#22: Vietnam, France, and Palawan in One Sitting

During one of JuanFoundSound's project with Compassion International, we were brought to Palawanto document how a family's life improved after being under Compassion's care. Our handler, E, has been raving about this noodle house that serves Chao Long. So after a long day of shooting, he took us to this rather dingy, flourescent lamp-lit karinderya-looking place named Bona's. Not that I mind. I believe that you will really experience the real deal in a culture's cooking by visiting places that are often visited by the mass. But I digress.

So there was a big board on one side of the wall that lists the menu. If I remember it right, the menu goes like this: 




beef noodles.......... 40
beef stew.............  45
chicken noodles...... 40
chicken stew.........  45
french bread.......... 10
french bread w/ egg 15
etc, etc.


It wasn't very elaborate so it wasn't hard to choose. I had beef stew and french bread with egg. It took a while before we got our orders so I had time to notice that the place is teeming with people, normal and sosyal-looking alike (which was probably the reason for the delayed noodles). I also had time to wonder why the noodles had a very oriental sound. I asked E why the noodles were called as such. Turns out that it is a Vietnamese noodle soup taken there by neighboring Vietnamese refugees. If you're familiar with history, the French colonized Vietnam for quite a while that's why along with their pho (that is Vietnamese for noodles), they also took their colonizer's bread with them to Palawan.


Then the orders came. I got a nice warm bowl of flat rice noodles getting cuddly with some chunks of beef while they swim in the savory-sweet orange broth. Yeeeeah. Alongside that is a small plate of what looks like a salad of basil, mint & toge (mung bean sprouts). Then of course my french bread. The noodle soup can easily become a comfort food and it is made more interesting by the bright flavors of the basil and mint which I tore into pieces and added into my soup. The noodles were filling, the beef and broth was hearty and the little leaves made it surprisingly refreshing for the palate.


However, the part that I can't get over with was the French bread. Man, oh, man. I love breads and pastries and all things baked and believe me, this baby hit the spot. If you can remember, I came into this restaurant totally ignorant of Palawan's culinary history so I thought that this thing they call "French bread" is just some elongated version of the sari-sari store "monay" (or more commonly known as buns).


Then I took a bite.


My eyes widened and I'm a bit embarassed for my disrespect. This bread ROCKS! It was served warm and the texture was just amazing. Sink your teeth into it and you will be greeted by the light crunch of the crust which is immediately followed by a buttery fluffy softness. I had to catch my breath, really, that's how good it is. If that's not enough, how about you dunk it in the soup and let the soft inside absorb the broth while the crust keeps it together and maintaining its crunch. Oh my gosh... (Uhm Junn, are we not going there soon? Really?) You gotta believe me, it is that good. Nakalimutan ko yung French Baker. I ended up eating more than the 2 men that I am with.


We had to leave the next day but I can't leave the French bread. I took home two big bags. I know it won't last me until my next visit, not even a week. But I'm glad I know one sure thing I want to come back for.