guerrera – the new culinary paradise

We had to wait for it. We had to wait a long time. But since August the whispers got denser – the new Thai/Vietnamese restaurant in Yumbing will soon open. Last Saturday evening the rumors became true: guerrera – the new culinary paradise in Camiguin softly opened its doors.

The new restaurant rises in the middle of  a rice paddy near the sea in Yumbing (Camiguin). The bright orange color gently harmonizes with the young and fresh green of the growing rice plants. With its large glass fronts the restaurant promotes an airy light impression. The orange color is also dominant in the night. The orange paper lampshades together with the dark brown wood make you feel cosy.

When you enter the restaurant you immediately get attracted by the open kitchen. On the one hand this openness emphasizes their slogan “Fine Asian Streetfood”. On the other hand some of the best restaurants in the Philippines allow their guests to see how they do. I think of Alfredo Honegger’s Swiss Italian restaurant in Cordova or the Werdenberg restaurants in Legazpi village in Makati.

A simple but extremely functional kitchen. This functionality can also be observed with the kitchen staff. With the “cheffe” Carmel in the center of the busy work, everybody has his specific tasks with enough space for not to collide with the others.

The crew of the culinary paradise. On the right side Carmel and Mark, the owners. Photo courtesy of Rob Dunn.

Everything is fresh! Or as they say: We cook what the fisherman may have caught. (sea is 30 ft away) and what is fresh from our garden and farm. ( 15 feet away). This aren’t empty words. When you stroll around the restaurant you see their extensive gardens full with fresh vegetables and herbs.

Photo courtesy of guerrera website.

And the sea around Camiguin is not only known by divers. It is a swimming culinary paradise.

Photo courtesy of guerrera website.

Because of the freshness of all the ingredients, the menus are fully seasonal. Chicken, pork and beef are available all year, but many plants and almost all fish and other marine delights are only available during a particular season. Do not expect to eat canned or frozen food.

We absolutely enjoyed our meal. And  there is a unanimous verdict of all our friends we met there last Saturday: We shall come back again and again! Have a look and click on the pictures to enhance your appetite.

Photos courtesy of guerrera website.

Look at the “architecture” of the presentation of these culinary delights. You really first eat with your eyes, then with your nose and finally your palate savours the whole. It’s excellent! Another surprise had been the quality of the service. All orders were personalized, and after about ten (10) minutes the four of us were served within one minute. Where in the Philippines can you find such a perfect timing. Only one out of the four servings was a bit small, a second serving was offered immediately and arrived within minutes.

How to find the restaurant?

We copy their own description from their website …

Take the main road to Yumbing and turn towards the sea (opposite the mountain) when you see the signs for Guerrera or Paras resort or Luna’s ristorante (a nice italian spot on the main road). Once you reach the sea, turn right and take the road as far as it goes (about 300 meters) and then enter the main gate where the parking lot is.  Very easy. The second time.

Their website http://guerrera.ph/ is worth a visit. It is full of fine humour and contains secrets we to not reveal here. Please avoid the new Microsoft Edge browser, it does not understand several parts of the pages’ code. With the other browsers it works well. Be also prepared for a slow build up of the complex pages. Here in Camiguin with one of the slowest Internet accesses of the planet, it may take over a minute to load a page completely.

What now?

The opening last Saturday was almost secretive. You needed to know friends who had heard of the opening by their friend’s friends. With the four of us we counted 11 guests around 7 p.m.  The restaurant can accommodate about 50 guests. Will they be able to maintain the quality and speed of service and of course the quality of the meals? We think so. We will check again this Thursday at dinner time …

Four happy guests

Thank you Carmel and Mark. We wish you good luck and a lot of success. Stay unique, take care of your culinary paradise, the word will spread.

[GARD]