Bruno’s Swiss Food in Puerto Princesa, Palawan
by Donna Amis Davis / @DonnaAmisDavis
Right in the center of Puerto Princesa, locals and visitors find a slice of Europe, with Australian and American leanings. Bruno’s Swiss Food, a deli, store and restaurant, owned by Bruno Eyer, has been a landmark on the Puerto scene for 20 years or more. Bruno, a Swiss-German, and his Filipina wife, stock all kinds of imported goodies, and feed hungry people, right across from Mendoza Park, on Valencia Street, a half-block off Rizal Avenue.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, specializing in European food. Breakfast items on the menu include freshly brewed coffee, omelets, hash browns and fried eggs, hash browns with ham and eggs or bacon. Let me tell you, these Swiss know how to make yummy hash browns!
The other day, we popped in for lunch, and ordered the veal bratwurst with hash browns, or rösti. It comes with gravy and a small side salad. Price 260 pesos. Delicious. The menu includes several other varieties of German sausages, as well as cold cut and cheese sandwiches, smoked salmon, Italian pastas, and Australian and U.S. Certified Angus Steaks.
Bruno’s is a favorite of the local expat crowd. Don’t be surprised if you see a table full foreigners, laughing and arguing in several languages over lunch and beer.
Imported Grocery Items
Bruno’s is also a great place to stock up on imported grocery items. A mind-boggling collection of specialty foods crowd the shelves. Chocolates from France, and Switzerland, American Tostitos and Lay’s Chips, Indian curry mixes, Thai spices, olives, canned beans, juices, cookies, polenta, cake mixes, popcorn, wines and liquors, sauerkraut, specialty flours, nuts, cereal, pasta. The list goes on and on. And that’s just the dry goods.
Bruno’s also has a well-stocked deli refrigerator case with imported cheeses and meats. Here is a partial list of what was available the day we stopped in: Hungarian salami, salami Milano, salami Nonno Sopressa, salami picanto, chorizo Salamanca, coppa ham, pepperoni sausage, carrot lyoner Swiss, mushroom lyoner, olive lyoner Swiss, Spanish goat cheese, brie, roquefort, Tilsiter Swiss, old Dutch gouda, Bel Paese, mild cheddar, smoked gouda.
Picnic Supplies
I don’t know what they all are, but doesn’t it just make you just want to pack up some slices, grab some Vietnamese French bread, and head out of town for a picnic? Oh, the shelves hold plenty of spreads for your bread, too, like mustards and horseradish.
Then there is the freezer case, full of frozen meats, and other food items. Pack up some for your Underground River trip! We love to pick up an Australian rib eye for special at-home date nights. Beef, pork and lamb, in multiple cuts and varieties are available.
Recently, Bruno’s has complied with the city-wide ban on indoor smoking, and provides a table and chairs outside for patrons who need to light up.
In the Heart of Puerto Princesa
Inside Bruno’s with the impressive international collection of food, the air-conditioning, and the table of foreigners speaking German, you can forget for a moment that you are in Puerto Princesa. But stepping outside, with one glance taking in the huge spreading tree across the street, and the tricycle put-putting by, you realize, no, I’m still in Puerto. And you appreciate the diversity available here.
Yum!
Making me hungry 🙂
No kidding. Bruno’s definitely has some culinary inspiration!
Donna, my wife and I are some of the expats who have enjoyed Bruno’s offerings over the last 15 years. Had a great party there the other night. We must use it or lose it!
The best favour you could do Bruno and Nancy would be to publish your write up on Tripadvisor.
Thanks
B & A
Ah, so you are one of those aforementioned expats. I’ll wander over to Tripadvisor and see if I can do that. OK, I just checked. I don’t know how to add a restaurant that isn’t already on the list???
Thanks Donna.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1-i12105-k5232272-How_do_I_add_a_new_restaurant-TripAdvisor_Support.html
Hi Barry, This morning I received an email from TripAdvisor saying they had posted my review called “A Taste of Europe in the Heart of Puerto Princesa, Palawan” to Edwin’s Food Place!!! Edwin’s listing is for Chinese food, of course, and if you read my review it is all about Bruno’s and European food, etc. Pretty funny! I contacted them right away that the review was posted to the wrong business. We’ll see what happens next. This is a bit of an adventure!
Ok, it took me a bit of searching, but I did find how to submit a review for a new listing. Thanks. Maybe you could mention to Bruno to get a Facebook page up, with the phone number and address, too.
Thank you for bringing the world to me. And thank you for liking my posts.
You are welcome. Here’s to hoping healing happens, and life gets better and better for you!
I was in Puerto Princesa in late July to early August 2012 and I went shopping at Bruno’s. I found real Roquefort cheese, Prosciutto, and Bushmill’s Irish Whiskey. Amazing!
Sounds like the makings for a great evening.
Thank you so much for the blog in behalf of my father and mom(Nancy Eyer) this is Carolyn Eyer the daughter of Bruno Eyer..
🙂
You are very welcome, Carolyn! Nice to “meet” you!!!
These Fray Bentos pies are magic. We used to buy them when we went youth hostelling and cook them when we arrived. Ask them to stock Barr’s Irn Bru – an orange-coloured soft drink and Cadbury’s chocolate.
There is an American Candy store in Argyle Street in Glasgow. I wanted a Baby Ruth bar but at nearly 2 GDP it was too expensive.The Chocolate Kises were also too expensive and some soft drinks were nearly 3 GBP a can.
My friends call me ‘mean’ but I prefer to be called ‘frugal’ but even they said the prices were too high.
I would LOVE to wander into a candy store in Glasgow sometime! Thanks for the recommendations. I know what you mean about the expense of imported candy, though. Better to enjoy the local things.
I think I need to find a way (reason) to get back down there…really soon!
Absolutely! Out of the big city.