Dining Snippets in Puerto Princesa: Blue Lagoon Inn and Suites x Seapangga x Kalui Restaurant

BLUE LAGOON INN AND SUITES

To kick off the summer, I squeezed in a short trip to Puerto Princesa last April with one of my best friends, Veron Requejo and her brother, Christian. We stayed in Blue Lagoon Inn and Suites, which boasted of charming and quaint accommodations, two swimming pools, and an in-house travel agency which efficiently organizes tours and activities on a daily basis, with minimal effort required on your end.

SIZZLING BLUE MARLIN (P210)

Blue Lagoon houses only one restaurant but its insanely wide selection of menu items can be credited to its huge foreigner clientele (we barely met fellow Filipinos during our stay there). I decided that seafood should be the first order of business (given that I was in Palawan, after all, and ordered its Sizzling Blue Marlin; which came complete with a cup of rice and some adobong kangkong. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the blue marlin steak they served me with; but unfortunately, it was overcooked and under-seasoned. At least, the ever trusty toyo-mansi was on hand to lend some much needed flavor to each spoonful.

TOCINO BREAKFAST

Each paying guest is given a complimentary plate of breakfast every morning. Options include local favorites such as tocino and tapa; while sausages and omelettes are available for those looking for something more continental. The Tocino Breakfast admittedly looked a bit sad, given that I was served with just a palm size’s worth of it; but the meat packed in a whole lot of flavor that it was surprisingly enough for the entire cup of garlic rice I was served with.

Blue Lagoon Inn and Suites

Purok Malaya, Brgy Bancao-bancao, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

Dates of Visit: April 7 to 10, 2019 with Veron Requejo and Christian Requejo

SEAPANGGA

Initially, we planned to grab dinner at Kalui and see what the buzz behind it was about; unfortunately, they were fully booked (and observed two seating times: 6PM and 8PM) so since our stomachs were grumbling, we decided to walk around for somewhere to eat.

STELLAR GROUNDS

Fortunately, just across it was this insanely picturesque commercial area called Stellar Grounds, which housed a handful of food and beverage kiosks, with a live band as entertainment.

Its ambiance was made for a chill night out with friends: from its brightly lit IG-worthy aesthetic, to its semi-al fresco dining area, to its wide and spacious open spaces; the Stellar Grounds was beautifully perfect.

We decided to dine in Seapangga, which of course highlighted various fresh seafood on its menu.

BAKED MUSSELS

We started off with some cheesy Baked Mussels which were pretty good. The mussels boasted of a natural sweet flavor; ascertaining their freshness. On the other hand, the topping consisted of only cheese with a little garnish; but it was enough to make it an appetizing start to our meal.

STEAMED LAPU LAPU (P480)

The whole Steamed Lapu Lapu was simply amazing. At first, I wasn’t expecting a lot, given its low price point; but damn, it can easily rival the steamed lapu-lapu's served in Chinese lauriats. Admittedly, it can’t compete on size, but it definitely can hold its own when it comes to freshness. Seapangga also knows how to cook its fish well; the meat of the fish was succulent and had a nice bite to it.

BARBECUE

Despite being a seafood restaurant, Seapangga curiously hypes up its Barbecue so we decided to order two sticks to find out what’s behind it. My eyes widened when they served us with two gigantic skewers featuring glistening pieces of grilled pork, alternately followed by grilled pineapple chunks, grilled bell peppers, grilled cherry tomatoes, and grilled onions. It was easily the juiciest barbecue I’ve ever tasted, and immediately became my golden standard for Barbecue skewers.

Seapangga

Stellar Grounds, along Rizal Ave., corner Rengel Road, Barangay Bancao-Banca, Puerto Princesa

Date of Visit: April 8, 2019 with Veron Requejo and Christian Requejo

BRIEF INTERMISSION: HONDA BAY ISLAND HOPPING

We joined the Honda Bay Island Hopping tour, which comes inclusive of a traditional grilled Filipino spread. Unfortunately, my friends and I fell victim to sales pitches made by our guide about being able to order premium seafood ala carte to pair with our meal.

SCALLOPS

I’m not familiar with market prices; so I can’t really say whether we were charged with tourist rates, or fair rates; regardless though, our bill was pretty steep.

LOBSTER

First, we were drawn to their large scallops. Unfortunately, they were utterly overcooked; making such precious meat too tough to enjoy. The lobster was my personal order; but I almost teared up when I saw how small a piece I was served with. The price was comparable to that of Bun Appetit’s Lobster Rolls; but at least in Bun Appetit, you’re served with sizeable chunks of lobster meat.

ABALONE SISIG

We were also curious how Abalone Sisig would taste like so we got an order of that. To be fair, this gave us the most value for money among the three seafood dishes we got. My only exposure to abalone would be the ones served in Chinese lauriats, so this was definitely a new experience for me. Unfortunately, it was more of a novel dining experience; rather than a gastronomic one. The only way for me to appreciate the dish was if I doused each bit in soy sauce. Even with that, you’re left with a naturally chewy seafood meat made gummier by virtue of its overexposure to heat.

My two cents on this? The lunch included in the tour will be more than enough to fill you up and satisfy you. Instead of splurging on additional seafood which would be prepared in a mediocre manner, use it instead for another tour activity in the island.

Date of Visit: April 9, 2019 with Veron Requejo and Christian Requejo

KALUI RESTAURANT

Kalui Restaurant will probably be included in your top searches when looking for places to dine in Puerto Princesa. The place gets packed easily which is why they observe two seatings for dinner; and they also recommend you making a reservation.

Kalui is a destination in its own right as it is packed with a multitude of details and decors that oddly doesn’t overwhelm. The attention to detail makes each area of the restaurant unique and interesting. I loved it so much that I couldn’t help sending photos of it to friends and family during my dinner, including sneaking a rare selfie. Just a warning though, all diners are required to enter the main dining areas barefoot so if you're particular about this, it's best to wear socks that day.

Its clientele (at least during the night of our visit) was predominantly foreign tourists so I was pleasantly surprised that prices remained reasonable. Another thing to pay attention to would be their menus as they manage to subtly inject humorous bits in them. It's best to keep one menu at bay to laugh over with friends while waiting for the food to be served.

GRILLED SQUID (P230)

Kalui has a lot of options that’s meant for sharing, but my friends and I couldn’t resist its solo value meals (priced less than P250 each) which comes with complimentary soup, banana fritters, deep-fried eggplant fritters, and fresh seaweed. I opted for the Grilled Squid, which featured tenderly-cooked squid rings drizzled with a sweet soy glaze. This was paired with a cup of red rice; but the complimentary sides will definitely grab your attention more as they lend added texture, color, and flavor to the meal. To be honest, there wasn’t anything which stood out from my Grilled Squid dish or the Buko-Sago-Pandan (P90) drink I ordered. However, the vibe and its wallet-friendly prices are enough to keep me drawn to future visits to Kalui.

I think the best thing I ate there would be the complimentary fruit bowl we were served with; at the end of our meal. Cubes of seasonal fruits were served in a buko shell; and lightly seasoned by a vinaigrette; which made for a surprisingly enticing burst of sweetness and tanginess.

Kalui

369 Rizal Avenue, , Barangay Bancao-Banca, Puerto Princesa

Date of Visit: April 9, 2019 with Veron Requejo and Christian Requejo