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Good beer here. I appreciated that they were the only craft brewer in El Nido and I enjoyed the sense of humor on their menu that, even though they make their own beer, you could get the same beer every other restaurant in the Philippines offers. We stopped in late-morning, when restaurants are usually slow. Being the only customers, service was pretty quick. Unfortunately, some of the items on the menu weren't available because they didn't have all the ingredients. I found this to be true at a few other restaurants too. Palawan, being an island with a small population, doesn't seem to have as strong a supply chain as other regions within the Philippines, so certain items are only available when they are in season. As a result, my rating is based predominantly on the beer. The stout tasted great and the pale ale had a nice balance of flavors.
They resfused to sell me a Cheburek because I speak Russian. It is very sad to receive service like this in a place where exotic fruits and wild caught seafood are sold right across from the street. I truly wanted to support local business, but instead lost my appetite. I can't believe I have been treated like this in a middle of a beautiful and hospitable Palawan just because I speak Russian.
After a terrible van ride from Puerto Princesa to El Nido, I dropped my bags off and looked up where to eat. Odessa Mama popped up and sounded intriguing with an all Ukrainian menu. It also is attached to a brewery, Boodmo. I dropped in on a Thursday evening (around 9:00pm). It wasn't too busy but there were people eating and socializing. The merchandise is slick, especially the hats ("In Beer We Trust" for 700 PHP). The menu is broken into varenyky, patty-pocket, cheburek, mama's dishes, nalysnyky, homemade sauces and desserts. For beers, there's three options: pale ale, dry stout and cadlao IPA. - Mashed potato and mushroom varenyky (220 PHP) - you get 10 homemade pyroghy's with a dollop of sour cream. Good wrapper although it's quite thin. Filling was more potato than mushroom. - Borshch (220 PHP) - a mix of vegetables (beet, carrot, cabbage) cooked in a chicken broth. Broth is lacking depth but it was good enough for me, as I was craving soup for a sore throat. Think dill was added on top but there was very little dill flavour. First Ukrainian spot I've tried in the Philippines. 3.5 stars.
Wondering through El Nido, there are plenty of restaurants that offer similar cuisines, until I stumbled upon Odessa Mana offering lovingly cooked Ukrainian food. It only opened a few months ago, but had a steady flow of foreigners and had praise written on their freedom wall from all their patrons. We ordered the patty pocket beef kebab (P200) with thick slices of onion, tomato, lettuce and Mayo. It was an simple construction of pitta and juicy meat. Next was the Varenyky (Ukrainian dumplings) filled with mashed potato and mushrooms (P120). It was potato heavy with a faint mushroom taste. Despite this, they are pretty addictive to eat, maybe because of they are perfectly bite sized. The best was definitely the nalysnyky (P150) filled with cottage cheese and honey. They were sour and sweet wrapped in a crepe and the perfect way to end the meal. Odessa Mana is reasonably priced and offers an authentic meal, something that we struggled to get elsewhere. It's a real El Nido gem!
3 years ago
Fortunately or unfortunately, El Nido is becoming more commercialized and by many foreign-owned establishments. This be but one of the foreigners with roots in El Nido and interestingly it is a Ukrainian restaurant. Certainly curious to the casual passerby since a Ukrainian restaurant in the Philippines an automatic anomaly. But also curious because they: (1) lay claim to housing the "first and only" craft beer brewery on the island -- Bar Boodmo -- and, (2) have a very explicit sign refusing to serve anyone speaking Russian. Russians love the Philippines therefore this proclamation has been met with a lot of backlash. Which affects me not! I sat at the bar with clear intention to order dranks only. The flight of 3 5oz tasters was advertised at 300 PHP but I went ahead and ordered a pint of Cadlao IPA for 270 PHP instead. They detail this IPA to have a "bitter and woody taste, malty, and piney basic notes". I'd say it were more malty with a slight bitterness. At 5.2% ABV, it was mildly refreshing. Obviously not a mind blowing IPA but appreciated nonetheless. This is a more spendy spot for drinks and one that will cater to a certain mood as most, including myself, would rather be sipping on a clean, crisp, and cheap lager in the form of a San Mig. read more
So I stopped in Odessa for a change of pace. It has been a long time since I had Ukrainian food, and what I had was pretty good. I had some potato pancakes (just like latkes) with mushroom sauce, and a cheese and meat pie/pastry that was quite tasty. Their beers were solid, and I stack the up to the craft beers back in other parts of the world. If fact, if I didn't know that I was in El NIDO, I'd swear that I was back home. read more
Ukrainian restaurant in El Nido? Why not! My first taste of Ukrainian dishes and I love it. Our Ukrainian friend brought us here and it's the best choice for dinner. I'm glad to find vegetarian option for Varenyky and Cheburek. The food is amazing and the service is good. The ambiance is also nice. I Highly recommend this place when in El Nido. read more
2 years ago
Good beer here. I appreciated that they were the only craft brewer in El Nido and I enjoyed the sense of humor on their menu that, even though they make their own beer, you could get the same beer every other restaurant in the Philippines offers. We stopped in late-morning, when restaurants are usually slow. Being the only customers, service was pretty quick. Unfortunately, some of the items on the menu weren't available because they didn't have all the ingredients. I found this to be true at a few other restaurants too. Palawan, being an island with a small population, doesn't seem to have as strong a supply chain as other regions within the Philippines, so certain items are only available when they are in season. As a result, my rating is based predominantly on the beer. The stout tasted great and the pale ale had a nice balance of flavors. read more
They resfused to sell me a Cheburek because I speak Russian. It is very sad to receive service like this in a place where exotic fruits and wild caught seafood are sold right across from the street. I truly wanted to support local business, but instead lost my appetite. I can't believe I have been treated like this in a middle of a beautiful and hospitable Palawan just because I speak Russian. read more
After a terrible van ride from Puerto Princesa to El Nido, I dropped my bags off and looked up where to eat. Odessa Mama popped up and sounded intriguing with an all Ukrainian menu. It also is attached to a brewery, Boodmo. I dropped in on a Thursday evening (around 9:00pm). It wasn't too busy but there were people eating and socializing. The merchandise is slick, especially the hats ("In Beer We Trust" for 700 PHP). The menu is broken into varenyky, patty-pocket, cheburek, mama's dishes, nalysnyky, homemade sauces and desserts. For beers, there's three options: pale ale, dry stout and cadlao IPA. - Mashed potato and mushroom varenyky (220 PHP) - you get 10 homemade pyroghy's with a dollop of sour cream. Good wrapper although it's quite thin. Filling was more potato than mushroom. - Borshch (220 PHP) - a mix of vegetables (beet, carrot, cabbage) cooked in a chicken broth. Broth is lacking depth but it was good enough for me, as I was craving soup for a sore throat. Think dill was added on top but there was very little dill flavour. First Ukrainian spot I've tried in the Philippines. 3.5 stars. read more
4 years ago
10 years ago
Wondering through El Nido, there are plenty of restaurants that offer similar cuisines, until I stumbled upon Odessa Mana offering lovingly cooked Ukrainian food. It only opened a few months ago, but had a steady flow of foreigners and had praise written on their freedom wall from all their patrons. We ordered the patty pocket beef kebab (P200) with thick slices of onion, tomato, lettuce and Mayo. It was an simple construction of pitta and juicy meat. Next was the Varenyky (Ukrainian dumplings) filled with mashed potato and mushrooms (P120). It was potato heavy with a faint mushroom taste. Despite this, they are pretty addictive to eat, maybe because of they are perfectly bite sized. The best was definitely the nalysnyky (P150) filled with cottage cheese and honey. They were sour and sweet wrapped in a crepe and the perfect way to end the meal. Odessa Mana is reasonably priced and offers an authentic meal, something that we struggled to get elsewhere. It's a real El Nido gem! read more
7 years ago
Very impressed with the food here! I'm Ukrainian and it tasted as good as my parents would make it! There are some slight variations to the food, since it's not from my region of the country, but it was definitely authentic! Even the beer tasted like back home! I'd highly suggest people to try the food and the beers there! Where else are you going to find Ukrainian food abroad anyway? Highly unusual and very delicious! read more
8 years ago
More info about Odessa Mama
M. Quezon Street
El Nido
El Nido, Palawan
Philippines
Directions
0927-6550360
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