Hearty Pho in Viet Ville, Then a Joyride

So far, the yummiest pho we've ever had was in Rene's Saigon Restaurant in Bancao-Bancao Road, near the airport.

But the little road trip we took a few Sundays ago up north led us to Viet Ville Restaurant, which was on the same level as Rene's Saigon on the deliciousness scale.

There used to be a small Vietnamese village there that was put up by a Catholic group to shelter some Vietnamese refugees. 

There are hardly any refugees left, but the restaurant still stands and is part of the city tour.

While waiting for our orders, we roamed around, and found a small creek behind the restaurant near the restrooms.  We entertained ourselves by watching the white ducks eat their lunch.

They also had several signs announcing that they accept bulk orders for French bread.  Vietnamese eat their pho with French bread, since they were colonized by France for quite a while.


This one was by the roadside.

And this was in the restaurant.

I was curious to find out how Vietnamese mango jam and Vietnamese bagoong (shrimp paste) would taste like, but put off buying some, and just made a mental note to remember seeing them here.

There is also a small church there, as the village was put up by a Catholic community. 

It is also the home of Our Lady of the Vietnam Church.

After having our fill, we rode on the car again and just kept on driving north to the mountains hoping to reach the sea and take in some new scenery.

We crossed several bridges.

We even stopped the car for a while to watch a carabao soak itself in the mud. 

 After thousands of coconut trees...

We decided to ask for directions to the coast, they laughed and were told that it was still very far away.  "Ang layo-layo pa po."

So, we turned back.

When Rene checked out his pictures on Google Earth, we would have reached it if we drove 10 more kilometers!   We were so close!

A Basketball Game and a Busted Mobile Phone

I have always wanted to take the kids to a live basketball game.  Little did I know that we would end up doing it here in Palawan!  Rene was given some tickets.  Unfortunately, he could not join us. Although I do not follow the PBA games, it was another good opportunity for a field trip!

The two kiddos and I took a spunky silver tricycle to the town coliseum to watch the face off between the North and the South from the upper box. We were so high up, and the kids had a good view of what was going on. We could not see the players' faces -- too bad as I was a bit curious to see James Yap in person, hahaha.

As the game progressed, I explained how basketball is played, what a foul is, what would earn one point, or two points, or three points. Nacho rooted for the blue team, and Elise cheered for the white team. I think we were the nosiest bunch in our side. Nacho was busy eating his doughnut but squealed whenever the blue team shot a basket.  And when the white team would lead, he would growl so loudly. 

We left at the end of the first game. We still had to catch the 7:00P.M. Mass at the cathedral, and Nacho was beginning to feel sleepy. The blue team won, 38-37. I am not a basketball expert, nor a fanatic. But I was a bit disappointed at how lazy the game was. The next day, we found out from the news what happened after we left. The white team won. 

We made it just in time for Mass. We decided to take a multicab instead of a tricycle.  Right before the Mass ended, I sent a text to the van driver to let him know that we would join the 8:30P.M. pick up schedule.  It was getting late, and he unusually he did not reply.  My heart sank as I found out that the message was still in my Outbox!  I repeatedly tried to send it, and tried to make some calls, but my phone could not send, nor call.

We walked to nearby stores and asked if we could use a land line. They shook their heads - no land line.  A bakery had a pay phone outside that takes five peso coins.  I tried it, but I could not be heard.  The person on the other line thought I was making a crank call.  We walked some more, hurrying, as it was getting quite dark, and most establishments close between 7:00 to 8:00P.M.  We reached a gasoline station and the lady computing credit card sales on her desk was kind enough to let me use the phone.  I left a message for the driver that we would be waiting outside the bakery in front of the cathedral.  

We walked back to the bakery, and they were pulling the steel shutters shut.  We just stood there, waiting.  Nacho asked to be carried because he could see the shop lights turn off one by one on the street.  It was getting pitch black, with all the trees around us.  Even if Puerto Princesa is the safest city in the Philippines with the lowest crime rate, I still did not want to be there with two small children.  My phone still could not call!  The driver called me but I could not understand a word he said. Then the line got cut off.

I flagged down the last of the few tricycles in the area and asked to be brought to Itoy's Coffee Shop at Rizal Avenue, the center of downtown, where places close at 10:00P.M. and even later. We got there shortly and I informed the driver through their pay phone that we were waiting somewhere else. 

Barely five minutes passed by when I saw the familiar white van slow down and park in front of the coffee shop.  I looked at Elise's smiling face.  Yay, we were going home!

McCoy's Pizza House

McCoy's is on the National Highway on the way to town, and we finally stopped there one night to try it out.  It always looks so inviting from the outside because of its warm orange and red glow.

 The brown tiled floor and the rattan furniture gave a cozy feel to the place.  There were even some bucket seats around low tables.  Nacho fell asleep just before we arrived and it was a relief to set him down there so he would be comfortable.

Native wooden carvings, paintings and garlic wreathes  hung from the walls.

We discovered a cool condiment - Curry Geworz Ketchup, a product of The Netherlands.  It was a very mildly spiced  tomato based seasoning that brought out the flavor of the pizza.  So good! 

Our mushroom pizza arrived!

Super cheesy!

Our creamy Carbonara arrived as well. And Elise scraped everything off the plate. She is The Carbonara Monster and always orders Carbonara wherever there is Carbonara.

Service was prompt, but robotic. No smiles nor warmth, they just stand in front of you, take your order, set your table and bring your food. I guess they figured that the red and orange place was warm enough (wink!).  They had a very clean bathroom, and that is always a good thing. 

They have event posters on the inside part of their door, like summer pottery classes and concerts.  Shows good community spirit.  It would be better, though, if they had a designated wall for it.

We brought the rest of the pizza home.  We have since come back several times, and taken out food too.  Their Curry Pasta is pleasantly surprising with chicken breast in a light yellow curry sauce tossed with spaghetti noodles.  Cannot imagine it? I couldn't too, at first, but this easily became my favorite, and Nacho's too.  I heard that they also have good fried chicken and pork chops.  Next time!

Ka Lui

 

Photo by M.C.S.

Much has been said and written about Ka Lui in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, as the top of the list of the Must Visit Restaurants in the city.  It is right on Rizal Avenue, making it a convenient dining place for all tourists and locals alike.  

This was the first restaurant Rene took us to when we first visited Puerto in May 2009.  We went for dinner and did not know what to expect.  Upon entering the gate, we followed a pebbled walk and stepped into the foyer.  Shoe drawers and shoe baskets greeted us.  Guests have to remove their shoes and everyone goes barefoot, even the waiters.  The whole place had a yellow glow accented with a lot of red, orange and green.  Elise and I immediately fell in love with the wood and bamboo structure.  She quickly explored every section.  Each was different from the rest.  We have gone back several times over the past four months.

photo by M.C.S.

The bamboo and wooden floors are always very clean and shiny.  The tables are set with bamboo placemats, bright table napkins and flickering candlelight. 

Usually, a charming achuete fruit centerpiece that looked like strawberries accents the table. 

A small bowl of clear and gingery clam soup always arrives to warm the stomach.

 Photo by M.C.S.

Then, a saucer of Lato, or seaweed, comes next, sitting on seasoned vinegar with half of a calamansi.  Sprinkle the drops of calamansi on the lato and add a dash of soy sauce. Eat it slowly.... and be pleasantly surprised at how FRESH it is.  It is a bit salty, a bit sour - almost surprisingly sweet!  

We ordered Escabecheng Lapu Lapu that was crispy on the outside and so soft and flaky on the inside.  The unexpectedly light sauce was slightly sour and slightly sweet, without the sharp tangy zing of the usual restaurant sweet and sour concoctions.  The fish was butterfly cut and good for two.

Other dishes that we tried were garlic prawns and pan fried tuna, which were not really spectacular as the aroma raised expectations that the taste was not able to fulfill. We also tried their kinilaw, which was good, but can be missed.

I also had some wheatgrass iced tea with Palawan honey that tasted, well, uh, different.  But by the time my glass was almost empty, the unique flavor had grown on me and I wanted to order another one.

Photo by M.C.S.

For dessert, I always look forward to the fresh fruits and kalamay on half a buko shell.  Sadly, usually the shell only has watermelon, pineapple and banana slices.  The kalamay was only there once. Sayang, it would have added some nice texture to the fruits.

Photo by M.C.S.

It is always a relaxing dinner, with the cool breeze blowing through the restaurant.  The place has no walls, and the floor is raised a few feet from the ground, like a true nipa hut.  What is striking about it is its authentic beauty and true Filipino ambiance.  The music playing while we were there were instrumental folk songs like the Visayan Dandansoy and some Zarsuela.

The last time we were in Ka Lui, the waiters were wearing native batik shirts and had bandanas on.  These days, they wear knit polo shirts with an embroidered logo on the left breast.  They look neat and are easily identifiable from the guests.  But the island feel has diminished and they look like they came from Gerry's Grill or Dencio's or one of those Manila grill spots.  

At the far end of the restaurant is a gift shop. They sell native ladies' bags for about P500 apiece.  They also have colorful shawls and some capiz and ceramic chimes. 

Between the restaurant and the gift shop is an art gallery of sculptures and paintings made by local artists, which are also available for sale.

This ingeniously carved table was on a mat from which I could not take my eyes off.  It was both functional and charming..

A closer look at the beautiful mat that I will have one of these days...

I sat on this pretty bench with capiz shells hanging on the backrest while viewing the paintings. 

A closer look at the capiz shells...

There are two pocket gardens on either side of the pebbled walkway leading to the gate.  On one garden, stern looking statues stand against the wall.

On the other one, a cozy little bench and table are set up against a backdrop sign that says, "Palawander, Outdoor Lover"... for diners who want to lounge around before leaving, and perhaps take some souvenir photos.

Ka Lui accepts diners only in three time slots:  11:30A.M., 6:30P.M. and 8:30P.M.  Reservations are required.  They are very efficient this way.  They already know how many people are coming in, and are not worried about table turns.  They also recommend their set menus, so there is less a la carte to worry about.

All seats will probably be taken, be it a weekday or a weekend. So, do not attempt to go there at 7:30pm, as you would be asked to join the 8:30pm batch if there are still vacant tables. 

Yes, the dishes are overrated.  There are other restaurants here that serve tastier meals.

The service is prompt, and even in the rare case that it isn't, the diners are not in a hurry.  I have yet to see a waiter smile or exude warmth in the few times I have been there. They are like robots taking orders, bringing orders, and cleaning up.

But, yes, we shall be back because the place is beautiful.