Lagoon Bistro & Vjandep Pastel of Camiguin

Our first meal experience upon arriving at Camiguin was in Lagoon Bistro. Located west of nearby Benoni port, its within the perimeter road of the island province. Compared with the more popular J&A Fishpen restaurant which is also nearby, I guess Lagoon Bistro has a simpler menu, yet less expensive than its "touristy" competitor.

Above photo shows some of the menus offered by the bistro with corresponding prices. Restaurant's ambience is composed of wooden tables and benches, covered by bamboo and pawid, or roof made of sewn coconut/nipa leaves. Ventilation is provided by the sea fronting the restaurant.

 

They offer live seafoods that can be cooked as per desired recipe, but with few choices of fishes. Their live tilapia and maya maya (snapper) fishes are raised on their own fishpond, right at the back of the restaurant. The fishes can be seen by guests, like what we did on the photo below.

We ordered a 350gm of live snapper cooked in tamarind soup. 

Complementing it is a sizzling squid, 2 orders of buttered shrimps, 2 platters of steamed rice, 3 fresh young coconuts, a mango shake, and iced lemon tea. Their flavor exceeds my expectations, certainly our best meal in the island.

For a dining group of 4 adults and 1 child, our total bill for a very filling lunch is around Php 600-700 only. This meal is a winner for its price, especially for Luzon-based guests like us. Its a good recommendation from multicab provider Teddy Pabualan, when I asked him to take us to a seafood restaurant but with backpacker-friendly prices.

After our lunch, the sea breeze tempted me to lie on a wooden bench to get some siesta sleep, but we need to start with our tour of the island. Its a matter of choosing between the two good options. :)

Now for food pasalubong, you can't go wrong with Camiguin's famous Vjandep pastels. These are buns with sweet fillings inside, available in various flavors like yema, coconut, ube (yam), etc. A 12-pcs box of yema pastel costs Php 130 at their main outlet in Mambajao town, as of last month's purchase.