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Published: March 15th 2009
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Here's a few places I thought would be worth mentioning when it comes to eating and drinking in the Phils.
1.
Rowena's place on Sugar Beach, Sipalay. As Sugar Beach only has a few guesthouses and nothing else, the variety of places to eat is very limited. There's no variety in the pricing either - all of them tend to be fairly expensive compared to everywhere else in the Phils. But lo and behold! You only need Rowena's and you'll be set.
Rowena, a lovely young mother runs her own place at her home. Drop by a few hours earlier and order what you wanna have and they'll get the produce fresh to cook you up probably the best meal you'll eat in the Phils, served at their little garden, where kids and dogs run around while Rowena's husband's Marlin's rooster keeps watch. For breakfast try Rowena's fruit salad prepared with seasonal fruits. This place is truely wonderful. Loved it.
2.
Malay Tubay, El Nido. This is the best place in the world to knock down a few bottles of Red Horse or even getting lucky with a Happy Horse*, the world's most sympathetic beer. As to Malay Tubay, to be frank, if all the bars of the world were to be destroyed by a neutron bomb and you'd get to save just one, Malay Tubay's the one I'd save (or the one that is downstairs my house, cause I do need a drink a little more often than I can fly to the Phils. Oh well, I would then just drink alone at home.) Malay Tubay's a charming little bar with fantastic live acts (quite a relief from all the karaoke) away from the main drag of El Nido, good times are guaranteed.
3.
Squiddo's, El Nido . Huge portions. Try the sea food curry for two or one of their squid specialities, all very very good. But do go in early. This place is jampacked every single night not only because of the food but because of it's very reasonable pricing.
4.
DabDab in Sabang . Streer clear from the Tribal, the most popular place in town. It's over priced and boring. Instead, venture out south of the beach where you'll find this lovely guesthouse which serves the best fish curry in the country. Nuf said.
5.
DabDab Judy's in Port Barton . You can't avoid Judy's if you'd like to eat someplace else than the guesthouses. Luckily, this hole in the wall place serves excellent food and by the end of your stay in Port Barton you'll end up knowing all the staff.
6.
The Hobbit House in Manila . I wouldn't miss this place for anything. The fact that you are being waited on by dwarfs makes a great travel story no matter what the moralists say. Have your photo taken but don't stay long as this place is rather dear. Extra tip: They do have San Mig on tap, it's just that they'd prefer to sell you that imported, overpriced stuff.
7.
Kalui, in Port Barton . There's a reason why this fine place appears in every Phils guidebook. The food's exquisite, service immaculate and you'll be surprised by how cheap this place is all things concidered. But do book ahead, it fills up.
8.
Sea Slugs on the El Nido beach makes my list as well. The fish soup here was recommended to me by an Italian chef who was only in the Phils to sample the local sea food, and the guy, creepy as he might've been, was to the point. Food's great and the views are pretty even though a little rocky island keeps you away from enjoying the sunset.
9.
Oops (spelled upside down) on Alona Beach, Panglao. Lovely setting on the beach. Try the squid cutlets in a kick-ass creamy tomato sauce.
10.
Driftwood in Sugar Beach, Sipalay if you feel like a thai curry. It's really good here even if you might find the crowd staying in this guesthouse slightly off-putting.
*If Red Horse is not the most sympathetic beer in the world then I am the queen of Cambodia. The trick with Red Horse is that every casque of twelve beers has one bottle of happy horse, which has a sligtly different label - the horse figure on the bottle is smiling. And of course it's a little stronger than the normal horse.
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Shelagh Considine
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Kalui's
The restaurant is in Puerto Pricesa City, and the reviewer is right. The owner takes the same fabulous care of his food as he does his decor! And Judy's in Port Barton is not to be missed.