When you say the word Palawan, you’d normally think of the subterranean river, Coron and El Nido. These days however, there’s more to Palawan than its natural wonders. Palaweños have added another must-visit for every tourist: the Ka Lui Restaurant.



Located about ten minutes away by tricycle from the Puerto Princesa airport, the place looks like an ordinary beer garden from the outside. Inside though, is a spacious bahay-kubo style pavilion. Made of bamboo and wood, the restaurant is flanked by lush gardens and mini-waterfalls, making the restaurant a very airy and breezy place even if it’s already high noon. The furniture and fixtures echo the bucolic, laid-back theme. Capiz lamps tower over tables made of wood trunks. Pots of hairy, bright red achuete fruits lend color to the otherwise all-brown interiors.



Before entering though, all guests are required to leave their footwear at the door. I wondered if this was simply the janitor’s tactic to avoid sweeping the floor, until I realized that the bamboo flooring felt really cool on the feet. Visitors can choose between sitting down on regular tables and chairs, or on pillows scattered on the floor around each table.



In keeping with the Hawaiian/ethnic-inspired motif, Ka Lui serves only seafood, fresh vegetables and fruits. There are no meats or fancy cakes. For drinks, there are no carbonated sodas, just fresh fruit concoctions. Aside from staples like kinilaw (raw fish salad) (P100) and lobster (P600/half kilo), a must-try is the Ka Lui Special (P325). Good for two people, this set meal includes vegetable of the day, lato (seawood), tuna steak, steamed prawns, and grilled fish, though the main courses vary from day to day.



At any time though, the Ka Lui Special comes with dessert to top off the “native-dining” experience; sliced watermelon, banana, avocado and kalamay (rice cake) are dashed with muscovado sugar and served in half a buko (coconut) shell). Even after finishing the fresh fruits, you can still scrape the young coconut meat. If you’re not too hungry, order the Set Meal (P150), which consists of vegetable of the day, lato, one main course and dessert. All orders come with halaan (clam) soup.



What’s really remarkable about Ka Lui is that you get five-star quality seafood dishes at a fraction of the cost, and in a picturesque setting at that. Ka Lui is only open during lunchtime from 11 am to 2 pm, and during dinnertime from 6 to 11 pm, and is closed on Sundays. But then again, it’s a small price to pay for such an affordable culinary delight. Truly, like Palawan’s underground river or its remote limestone cliffs, Ka Lui is worth the effort and the trip.

Ka Lui Restaurant is located at 369 Rizal Avenue, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. You can ask any tricycle driver in the city to take you there, or you can phone them at (048) 433-2580 for directions and reservations.

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