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Friday, May 25, 2018

Romy Roams Baguio: Where to Eat

Baguio is always a good choice when you want to get away from the heat of the city life, literally and figuratively.

Jay and I had been to Baguio twice in just four months. The first one was back in November during the APEC holiday, and the second one this February for our high school friend’s wedding. Aside from climbing Mt. Ulap and celebrating with our high school friends, our main agenda for going to Baguio was to eat—nay, pig out.

We’ve both been to Baguio several times before so we’ve gone to almost all the tourist spots. What we really wanted to do was relax and satiate our appetites. Luckily, Baguio doesn’t fall short of good restaurants and food spots.

Here are a few of old and new favorites you should try on your next trip to the City of Pines.





CHAYA

Chaya is a Japanese restaurant recommended by two of my former officemates. It’s an old wooden lodge converted into a cozy restaurant.

Chaya serves fresh, authentic Japanese cuisine. They have big servings so Jay and I almost did not finish our orders.

We started with the spicy tuna salad and chicken yakitori.


Jay ordered katsudon...
...while I had the chirashi sushi bowl, filled with sushi rice and fresh seafood.

Japanese food is one of my favorites and I loved that this was our first stop. We actually worked up an appetite because we walked from our hotel to Chaya, but our orders were more than enough!

All dishes were flavorful and seasoned well. I highly recommend the tuna salad. The fresh ingredients really made the difference.

Another must-try when visiting Chaya is their homemade green tea ice cream. We were so full we didn’t think we could finish one whole order, so we thought of skipping it. Just our luck, the restaurant gave us small samples to try. Win!

Chaya is located at 72 Legarda Road, Baguio City
Tel Nos. +0744244726/+639159054820/+639183567376
email: greenchayabaguio@gmail.com

HILL STATION

From Chaya, Jay and I walked several kilometers again to Hill Station, just so we can burn all the calories we ate.

The restaurant has a beautiful ambiance perfect for couples, but surprisingly feels like a family spot too.

We ordered a plate of Spaghetti Bolognese to share, and one slice each of their bestselling cakes, the New York Cheesecake and Deep Dark Chocolate Cake.

A post shared by Romy P. Cruz (@romyisagirl) on

If you follow me on Instagram, you'd know how much I love cake. And these ones from Hill Station did not disappoint. The cheesecake has a different crust, not graham, and the cake itself melts in your mouth.

I'm not fond of chocolate, but when it's in cake form, I am more open to devouring it, hehe!

Hill Station's chocolate cake is soft and decadent, I had to fight Jay off for half the serving, hahaha!

When we came back to Baguio in February, Jay and I visited Hill Station again to try their entrees.

Jay chose the Cambodian Coriander & Garlic Chicken.
I went for the Moroccan Spiced Baby Back Ribs.
Jay and I expected more from these entrees considering their prices. They weren't necessarily bad, but they also weren't something you'd rave about and come back for. That distinction belongs to their cakes! Still, I want to give their other offerings a chance next time.

CANTO

You mainly come to Canto for one thing, and that's their Lomo Ribs. There was a line when we arrived, and I don't normally line up for restaurants, but I made an exception for this because it's not often we come up to Baguio.

Canto was first located at the Ketchup Community but they transferred to a bigger location on Kisad Road, which is about thrice the size of their original place. That hasn't stopped the lines from forming.

We waited for about an hour and got our orders just in time before they closed. The wait was worth it, though.

Fall-off-the-bone ribs is what keeps the patrons coming back for more.
Canto is at 32 Kisad Road, Baguio City.

AMARE LA CUCINA

If you would visit a pizza joint in Baguio, make it Amare La Cucina. The woodfire brick oven-baked pizzas are in a league of their own.

You can also make your own pizza! And not just choose your own toppings, but actually knead the dough, toss it, and put your pie inside the oven! It's a really fun activity, especially for the kids (and kids at heart like us).

On our first visit we tried their Sausage Pepperoni Mushroom pizza. If saying that was a mouthful, wait til you see their generous toppings!
On our second visit we tried their Frutti di Mare, which is their seafood pizza. It was good too! But Jay loves his meat, so of course he prefers our first order hehe.
All their pizzas are thin crust and come in one size: nine inches. You can opt for the crust to have chewy or crunchy edges.

Do you know how powerful a woodfire brick oven is? Your pizza is baked in THREE minutes!

For the pasta, try their Frutti di Mare (yes, just like the pizza) or their carbonara. The latter is comfort food heaven.
I don't care much for drinks at restaurants, but for this one, you need to listen to me. Order their mint iced tea and thank me later. I haven't tasted something like it before, it is so refreshing! It made me want to start planting mint at home so I can just pluck the leaves and mix it into my drinks.
Amare La Cucina is at Albergo Hotel, 1 Villamor Drive, Lualhati, Baguio City.
For reservations, call +639163321522

P.S. They also have a branch in Kapitolyo in Pasig!

CHEF'S HOME

This humble restaurant used to be a small hole-in-the-wall on Outlook Drive corner Romulo Drive, with only several tables to accommodate diners at a time. That's where Jay and I ate back in November. But now, they've opened a bigger and better restaurant along Marcos Highway. We hope the food quality stays the same.

The owner, Malaysian Chef Alvin Emuang, was very accommodating with our orders. Since there were only two of us and we knew we couldn't finish one whole order of their bestselling braised whole pata, he suggested serving only half, and packing the rest so well so we could take it back to Manila.

And even what they plated for us was hefty!
We also had their Tom Yum soup, which I thought would be spicy, but tasted similar to our sinigang.
 I loved it!
Now, food is much more than sustenance for me, and oftentimes, my favorite food items are ones that trigger nostalgia. Chef's Home's tapioca is no exception.

It reminds me of the tapioca served at Mongolian Grill, the buffet at Mile Long building in Makati we used to frequent with our Dad more than a decade ago, only that one came with milk while this one is served with syrup.

But the blast of nostalgia is the same one I dug in.

The tapioca itself is bland, so you have to bathe it in syrup to get a satisfying bite.

When we dined at Chef's Home, next to us was a table full of expats and it seemed like they came to the restaurant quite often. They already knew what they were going to order, like the crispy papaya salad, which I will definitely try when we come back.

Chef's Home's menu changes depending on the fresh catch and what's in season, so it's best to ask them for their recos, and order according to your budget. If you're not good in Math like me, the price per weight in grams may be misleading haha. So make sure to clarify the number of servings for a specific weight. It's best to dine with a group because they have huge servings.

You can now find Chef's Home at No. 88 Unit C, Marcos Highway (Old Sicat Hotel), Bakakeng Central, Baguio City

You may call +639164445756 for reservations and inquiries.

FOGGY MOUNTAIN COOKHOUSE

Now this one is really a must-try when you visit Baguio. Call one day ahead because Chef Marianito "Babes" Reyes doesn't accept walk-in customers since he needs to plan out all the cooking and ingredients beforehand.

We were fortunate to get a table the morning of our return to Manila.

Again, this place is better if you're a big group, so you can try more entrees and indulge in the huge servings.

Jay and I ordered the Porchetta (upper left), served with crispy skin in red wine reduction sauce.

We also had the Crispy Squid Fries (bottom left), which looked more like chicken croquettes with their unique shape.

Chef Babes told us he flies the giant squids from Norway.

When we come back with our family, we would order their house special, the oven-roasted chicken.
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Don't forget to try their homemade ice cream! It's sooo good. I mean, just look at that drizzle. Sprinkle a bit of the pink salt on top for a better ice cream-eating experience.
You can check out their Facebook Page or call +63917674687 for inquiries and reservations.
Foggy Mountain Cookhouse is at 172 St. Joseph Street, San Carlos Heights, Baguio City

VIZCO'S

I have to include this here for those who haven't discovered the incredible strawberry shortcake of Vizco's!

Guys, especially those who love cake like I do, don't leave Baguio without trying a slice of their strawberry shortcake. The soft and fluffy sponge, the pillowy frosting, the fresh strawberries, and even the decorative glace, all come together for that perfect bite. Just looking at this photo makes mecrave one right now.

Vizco's has a whole range of other cakes too but I can't vouch for them since we always, always get the strawberry shortcake.

So yeah. Vizco's strawberry shortcake. Try it.

Vizco's has a branch on Session Road and a takeout counter at SM Baguio.

Baguio will always hold a special spot for us, so this is definitely not the last of my Baguio Eat List. I hope I can come up with another one for next visit, that's if we'd have space to eat more after coming back to these surefire hits!

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