email : kasbahboracay@gmail.com

SEAIR flies regularly to Boracay via the Caticlan airport. You can reserve your tickets through the SEAIR call center +632 849.0100 or log on to the SEAIR website to reserve online.

Visit my Flickr set for more Kasbah Boracay bar and restaurant photos.