Baguio series Pt 5: Baguio street foods

Getting hungry can strike anytime, anywhere. Well, if I am on a holiday and my hunger button got tapped, I'd go and hound the streets for sample of the local streetfoods.

Taking a bite of the streetfood of the place that I visit has become an important part of my holiday plan. This is important for me because it mirrors out a reflection of the place's culture, specially culinary ones.

Here are some of my streetfood experience in the City of Pines.

Below are three of my favorite streetfood that I had in Baguio; the strawberry taho, home-made strawberry ice cream and roasted buttered corn

The strawberry taho is just plain taho but, instead of caramelized arnibal, what the Baguio folks did was put fresh strawberries cooked in sweet syrup into the taho as its sweetener. A fruity and healthy option than the plain sugar sweetener.


Meanwhile, when we visited the vast, sprawling strawberry fields of the La Trinidad valley, I was introduced into this local home-made sorbetes ( I prefer not to call this dirty ice cream since for me, I find the term quite demeaning) made from fresh strawberries harvested right from their backyards, which is, the strawberry fields! :) Fresh, cool and affordable, the ice cream provided a cooling relief from the warm weather of the valley.

Roasted buttered sweet corn was next. I am not a fan of corn on a cob for the reason that my dental jackets might be torn from my teeth, but when I sampled the corn my little brother bought from Mines View, oh I was so enticed to buy myself one. I don't know what did they put on with their butter which they use to coat their corn but it was so yummy. Forget the dental jackets for the mean time, that's all that I can say. :)

Cheers folks!

Baguio series Pt 4: Chocolate de Batirol

Baguio weather is very perfect for a relaxing and slow day savored with a hot cup of beverage. While we were there, my family and I looked for a perfect place to have a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate.

While strolling around Camp John Hay to look for a coffee store, the road brought us into this simple, cozy place known as the Chocolate De Batirol.

Chocolate de Batirol serves home-made hot chocolate drink which is made directly from their heirloom batirol. Batirol is the pitcher-like container that is used in making (or dissolving) hot cocoa tablets which are made from ground cacao beans.

I tried their cold drinks instead of their hot chocolates. The cold drinks are mostly cold versions of their hot beverages. I had the Baguio Classic which is the chocolate shake version of their famed, specialty hot chocolate drink, the Traditional Blend. The Baguio Classic (above) is a simple chocolate drink made from their home-made grounded cacao beans and topped with whipped cream and choco chips. I had this because the time I went to the place is right after a paintball game. I was dead-tired that time and I needed something to cool myself after a tiring game. The drink is perfect. I love its cold, bittersweet taste that came gushing down my palate.

Choosing the Cinnamon Swirl is also a good choice for those folks who choose to have their drinks to be spiced. This is the Baguio Classic but served with a hint of cinnamon for a kick. I tried this too and it is also a great and refreshing drink.

And before I forget, they also sell bottled chocolate paste which you can dilute with hot water so you won't miss their specialty beverages when you're away from Baguio already. Very nice!

Cheers!


Chocolate De Batirol
Igorot Garden, Gate 2
Camp John Hay,
Baguio City, Benguet

Baguio series Pt 3: Star Cafe

Like Cavite City’s iconic restaurant Chefoo, Baguio City also have their own version, the Star Café.
This place in Session Road serves Chinese cuisine to Baguio patrons and tourists (like us) as well for many generations. I think this is an institution in Baguio already since they are still open 70+ years already after they first opened in 1940. They also have their own bakery inside were patrons can have a warm cup of coffee with warm pandesal for their merienda.

I hardly recall that we ate here eons ago but my mom and dad always builds this place up to us. She said that we frequented this place whenever we visited Baguio when we were still kids, circa 1986 which is our last visit to Baguio.

We had a taste of their Pata Tim, Sweet Sour Pork, Chopsuey, Shrimp Foo Yung, Shanghai Fried Rice, Wintermelon soup and the seaweed/century egg platter when we ate here 23 years after we last ate here.

I love their Pata Tim, Sweet Sour Pork and the Chopsuey and the Shrimp Foo Yung.
They tasted really well. Among all of them, I love Chopsuey the most. A perfect blend of stir-fried and not overdone veggies and savory sauce, the chopsuey partnered well with my cup of Shanghai Rice.

Pictures below are the following: Wintermelon soup, Seaweed Century Egg, Shrimp Fooyung, Shanghai Rice, Chopsuey, Pata Tim and Sweet Sour Pork.

Though, I somehow find the seaweed a little bland. I think they can still spice it up a little bit with some chili oil to give it a kick.

Another thing is their wintermelon soup. When we ordered this one, I was expecting that I would be sipping a hot and thick egg-y soup but instead, what we got is just a hot clear soup with diced wintermelon and some meat. I don’t know if that is their version but I still prefer the thick soup typical of the Chinese restaurants.

That’s it! Enjoy guys! Happy chow!

Cheers!

Star Café
Session Road, Baguio City

Baguio series Pt 2: Cafe by the Ruins

One Friday lunch in Baguio, after a glimpse and souvenir hunting in Mines View Park, we went straight to have lunch in Café by the Ruins.

Mom saw an article about this place and promised that once we were in Baguio, she’ll make it a point to have a lunch/dinner here for us to check out the place.

Well, I can say that this place is really fantastic. It is set in old ruins of the residence of the first governor of Benguet, Phelps Whitmarsh Jr. It was destroyed during the last great war by the American forces in hot pursuit of retreating Japanese forces that holed themselves in the mountains of Benguet.

After the war, the place was bought by Teodoro Arvisu who is also one of the founding father of the city.

Postwar generations saw the opening of the cafe as a haven for artists by Cristine, the great grand daughter of Teodoro.

The place is cozy, and adorned with artwork as how it was intended to be opened. It is not airconditioned and for some reason, I felt that it has an art museum ambiance.

I had a serving of their Tita Susie’s Crispy Tapa. This is uber good, I love it! Their TapSi rendition came with a generous portion of deep-fried beef tapa shreds and with a side dish of unhusked organic mountain rice and a slaw of chopped tomatoes and onions over a bed of lettuce. The tapa is crispy and went well with a spoonful of rice, slaw and vinegar. Though no egg was served, their TapSi still satisfied my hunger.

For dessert, we had a sharing of the Pain au Chocolat. This treat is a pastry which is made of multiple layers of bread hugging a chocolate fudge in the center. The fudge is killer, very sinful but also delicious.

For the whole meal, I was also sipping a mug of their Chocolate de Agua which is a hot chocolate drink with a hint of cinnamon. It’s a perfect beverage for a hearty filling meal that I had in Café by the Ruins.

Their Pinikpikan is also good. It has a little gingery taste which is the taste that my tastebuds prefer.

I had a perfect and filling meal at this place and promised myself that I will revisit this when I set foot on Baguio again.

Kudos for the great food, warm service and very informative menu! :)

Cheers!

Cafe by the Ruins

25 Chuntug Street,

Baguio City

074 442-4010 / 074 446-4010

cafebytheruins@gmail.com

Baguio series Pt 1: Forest House Baguio

A cool and comfy place for intimate moments with your special someone or a nostalgic get together with your friends, Forest House offers the ambience adequate for these special occasions. Set on a hillside, adorned with homey decors and infused with a homey atmosphere, the place is so warm and cozy. It gave me an image of a warm log cabin.

Try to reserve slot if you are going here for a meal. They’ll book you since the place gets full easily because a lot of patrons dine here.
Going here on a dinner, I asked the attendant about their specialty and he pointed out the Salpicao dishes. Heeding his advice, I then asked for their specialty dish, the Beef Salpicao. The dish comes in two kinds, one is made from the local beef cuts and the other is from the Australian Grain-fed beef. Of course, the latter came with a higher price tag. I got the grain fed since it is only seldom that I am in Baguio and I'll settle for the best. The salpicao cutlets that I had were sautéed in garlic over olive oil. It’s soft and tender to the bite. The garlic rice that came with it is also great. It reminded me of the sinangag cooked at our home. Very filling meal. You’ll get what you paid for.

I also had a bite of my brother Paeng’s Lamb Riviera. This is a lamb chop dish that, for me, tasted like steak! It has no after taste so characteristic of lamb dishes. Perfect! I promised myself that I would order this when we go back here in Baguio his Christmas. I still drool at the memory of the taste of this dish. Ohh yum yum!
Of course, I would not let this meal pass without trying one of their soups. I am a soup person and I love having soup together with my meal. The weather is also perfect for a warm bowl of soup. I had their Bouillabaise soup. The soup is fine and it’s served on a carved bread bowl. About the soup, I think they should just add some ‘meat’ on it like some seafood or any other substitutes to give the soup some texture.

I really had a great and wonderful experience dining here in Forest House.

Forest House
16 Loakan Rd.,
Baguio City
074 447 0459 and 074 304 4553
http://www.foresthousebaguio.com/

Shawarma after dark: Jacob's Shawarma

Hungry after the long day? I remember myself hounding the street on my way home after the shift to check on any place that I can have my midnight chow. Well, you might want to consider heading to Ortigas CBD to try this fantastic Turkish Doner Kebab from Jacob's Shawarma. As recommended by my friend Cha, we, our office buddies wheeled straight here after our shift ended one weekday night. The place is just simple. It is easy to find and vividly decorated with Turkish mementos (i.e. Turkish food and a gigantic wall map of Turkey).

We all had a serving of their specialty, the Doner Kebab which is also called the Shawarma. The meat inside is made of chicken instead of the usual lamb or beef. What surprises me about their shawarma is that I was able to eat it without the garlic sauce. This is unique since we are all fond of shawarma with garlic sauce which is usually made of yoghurt or mayonnaise which are then spiced-up with crushed garlic. Here in Jacob's, the shawarma is flavored already by itself and it comes with an accompanying lemon slices which you can choose to squeeze on your sandwich to give it a twist. Another thing which surprised me is the size of the sandwich. The sandwich is almost 12 inches long good enough for 2 people to share and just priced for 120Php. The pita bread that they use is also good since the dough itself is already infused with yoghurt giving it a soft, and chewy bite. When you choose to go this place, I suggest that you shouldn't ask easily for your sandwich to be spicy because if you ask for it, its gonna be way way spicy. Try to ask for a mild sandwich and just kick it up with their chilli red pepper sauce. This way, you can easily control the level of the sandwich's hotness.

Anyone a fan of yoghurt? You can also try their homemade Turkish drink to quench the thirst of your meal. The Turkish drink is just a plain yoghurt which you can choose to flavor with either sugar, to make it sweet or salt to make it salty. Great thing is, they have their yoghurt freshly made in their store.

Last is their dessert, the Baklava. Baklava is a Mediterranean dessert which consists of phyllo pastry flavored with a sweet syrup, nuts usually pistacchios and almonds and spiced with cinnamon, cloves and garlic.

Though a bit pricey since one piece is 50Php, the dessert is still worth trying if you want to have a try of Turkish cuisine.

Jacob's Shawarma is located at 115 Unit AIC Grande Tower, Sapphire Road, Ortigas center or you can also call 7065699 for inquiries.

Oh and before I forget, good thing is they are open 24 hours! So hop-in to your camels and ride your way to this hidden Mediterranean place.

Enjoy!

Indian By Nature

While most of us here are crazy over the 'Jai Ho' fever that has gripped Manila after the sucessful release of the Slumdog Millionaire and also due to the Pussycat Doll's single, I was crazy over this newly opened Indian restaurant, Indian by Nature.

Indian By Nature serves authentic Indian dishes. They opened along Jupiter Ave., Makati. The place is cozy and dim and staffed by friendly and warm people. This place transforms into a bar after 11pm more of like how the Temple Bar functions in Greenbelt. I have tasted their dishes and I find it delicious and authentic.

I have tried their Chicken Tikka, Roghan Josh, basket of Chapatti and Naan and a glass of cool and refreshing Mango Lassi.

Their Chicken Tikka are one of my favorites. The chicken skewers are so tender that they actually break/melt in your mouth. The spice and hotness are just right. The dish comes with a slaw of sliced onions and cabbage and a 'yin/yang' saucer of tamarind and cilantro chutney.

The Roghan Josh is also good. Though, it has a bit stronger flavor than what I had in Swagat and New Bombay.

The bread basket is perfectly served. The bread are warm and soft. Perfect to be eaten with the Indian dishes that I had.

Indian By Nature Restaurant and Bar
136-138 2F Jupiter Place,
Jupiter St.,
Bel Air, Makati City
02 484 9628