Ver De El Nido — Restaurant in El Nido

NOT PWD-FRIENDLY. We’ve dined at many 5-star and fine dining restaurants both locally and abroad, but this is the only one that refused to allow outside food for my mom, who has strict dietary restrictions due to cancer. Even though four of us were ordering from their menu, they still wouldn’t allow it. They didn’t have salad or any suitable options for her condition, which left her with nothing to eat.

While they label themselves as a vegan restaurant, some of their ingredients (like tofu) are GMO, something cancer patients are advised to avoid. Their reasoning was to “avoid contamination,” but this shows a lack of consideration for people with medical conditions.

We would’ve gladly ordered food for my mom if they had options without GMOs, seasoning, or at least a basic salad but they didn’t, which is why we made the request. It’s disappointing to witness such a lack of compassion and flexibility. This felt like discrimination against PWDs with legitimate dietary needs.

UPDATED REVIEW IN RESPONSE TO THEIR REPLY: I mentioned that even 5-star restaurants don’t treat PWDs this way. As a family-owned restaurant, they are closely involved in operations and should have handled this situation with more care. Their response says a lot 🙈 I never said they claimed to be non-GMO. I only pointed out that some ingredients with GMO are not suitable for certain people especially those with medical conditions, which is why dietary restrictions matter. Tofu are GMOs why would they say that we are assuming? 🙈 I asked their staff if they had salad, and they clearly said NONE. I even offered to order for my mom if they had salad, but their staff said they didn’t. If they do have salad and the ability to customize for dietary needs, we will order right? 🤦🏻‍♀️ The salad mentioned in their response still isn’t suitable for cancer patients. Had we known they could customize, of course we would’ve ordered. My mom’s outside food was just a BASIC PLAIN SALAD likely using the same ingredients they already have. So where’s the contamination risk?

Their reply felt overly defensive without truly understanding the situation and...

I’m going to be cruel to be kind here, to try and attract the attention of the management (and hope they address)

To be clear, this place is a 5* vegan restaurant.

We ordered our starter and main, as Europeans do. Not even halfway through our starters, the mains arrive. We DO understand this is the Asian way, but this place is 80% European clientele (conservatively). Our dinner was ruined. We ended up trying to finish our starter, then switching to a half cold main, then having the rest of our very cold starters at the end. It created stress, it ruined the food and if you are going to call them starters and mains, then PLEASE keep them way apart. If no one in the restaurant has been to Europe, ask your guests! And please ask them every time! 97 out of 100 Europeans will say they would like their starters separately (with a small gap)

When we talked to the waitress, she seemed gobsmacked that piling up main courses on top of starters stressed out customers. She told us that the kitchen gets busy and just sends them out.

We tried to explain that the kitchen isn’t in charge: it’s the consumer if you want a healthy business. She said she would talk to them but just don’t think they will listen. So hoping management read and action. Please?

What will happen here is that no vegans will come in because they were told the food is wonderful, and not like it, because of the rushed service. Then you miss out on tables served because they won’t come back, won’t recommend to friends.

We desperately want you to be a success and make others fall in love with vegan food and stop killing animals for no reason. Please comment on this...

As Good Friday (Holy Week) arrived, my favorite breakfast spot (Hama Coffee) was closed. And I was starving.

We opted for whatever was open, and to my detriment, it was Ver De.

As a meat-eating beef lover, the soy-based meal I ordered was exactly as a meat-lover can expect: traumatic.

The "omelette" I got looked amazing, and came with two slices of watermelon, and a side salad. I had one bite of the "omelette" before not touching it again.

The guy next to me also ordered the "omelette" and he had a few bites more than I did, photo attached.

I think you'll love this place if you are a vegan. My girlfriend loved the "pancakes" (she's not vegan, BTW). I had a bite to taste, and I agree, they were great.

But I've eaten meat for breakfast for years, and having a bite of "pancakes" in the morning is like chewing a sponge drizzled with maple syrup.

That one bite of "omelette" and "pancakes" (read: chemical sludge) destroyed my appetite, and I couldn't eat for the next 6 hours. When I finally decided to have lunch, I still wasn't hungry, but I ate just because I knew I needed nutrition. I had a real omelette at Angels Wish. I loved it!

To be fair with Ver De, I have avoided plant-based meals (and restaurants) like the plague. I didn't know Ver De was plant-based before I had a look at the menu (which had no prices displayed, BTW). At that moment, I was too hungry to turn back.

I can't stress this enough: I love meat. And plant based "food" is nothing like fresh, organic, grassfed beef. My stomach just couldn't take it.

The place looked very nice, the chairs were comfy, and the Americano...