Bona’s Chaolong on Palawan – Vietnamese-Filipino Beef Stew
by Donna Amis Davis / @DonnaAmisDavis
For a quick, delicious meal in Puerto Princesa, on your way to or from the Underground River, you can’t beat Bona’s Chaolong on Manalo Street. Vietnamese-style beef stew noodles, with a Palawan twist! To find Bona’s Chaolong, go to the end of the National Highway, past the Provincial Capital complex, and turn left. It is only about a block from that intersection.
You won’t find luxury, or romantic ambiance, or an ocean view. But you will find hot, fast, home-cooked Vietnamese-inspired noodles. The flavor is a magic mix of garlic, sweetness, spice, and savory meat.
Oh, and did I mention, cheap? Bona’s is very inexpensively priced.
We always order Beef Stew Noodles Special, and toasted French bread with butter. Special means it comes with some extra pieces of meat. The meal you see below cost 140 pesos, because we shared a drink and the bread. If we each get our own drink and bread, our meal runs a whole 170 pesos. Can you beat that? (Those prices are about $3.25 and $3.95 US dollars.) Plus, we always leave a tip for good service.
- Beef Stew Noodles with Toasted Bread
The Beef Stew Noodles are served with a plate of bean sprouts, basil leaves and kalamansi on the side. A condiment basket is filled with ground chilies, fish sauce, and other sauces for those who want to flavor up their stew even more.
Spatters Guaranteed!
Be warned. You WILL get splattered with the savory juices when you eat these wonderful noodles. We try to remember to wear dark-colored clothes when we know we will be eating at Bona’s. But the spots are worth it for the flavors we know we will enjoy.
I usually squeeze the kalamansi and add some basil leaves. My husband likes to add the homemade chili sauce to his noodles.
By the way, speaking of my husband, the novel he is working on has Bona’s as the working title. His novel is set on Palawan, too.
Bona’s was originally owned by a Vietnamese refugee who came to Palawan. He has since immigrated to Canada, and a Filipino family has carried on his recipes. The stew has been influenced a bit over the years by Filipino tastes. Our Vietnamese friends in the U.S. tell us that this dish sounds like a version of Bun Bo Hue.
French Connection
The French bread is still made by a Vietnamese baker in Puerto Princesa. Puerto Princesa had a first asylum refugee camp during the Vietnam War years. Many of the Vietnamese eventually immigrated to other places, but some stayed on Palawan. And since Vietnam was colonized by France at one time, the French passed on their baking skills. That’s why we have Vietnamese French Bread in Palawan. It’s a cultural conglomeration. But that is just one of the reasons why life in Puerto Princesa is delicious and always interesting.
Nitchie’s is also really good. Having chaolong is one of the happiest memories of my Palawan trip.
Hi Liam,
Thanks for stopping by! Where is Nitchie’s? We’ll have to give it a try sometime.
Oh, I had my first chaolong near the airport in Puerto Princesa way back in 1996. I was hooked on that chaolong that ever since, I sort of pined for it. Paired with the best French bread there’s nothing I can ask for.
Anyway, I searched for recipes that come close to what I had there and it is the Vietnamese Pho which I now make here from time to time. 😉
Thank you for your Like, Malou! Great to meet you. My husband must have opened his notifications earlier in the morning here than I did, as he was mentioning your comments on his blog.
I’ve also searched for recipes approximating the Pho we love here. It seems to take a fair bit of ingredients and time to make, so I haven’t tried yet. And yes, the French bread is wonderful – so fresh. Most of it around town is baked at one place – Rene’s Saigon. That’s a blog post for another day.
Oh yeah. There are a lot of chao long stores near the airport during that time. My favorite one is the one located at the end of the runway. I wonder if that store is still there
Hi Borgy, thanks for stopping by. Not sure if your old favorite is still there!
We stayed at Big Brother’s house in Puerto Prinsesa for a week, some walking distance away from Bona’s place. I ate chao long everyday during the time we were there. I missed chao long so much specially now that’s rainy season is here.
We’re missing that delicious chao long over here in San Diego. We may try to make it ourselves, but I don’t know if we’ll be able to hit that just perfect combination of flavors! Thanks for stopping by the blog and adding a comment.
No one can beat Rene Saigon’s Chaolong. It’s near the airport. Very delicious paired with their very own french bread….so yummy. The place is clean and tidy. You’ll keep coming back once you’ve tried their Vietnamese foods. It was an awesome birthday treat from my hubby and I even had my take out to Manila.
So glad you got to enjoy some Bona’s!
:D, nice site
I’m happy to have stumbled upon this post. I miss Bona’s Chaolong. It’s the tastiest Noodle Soup I have ever tasted 🙂
Oldest chowlong house in puerto princesa is along bancao bancao street.
Which one is that, Aniko?
Hi i also tried beef stew special of bonas…perfect noodle soup…i want to learn how yo cook dat..can u give me some advice or related post that can help me??i mean wat r d recipes???nd wat is vietnamese pho??
Tnx a lot