Philippines-Puerto Princesa, Palawan: Another food haven

I've been missing HT hubbie.  He's somewhere out there ...and might be having his cup of Guinness beef stew.  To overcome this missing syndrome, I reminisced our times together...
And i still can't forget our Philippines' trip that made us difficult to come back to reality...

Palawan is about an hour flight from Manila.  This is my 4th time in the island and I wouldn't mind going back there for a millionth time.  There is something in the island that makes me feel at home and relaxed.

I just love those rocky mountains...

it is the home of the the famous Underground River (finalist of the 7 wonders of nature) - please vote if you think it's worth to visit http://www.new7wonders.com/

A paddle boat will be waiting for you at the site with a tour/boat guide.    Thinking of just a cave, with stalagmites and stalactites, i thought i would get bored easily.  But the tour made our trip entertaining and letting us imagine what those mineral formation looks like.  Expect to laugh a lot but hold on to the boat  so you won't topple over and don't look up while laughing if you don't want some bat poop inside your mouth. :)

I won't elaborate more...as I want you to experience personally this wonderful nature...highly recommended by HT COUPLE (Promoting Philippines' Tourism *wink*)

 This underground river can be the best pride of Puerto Princesa.  But what other people didn't know, this city is considered a food haven!  We enjoyed our every bite and slurp here.  Come and join us as we tour you around Puerto Princesa through our appetite.

ONG's MAKI HOUSE - Rizal Ave, Puerto Princesa

Maki Mee - most Filipino-Chinese even Filipinos know this bowl.  Ma means meat and Ki means sticky, the soup is starch-based making it very thick with some chewy beef balls or pork balls.  Their version is only with beef. (while i'm writing this, i'm starting to drool).  This is similar to Lor Mee in Singapore or Malaysia but I prefer this Maki Mee in the Philippines as it is not sour as vinegar is not used.  The soup is well seasoned and you can order this without the Mee (noodles).  I grew up eating this bowl from a fastfood chain that was really close to my family's heart.  And what was great here is that the chinese family who owns the maki house uses the same recipe for years...no frills added...just authentic chinese meal in front of you.

Now a dutch loves this bowl too!

Homemade Siomai - packed with meat and a must-have on your table.

Wanton and Beef Mami - generous serving of meat, noodles and wanton(they used the same as their siomai) and the beefy soup was delicious with a tinge of sweetness.  My smile was up to my ears as this made me remember my younger years when I would help out mom at work and get a bowl of this as a reward after a long day. :)

Now, me and my siopao!  In the Philippines, we usually get it big! (Ta pau)  And there would be a sweet sauce on the side that you smothered on it just like ketchup on burgers.  (This was the smile that I was talking about :D)

Ka Lui- Rizal Ave, Puerto Princesa



You should never leave Puerto Princesa without dining in this place.  And every night, only reservations are accepted as they're always fully booked!  I suggest to book 2 days in advance to secure a table.  And if you're lucky, you'll get a table as cozy as this.

they don't allow shoes or slippers but don't worry they have nice cabinets if you're wearing Louboutins :D)

Any misses in their food?  The answer is a big NO!!!  Every dish was cooked well and very tasty.  They change menu like every week but they have a few homegrown dishes that is available daily and they're unforgettable!

Adobong Pusit - squid simmered in soy sauce, vinegar with bay leaf (adobo style).  Adobo is like our national dish, we use this style with pork, beef, kangkong..name anything, we can do it the adobo way!  The squid was well-cooked...it was tender and not bland.  Usually, it's difficult to have squid absorb the sauce or marination, but Ka Lui made them lip-smacking good!

Seafood Sisig - I don't usually eat sisig as originally it's made of pig's ears, cheeks and some internal organs.  It's delicious but just thinking of what was in the plate makes me say NO to it.  But as creative as Filipinos can be, if we can cook anything the adobo way, we can also do anything the sisig way!  Sisig is seasoned with lime, salt, pepper, garlic and is usually served in a sizzling plate.  Usually with an uncooked egg on top that you mix with the meat while it's still sizzling hot!  And so far, sisig never disappointed anyone who has tried it (even Anthony Bourdain ate it as sides with beer - the very Filipino way).  For those in Singapore, check out this post  when i brought 2 fellow foodies who loved the sisig BONIFACIO.  And if you're somewhere around Marina Bay Sands, you can get this, in the Rasapura Master Food Court, Gerry's Grill stall (this is a restaurant in the Philippines that serves good Filipino food).

Let's now explore Palawan's delicacies

Lato - is a type of seaweed in Palawan and is served in every meal as your veggie for the day.  Those poppy greens are kind of fun to eat but it is very salty.  People in Palawan eat it alone or with rice without anything else. 

I was a bit disappointed that I have to say goodbye to Palawan and I was not able to try their Tamilok.  I conditioned myself for days to try it...and when I was ready, it was out of stock :(. 

What is Tamilok?

It's a mollusk living inside rotting mangroves.  It's also called "wood worm" as it's in a form of a worm.  But as per any locals, if you can eat oysters, you can eat tamilok (i'm ready to try the ones soaked in vinegar).  You eat it like herring in the Netherlands, you pick up one of the ends (except this one is slippery) and let it slide thru your throat.  Then a good way to digest it is with a few sip of alcohol. 

photo credits to Rita (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rietje/4631747412/in/photostream/) - it's your own discretion if you want to see an enlarged version by double clicking the pic.

 

I guess Tamilok and I are not meant to be...maybe next time. 

 And that ends our trip in Palawan...and another good thing is...HT hubbie will be back soon!  Enjoy the weekend everyone!  'Till the next post!