When in Puerto Princesa: Costa Palawan

Puerto Princesa is one beautiful city filled with natural wonders. From the famous underground river to striking limestone, this city is a lovely break from the hustle and bustle of Manila. However, we ended up in a rather unpleasant hotel on my first visit which left a negative impression on Puerto Princesa's accommodations. Fast forward to 2019, the island experienced a boom in the hotel and resort industry giving visitors more value for money options. One of which is Costa Palawan. 

Hello, Costa Palawan. 

Costa Palawan is just 10 minutes away from Puerto Princesa International Airport but is on a quieter side of the city. It offers complimentary airport transfer which made us decide to book our last two nights here. 

Love at First Bite: Ace Coffee Lounge

Kapitolyo is definitely a foodie destination with so many restaurants popping out here and there. I was surprised to know that there are around 8 new restaurants that my foodie radar did not sense since my last trip which was just a few weeks ago. And since I would not forgive myself if I let more months pass, I asked my good friend N to move our Teachers Village food trip to Kapitolyo instead and she gladly agreed.

I just had a rather carbohydrates and protein overload from Grande Torino before the start of the food trip and N was worried that I was already stuffed. But I always have room for more good food. So after a bit of brain(tummy)storming, we decided to pay Ace Water Spa a visit. And not to swim but to eat!

The Ace Coffee Lounge is located at the lobby of the hotel/spa with an overview of the water spa. (After seeing the layout, I’m not too confident if I should go there for a swim since I do not want the diners to lose their appetites when they catch a glimpse of me struggle with my floater.)

After a quick browse of the menu, N and I decided to go for the Spinach and Artichoke dip with toasts (I forgot to take note of the price but I think it is around PHP200 as I recall it was really affordable), Hot Fruit Tea (PHP150), and a slice of Strawberry Shortcake (PHP100). 

Café Ilang-Ilang, the place where you won’t get “ilang”

First off, I would like to apologize about the lame title for I feel that this place deserves a classier name… but I just can’t help it. (For those who are not that familiar with the Filipino language, ilang means to be uneasy.) Moving on…

I was so glad that my boss tagged me along to the launch of the all-new Café Ilang-Ilang. At first, I didn’t know that it was a buffet restaurant thus I had a heavy breakfast. When I got in, I felt remorse over not skipping breakfast. And who wouldn’t when one is faced with NINE COOKING STATIONS?

               

               

The host of the launch was Issa Litton and she felt that we were all drooling and eager to visit all nine stations. The stations were: Pan-Asian (Chinese, Korean, Malaysian, and Filipino dishes), Churrasco (Western), Japanese, Italian, Spa (healthy food station) and Dessert. After the short talk of the president of Manila Hotel (yes, Café Ilang-Ilang is inside the Manila Hotel), people from the press all “charged” to the different stations.

              

              

              
              
              

              

              

              

Being a frustrated Japanese that I am, I went to the Japanese station first. It was sushi, sashimi, and maki galore! I took a lot of salmon sashimi which is my ultimate love. I also took some other tuna sashimi, eel sushi, and this interesting pomelo with shrimp salad in a martini glass. All I can say was, it was LOVE! The seafood was fresh. The salmon was so soft and the shrimp is still firm and not the powdery type some restaurants serve. The dish that has several colors (I can’t remember the name), was also good. :)

Next stop was the Chinese, Filipino and Korean Stations. For the Filipino station, I took some grilled pork (and I forgot to get some sauce, no wonder it was so dry), steamed fish, and of course, lechon! For the Chinese station, I took some dumplings (pork, chicken and shark’s fin). Lastly, for the Korean station, I got chapche, kimbap and my favorite, bulgogi. 

The lechon’s best part is the skin and I was really excited to munch on it but I guess that was the one dish you have to try first. My lechon’s skin was no longer crispy. :( The steamed fish on the other hand was your typical steamed fish. A bit on the bland side but that was cooked just the way I love it!

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture before taking a bite. IT WAS THE LECHON!

The Chinese dumplings were also not that great to rave about but it was still quite good. But, the Korean dishes were a disappointment to me. I was actually quite excited because I was hoping that (at the very least) the bulgogi will be good, especially since the chef handling that station is a Korean. Unfortunately, the dishes were quite dry and bland. True, Korean dishes are not very rich in terms of flavor but I had better bulgogi, kimbap, and chapche in other restaurants here and in Korea.

Since I was already full and my tummy was already asking for mercy, I decided to skip all other stations, EXCEPT the desserts station. I left that I was in Willy Wonka’s factory when I visited the desserts station. There were lots of pastries, chocolates, fruits, ice cream, and much much more. I had a hard time choosing which ones to try. Just staring at the chocolate fountain brings tears to my eyes. 

Anyway, enough being so sentimental over desserts, I had marshmallow covered with chocolate, tiramisu, chocolate brownie, strawberry pudding, and that heavenly chocolate pudding (which I forgot to take picture of—was too excited). The tiramisu was a bit bland and same goes for the chocolate brownie and strawberry pudding (though it was not the pudding’s fault since I got it from the sugar-free section). BUT the chocolate on the marshmallow was so good. In fact, I savored every drop left on my plate (and no, I did not lick my plate clean. I was still aware that I was in a hotel and that I have to act properly.)  

Verdict: A must visit place!

Ambiance:  The place was quite cozy. At first, I thought that the place was small; but after checking all 9 stations, I realized that the interior designer was witty to segment the place in such a way that all kinds of people, from couples to families to colleagues will all feel at home. Also, they were witty at placing the desserts station near the entrance. As mentioned by Issa, it was purposely done so as to remind people to “make room for dessert” since there are 8 other stations.

Price: Given that it is in a hotel, expect that it will be pricey. The range goes as low as P1372.77 (net) and as high as P1647.32 (net).