El Kuvo — Restaurant in Coron

An honest review…

We came here for dinner as the reviews on Google were great. We arrived and it was full upstairs in the main nice area, so we were seated downstairs in the lower eating area which was a completely different vibe to what we were expecting. Unfortunately my view was a fridge by the window, instead of an open space 😂

We ordered mango ceviche and Filipino spring rolls which was nice but spring rolls were a bit cold.

We thought the watermelon, lychee and pork belly salad looked interesting, so we gave it a try. Honestly.. it was just weird and not a good combination. The watermelon pieces were so big that it was annoying to eat and the tiny amount of pork was cold and wet.. presentation was terrible. A little mint and additional greenery would have made a huge difference. The salad is just so confusing and wouldn’t waste your money trying it. The lychees were the best part lol

Ordered a beef burger which was actually really nice, good combo of slaw and cheese etc the sweet potato fries were dry and unappetising unfortunately.

We also ordered the Ube Banana Halo Halo!? But it was just a cup of Ube ice cream with 3 peanuts and some jackfruit? I think definitely change the name as we were hoping it had some hallo hallo ingredients in it.

Their service was 5 star, everyone was so lovely and their service was amazing. Very attentive so thankyou for that.

Just a sad way to end our trip to Coron with 2000peso Bill and very unsatisfactory experience.

Maybe it wasn’t our day. I am writing this to express the fact that things can be done better and hope you take it on as feedback for the future so others won’t have to be let down the way we were…..

Thanks...

Food: 3/5 Atmosphere: 4/5 Service: 1/5– Needs improvement and training 👍🏼

Notes/Suggestions for the Owner:

Rushed Ordering: While we were looking at the menu, the waitress stood at our table, looking around and at her watch as if urging us to hurry. Even after we told her twice that we needed just two more minutes, she continued to stand there, which felt uncomfortable.

Table Clearing: The waiters did not clear the table between dishes. They simply placed new plates on the table without removing the old ones, and we had to ask them to take the used plates and glasses away. This should be done proactively as they pass by. It seems like they haven’t been trained to do this, so I don’t blame them, but it’s an area for improvement.

Dish Timing: The four main dishes arrived separately, with 5-10 minute intervals between each. For a group of four, dishes should be served simultaneously. The kitchen needs to coordinate cooking times better to ensure all dishes are ready at once.

Miscommunication: There were two misunderstandings with the staff regarding the food. The dishes turned out differently from how they she described. When we pointed this out, the waitress insisted she had described them correctly and pretended she never said otherwise because “she knows the menu.” However, all four of us heard her initial explanation and had to tell her it ain‘t true. It’s okay to make mistakes, but it’s important to own them/just apologise and ideally provide a solution.

Aesthetic Suggestion: Consider removing the large white freezer next to the beautiful bar. It detracts from the...

No idea what went wrong for me, but this was my worst restaurant experience in Coron, in Palawan and maybe in the whole Philippines.

This place is soo crazy hyped, there is always a queue in front. So, sure we had to go and made a reservation in advance.

Service was friendly and helpful, just as almost anywhere in the Philippines we have been. Ambiente is super nice, way nicer than most other places in Coron.

Then the food… sadly a complete desaster - at least for my taste.

Ceviche: Fish was not tastey, just very flat.

Fish Teriyaki Kebap: (was not a Kebap at all, but skewers, but hey..) Fish had basically only taste of fully burnt. Once you removed the outter burnt crust, the fist itself had not taste and was super watery, like 3x deep frozen fish filet.

Fish Kare Kare: muscles tasted old, calamari rings were among the most chewey I ever ate in my life(!), and I had some pretty awful frozen stuff before haha… peanut sauce tasted outright boring.

Sorry to say it so hard, but it simply was the worst food I had in a long while, at above average pricing.

And yes, as stated before, service was friendly, but what does it help if they ask „how was your food“, I told them my honest opinion and that‘s it, no reaction or anything else :-/

I know many people apparently have way better experiences, but I definitely would never recommend this restaurant.

Disclaimer: my partner really liked the food! But that‘s on her to share in her own review ;) 2 stars because...