Cafe du Tukon — Restaurant in Basco

This place is one of a must-try based on Batanes trips and travel vlogs. So we decided to have our last dinner in Basco here before we head back to Manila.

We were the only customers for dine in that late afternoon since it was raining cats and dogs. No staff tried to welcome us with umbrella when we alight the tricycle. Upon entry, theyre seem short staffed but we were seated by the window, one of the best table with green hills view. We ordered and the staff patiently took and served after about 30minutes, typical of restaurant set-up.

The menu indeed is priciest among all the restaurants we have tried in both basco and sabtang island. But the indoor dining is indeed instagram worthy and perfectbackdrop when you’re dining with that floral dress or summer shirts.

Taste-wise: entree 3/5⭐️, love the pesto dip but portion is very small Arayu pasta 2/5⭐️, maybe i’m not a fan of white sauce.. coffee and juice, 4/5⭐️ cheesecake, 3/5⭐️, classic but plain looking for its price

Recommendation for the owner: ⚠️As safety precaution for next customers, please provide lighting at night (or motion-detect lighting) along the path going back the main road. It was almost pitch blackand was raining (night when Typhoon Emong entered PAR) when we walked back. I slipped and got scrapes on my left knee.

Also, kindly review the menu. We don’d mind paying more for food as long as it matches the food quality and portion. As fellow filipino, let us uphold filipino owned destination restaurants with pride! I hope to be back on a summer and revisit your place 😊

Tip: For sure table spot, ask your tour guide to call in advance to confirm. From Basco center, tricycle service costs 400-500 for two way. I think this is best visited for morning or afternoon dining where the view of hills and ocean by the park is...

Disappointing. Normally okay with paying more for quality and yummy food, but this one really just missed! And this was our most expensive and most unfulfilling meal in Batanes.

Sorry management!! Maybe we really just came at a slow time and therefore more mistakes happened? Really wanted to love it.

Vibe, ambience, views 4/5 - really pretty place, would have been prettier at night, and with more people. But we came late afternoon and low season. Nice views too!

Pumpkin soup - 3/5, good taste, fresh ingredients, but could be creamier, small serving. The pumpkin seed garnish was not needed, as it added 'crunch' to the soup that should normally just be enjoyed smooth.

Luñis 3.5/5 - Yummy luñis and yummy turmeric rice. Probably the best we had. Luñis was served oily, this could have been drained or wiped off before serving. Also felt it was mostly fat and very less meat.

Arayu pasta 2.5/5 - Served slightly cold, we asked the wait staff to reheat it, but felt it needed to be warmer. Not enough araryu to enjoy the dish. The choice of rigatoni pasta also took away from enjoying the cream sauce and arayu.

Stick and dip (forgot which dish was this) 2.5/5 - Portion size was really small, felt very misleading. The dip was okay naman, but the sticks were... okay.

Schnitzel 3.5/5 - Just okay. A bit on the thin side and sad looking.

Not trying to hate on this restaurant, but I feel like its time they looked at the menu again, and see where it can be improved. In the food, presentation, plates, music? Not sure! Rooting for them...

We were stranded in Batanes due to inclement weather for an extended period and I was very happy that of all the places to be stuck in, we were staying in Fundacion Pacita where the food was excellent. They offer farm-to-table meals that are hearty, healthy and so creative. As we went through the menu, we often found ourselves saying "this feels like a warm hug". Though some might say pricing is similar to that of Manila; learning how scarce supplies are in Batanes and tasting the quality of the dishes, every meal in Cafe du Tukon felt like a treat. My favorite dishes with repeat orders were the Arayu and Cream cheese samosa, grilled cheese sandwich, smoked homemade sausage pizza, the sundried arayu pasta (TDF!!!), Yuyuno pasta, Grilled Cabbage (their take on a caesar salad), beef salpicao and the roasted jerk chicken. For breakfast, i loved the pumpkin french toast. the best desserts for me were the savidug chocolate cake and the dule de leche cheesecake. Will be thinking of the food here...