A sumptuous new menu at Ayanna Garden Restaurant

Salivating over this Crab in Singaporean Chilli Garlic Sauce? If it looks good, it even tastes better! This mouth-watering dish is part of the new menu launched by Ayanna Garden Restaurant located at the posh Sheridan Boutique Resort in Oton, Iloilo.

Overlooking the Azure Infinity Pool, Ayanna offers sumptuous gastronomic experience in its Asian inspired and al fresco dining set up beside a man-made pond. Sheridan Resorts marketing manager Joey Osmeña gave guests and the media a gastronomic welcome including members of the Iloilo Bloggers Inc.

Chef extraordinaire Miner del Mundo prepared a 26-dish tasting menu that includes premium new dishes as well as Ayanna's best sellers.

Appetizers on the menu were served as cocktails as guests started to arrive. I particularly loved the Tuna ala Pobre Sisig that I lost count how many times I asked for a "sampler". If it could have been a regular order, it would be served on a sizzling plate and I wonder how much more delicious it would be.The tuna sisig is a burst of flavour in every mouthful and will certainly be a staple order.

Consisting of sauteed shrimps, olive oil, chilli and tomatoes was another appetizer in bites - Gambas al Ajillo.

Then there was a duo of squid bites - the Spicy Squid Sisig and the Crispy Calamares with honey mustard-mayo dip

"Salad Days" came next as we sampled the four new organic salad creations of Chef Miner and his team. Starting off with this Crispy Hito Salad consisting of fried catfish fillet, turnips, mangoes and bago-ong isda dressing. A mix of flavours and texture - salty and sour with a crunch from both the hito and the turnips.

The Green Mango, Tomato and Salted Egg Salad almost was a taste of home. Everyone makes tomato and salted eggs at home but with green mangoes and crunchy balingon (dilis) - it's the way it is done at Ayanna. Yumyum!

How about some Ensaladang Puso ng Saging? One can really taste the freshness of the shredded banana heart that comes with a crunch of the kalkag, the creaminess of the gata and spice of the chilli. Just mix the salad well to get the full burst of flavour inevery forkful.

Any guess what are the reddish garnish? If you say choriso (longganisa), you might have smelled it right here and now. Yup its a Longganiza, Singkamas and Pipino Salad. The choriso has gives the salad a crisp and a savoury sweet flavour contrasting the mix of green mango, pipino and signkamas. It was among the best sellers that night - good thing I was amogn the first to have them.

Some side dishes came next as our palates had Seafood Bicol Express - a blend of string beans, mixed seafood and jalapeños embraced with coconut milk. We also enjoyed the Sotanghon Guisado having assorted seafood, vermicelli noodles and vegetables.

On to the main course, the Beef Shanks Caldereta gave our tastebuds a break from all the seafood. With a creamy sauce made with liver and tomato, it was accented with olives, carrots and potatoes with cheese gratinate. The beef was so tender that it fell off the bone and mixed with the concoction making it one delicious spoonful after another.

And then we're back to seafood but this one "flies". Just a playful take on the menu item named Pinalipad na Hito. The catfish is divided into three but still connected by the head giving it an impression of having wings thus the dishes name. Deep fried until crisp it comes with a mango and tomato slaw as a savoury garnish and dip as well.

A quintessential part of any restaurant for the Pinoy palate is kare-kare and Ayanna whips up one with fish, squids and shrimps plus vegetables likes beans and eggplant mixed with peanut sauce and sauteed native bago-ong. It's a Seafood- Kare-Kare everybody will surely love!

Among the offering of the Nothing but Seafood menu is the Asia Steamed Lapu-Lapu. Fresh lapu-lapu with spring onion stuffing and ginger smothered with a soy sauce-sesame oil concoction.

The Asian Crab Selections menu brings in fresh crabs cooked the way three ways - Singaporean, Szechuan and Thai.

Singaporean Chilli Crabs

Chilli crabs are popular in Singapore thus Ayanna concocts it own version having crabs that are commonly stir-fried in a semi-thick, sweet and savoury tomato and chilli based sauce. Despite its name, chilli crab is not a very spicy dish. It is described as "sweet, yet savoury", with a "fluffy texture".

Thai Coconut Curry Crabs

Another must try on the crabs menu is one smothered with delectable coconut curry sauce "representing" Thailand in the Asian Crabs Selection menu. The mix of the gata and curry creates an appetizing melange of flavours in every fork or spoonful - depends on the way you eat it.

Szechuan style crabs

And finally completing the Asian Crabs Selection trio is the Szechuan (Sichuan)-style crabs. Though the character of the original cooking has bold flavours, particularly the pungency and spiciness resulting from liberal use of garlic and chili peppers, as well as the unique flavour of the Sichuan pepper, Ayanna's version is quite mild to suit the Ilonggo palate but definitely still has the Szechuan flair.

Care for some desserts? Of course, you'd say seeing all these mouth watering display of sweets Chef Miner has concocted for Sheridan. And among the best seller is the Ube Haleya Cheesecake. All the purple yam goodness of the haleya in a slice of cheesecake on a dark cookie crust - heaven in every bite!

But there's also Turones de Ilongga which deviates a little from the usual turon. Instead of langka embracing the bananas, Chef Miner uses macapuno to provide another taste dimension for the his turon. It then sits of a mango flambe and caramel sauce with sprinkles of praline! Now that's a dessert!

A dessert drink? Almost, for it's the Maja Martini made from coconut creme and corn kernels topped with latik.

After more than 20+ dishes that ignited out appetites, Banana Buñuelos capped the gastronomic night. These fried dough balls were filled with bananas that even on their own it was already dessert. But making it more special was the dulce de leche which will certainly bring back the gastronomic memories - condensed milk in can that is boiled for around hours making it into rich "caramel". The joys of dipping the balls into a sea of caramel and popping them into one's mouth is one reason why "Eat's More Fun at Ayanna at Sheridan!"

Ayanna Garden Restaurant

Sheridan Boutique Resort

Oton, Iloilo

(033) 396-0033

inquiry@sheridanboutiqueresort.com

www.sheridanboutiqueresort.com

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