Coconut House

There was a time when to most people, coconuts were just a refreshing drink you can have while lounging on the beach on a hot summer day. Nowadays, people have discovered the many benefits that coconut has to offer, and the world has gone "nuts for coconuts" or "loco for coco" (or whatever cheesy coconut tagline you can think of). I recently discovered a place that takes the versatility of the coconut on a whole 'nother level.

Coconut House is a restaurant that has successfully developed a menu that revolves entirely on coconuts. Think of any classic Filipino dish, and somehow, they've managed to incorporate coconut in the recipe. Since all of the dishes seemed interesting, we decided to go for a platter style so we can sample several dishes.  

Coco Okoy

Aside from the usual vegetable ingredients of Okoy (crispy shrimp fritters) such as sweet potato and bean sprouts, coconut meat is added in their version of the dish. Coco flour is also used instead of just regular flour to bind the vegetables together. 

Saba, Kamote, at Latik

For appetizer, there's fried saba (banana), and kamote (sweet potato) chips which you can dip in latik (caramelized coconut cream). I love how crispy the kamote chips were without being greasy at all. I was literally munching on them all throughout the meal.

Coco BBQ

Unlike your typical pork barbecue that gets its sweetness purely from sugar, this Coco BBQ is simmered in coconut juice, and grilled in coconut glaze which is why it gets its flavor from the natural sweetness of the coconut juice.

Coco Calamari

I already love calamari to begin with but what blew my mind away about this was that the flour used to coat the squid was coconut flour. It's the first time I've heard of its existence! It doesn't really taste any different from regular flour which is great because it's a healthier alternative without sacrificing the taste. 

Laing 

When it comes to cooking Filipino food with coconut cream, Laing, which is taro leaves cooked in coconut cream, is a classic. The dish was very rich and had a good balance between creaminess and spiciness.

Pancit Buko

Now, this Pancit Buko has to be the most unique dish I've tried at Coconut House. It looks and tastes exactly like pancit (noodles) with its savory sauce and vegetables, but what's unique about it is that the "noodles" are actually coconut meat. Yes, you read right, coconut meat. Not noodles made with coconut but just straight up coconut meat. It's so weird and amazing how they can take coconut and make it taste like noodles. The only thing that will make you think it's coconut is the texture, but in a good way. The meat is very firm, and has a bit of a crunch to it which is way better than having soggy noodles. It's such a healthy alternative, especially if you're trying to stay away from carbs.

This whole platter was served with a generous serving of unpolished rice which is a lot healthier than white rice because you still get fiber, vitamins and minerals from it. Also, something great that I noticed about all the dishes was that it wasn't oily or greasy at all, even the ones that were fried. 

  

My greatest discovery, however, has to be the Coffeenut. It's coffee made with coconut water. Now, I literally never take black coffee but Coffeenut changed all of that. This was the first time I was able to drink coffee without cream and sugar. I tasted it black first because I was curious how it would taste on its own, and I was surprised by how sweet and creamy it already was. It tastes just like strong coffee with just the right amount of sweetness, but when you swallow it, you then get the sweet, refreshing after taste of the coconut water. And again, it's healthy because there's no need for sugar and/or dairy. I would seriously have this everyday as my morning coffee if I could!

Aside from the food and beverage, there's also a corner in the restaurant where you can buy all sorts of coconut products from food items to beauty products. What I love about them is that they're mostly 100% natural and locally produced. Not only are you doing your health a favor but you're also supporting sustainable livelihood for Filipinos!

I went into Coconut House with very little expectation of what they could offer. After my dining experience there, I was so amazed by how creative they got with using coconut. They were able to come up with products and dishes that I never would have thought of. The coconut tree is called the "Tree of Life" because of the endless products you can derive from its parts. I never really realized how true that was until I went to Coconut House.