Hong Kong, and then the island
Two homelands, thirty years apart, and one wok on Back Road.
One Dutch, one Filipino. They fell into the chaos of Hong Kong in 1993 and made it home for three decades, raising their children between two cultures. When the pull of somewhere slower and closer to the ocean took hold, they came to Siargao and brought both kitchens with them. Wokaway is what came out the other side.
What thirty years teaches you
Decades in Hong Kong taught them what home actually means. Not a place, it turns out, but a table people keep coming back to. They raised their kids the same way: always a little bit everywhere, always fed well.
Eventually the pull of somewhere slower, closer to the ocean, brought the family to Siargao. On this island, food is simply a way to connect and to put smiles on faces. So that is what they do.
Hong Kong and Thai street food, cooked hot and honest, with a mother’s touch and thirty years behind it.
養心, yeung-sum
Cantonese. Food made by a mother’s hands, cooked to nourish the soul. It is painted on the wall above the tables, and it is the whole idea in two characters.
Nothing fancy, and room for everyone
The room is small and open to the road. Three terracotta tables, a long bench, rattan chairs and a fan. Two vintage travel posters on the wall, one for each city on the menu. A green surfboard doing the job of a menu board, because this is Siargao.
its a good day for a good day at wokaway.
That one is painted on the wall too.
Come and sit down
Back Road, Catangnan, opposite the Tawhay Gym entrance. Cooked hot, served with love.