First Bite: Sakura Terraces

Chaya is my favorite Japanese restaurant in Baguio and I was excited to share this wonderful find with R’s parents. I had no idea though that a lot of locals and tourists also know my secret Legarda Road gem. The place was packed on our first night in Baguio and we were gently turned down to dine there for dinner when the front host found out that we didn’t have any reservation on its busy night. I had to think of another restaurant quick before R’s parents turn from hungry to hangry. And the first restaurant that came to mind was Sakura Terraces.

Hello, Sakura Terraces!

This restaurant has been highly rated on its Facebook page and looloo. There was even one Japanese reviewer who mentioned that Sakura Terraces offer the real deal while giving Chaya a very low rating. I then thought that Sakura Terraces might be my new favorite. 

Restaurant Love: Chaya

A trip to Chaya is always one of the things that excite me whenever R and I visit Baguio. Discovering this hidden gem along Legarda Road has been one of our fondest Baguio memories. Just thinking about its superb sashimi and sukiyaki make me drool for hours. And a few months back, we decided to escape the scorching Manila heat and headed to Baguio one rainy Friday late afternoon. As we reached Baguio with grumbling tummies, we couldn’t think of anything else but Chaya. 

Hello again, Chaya! 

Unlike our first visit, the place was packed with locals and tourists alike. As we were expecting to hear the dreaded phrase, “we’re full and could not accommodate you”, we were ushered to the back part of the restaurant which happens to be a dining area as well. 

When in Baguio: Arca's Yard

Baguio is one of my go-to places when I need to relax, unwind and get fat with strawberries. Thanks to TPLEX, our trip to the land of ube halaya and cold breeze has been cut in half. Since then, I’ve visited Baguio a lot more but I always miss the opportunity to visit Arca’s Yard due to scheduled hibernation. But I finally managed to drop by this picturesque restaurant before bidding farewell to 2016. 

Hello, Arca’s Yard!

This place has been highly recommended by a handful of food apps and reliable foodies. My smile was that of Cheshire Cat (from Alice in Wonderland) when I found out that we’ll have lunch there on New Year’s Eve. Worried that we might not have seats, I sent the place an SMS to reserve us a table for six hungry individuals. 

Love at First Bite: Visco's Restaurant and Cake Shop

We all know that Baguio is the land of strawberries and anything strawberry. There’s strawberry taho, strawberry sorbetes and even strawberry sinigang. But let’s not go crazy and talk about savory strawberry-flavored dishes. Let’s stick with desserts, particularly shortcakes. And by shortcakes, I mean, Visco’s.

Hello, Visco’s Restaurant and Cake Shop!

I’ve been reading a lot of great reviews about this cake shop along Upper Session Road for years. However, R and I usually avoid city center whenever we visit Baguio as we’re both not so fond of traffic, worrying about parking and crowd. The foodie in me could not take it any longer though and wanted to take a bite of the famous shortcake to know if it really is one of the best in the country. With frustrated tastebuds, I asked R and his parents if we could pass by the bakeshop one evening after dinner for me to buy a slice or two. And they said yes! *twirl*

Love at First Bite: Foggy Mountain Cookhouse

Long weekends usually mean staycation but since R and I miss the cool (and kind of fresh) wind of Baguio, we decided to head to the land of ube jam and strawberries for a short getaway. We usually sleep in whenever we’re at the summer capital of the Philippines; but thanks to R’s love for Pokemon Go, he agreed to the idea of us eating out for dinner. I have a long list of restaurants I want to visit but there is this one place that I was very interested in. And after making the necessary arrangements, we found ourselves in front of the gate of Chef Babes Reyes’ home, owner of Foggy Mountain Cookhouse. 

Hello, Foggy Mountain Cookhouse!

Noted as one of the best local strictly by reservation only restaurants, Foggy Mountain Cookhouse requires at least one day heads up before diners drive all the way up to its homey establishment. 

I sent Chef Babes a message 4 days in advance as I was worried that the place might be packed given the long weekend. After half an hour of panicking, the friendly restauranteur replied confirming my reservation and inform me that I had to pre-order our mains at least a day before our reserved date as some of the dishes had to be marinated overnight. I sent him a message before the ordering deadline and chose Split Pea Soup (PHP175), Norwegian King Salmon (PHP700), Brick Oven Roasted Boneless Lamb Leg (PHP650), Pasta in Egg Sauce with Truffle Oil and Parmesan Cheese (PHP180), and Cookhouse Iced Tea (PHP150, pitcher).

I got a message from Chef Babes a few hours before dinner and was informed that his Norwegian salmon did not arrive and suggested that we get Smoked Salmon Carpaccio (PHP700) instead. Since R and I are both hardcore salmon lovers, we agreed.

With the help of Waze, we didn’t have a hard time finding Foggy Mountain Cookhouse. The location could look intimidating though to big cars or low vehicles as the steep and narrow road sure made us worry. Parking is limited and if unlucky, you’d have to back up when one of the diners leave before you. 

We were warmly greeted by the staff (and the neighbor’s cat) and were ushered to our table. 

After 20 minutes or so, our appetizers—mixed greens in orange vinaigrette and salted flat bread with hummus dip—were served.

Honestly, the appetizers look really sad with its poor plating. Taste-wise though, we enjoyed the flat bread with hummus. The greens were the usual crisp veggies with a slightly tangy dressing. 

Next served was our cinnamon pineapple iced tea which tasted like churros in liquid form. It was sweet and refreshing. I just didn’t like the slight rough texture of the drink because of the undissolved cinnamon. 

R and I both enjoyed the Split Pea Soup which we were told took 2 hours to make. 

The broth was thick and oozing with flavor from the ham hock stock and Italian garlic sausage. The grainy texture of the soup and the soft sausage cuts were simply delightful! I just had to pause from time to time as the soup was too salty for me. 

First Bite: Cafe by the Ruins

Cafe by the Ruins has been one of the most popular restaurants in Baguio that it became a must-visit place when in the land of ube jams and strawberries. I have tried to visit this place a few times but failed till my most recent trip up North. 

Hello, Cafe by the Ruins!

I have dreamt of dining here for more than a year now. I always drool over its mouthwatering dishes and get mesmerized by the beauty of its interiors I see on Facebook and Instagram. But I was surprised with what I saw when I entered the famous restaurant. 

The place has an ambiance that would make you feel like you’re in the woods dining with pixies and friendly dwarves but with a slight Tim Burton touch. It was poorly lit though and made me a bit paranoid with mosquitoes that I applied insect repellant as soon as we got to our table. We also got a sniff of something not so pleasant during our visit. 

Since we were not that hungry, R and I opted to just order one cup of Rizal’s Tsokolate-e (PHP145) and Chocolate Croissant (PHP100). Service was quick and it was probably because we got there just in time for last call. 

The cup of hot chocolate was quite good as it had a nice and rich chocolate taste to it. It was also thick, perfect for the cool Baguio weather. Unfortunately, it was quite humid that night so I didn’t get to enjoy my cup to the fullest. But I really liked that this cup had a smooth texture unlike the batirol type which was rough. 

First Bite: Choco-late de Batirol

On my birth week, R and I decided to escape Manila and went to Baguio for some fresh cold wind. I've always wanted to visit Cafe by the Ruins and after several failed beautiful eyes, R finally agreed to bring me to the charming place. But the Panagbenga visitors seem to have flocked to this place the time we visited the city center. With one hour wait time, R and I decided to go somewhere else. I was already about to pout till my lips reach Manila until when we discovered... 

Choco-late de Batirol!

The place is so adorable and the hues of green and brown makes you feel in touch with nature. Sweet chocolate scent dominated the air during our visit and made me drool for its famous hot chocolate. 

But we had to wait for a bit as all tables were taken when we got there.

When we finally got served, we ordered the following: Bibingka (PHP105), Suman sa Lihia (PHP64), Traditional Blend (PHP95), and Baguio Classic Cold Batirol (PHP150). 

In less than 15 minutes, the Traditional Blend drink, bibingka and suman arrived.

The hot chocolate drink had a nice and rich smell of tablea. It had tones of dark chocolate which I liked but the texture was not as smooth as I wanted it to be. It had a lot of grains that made my throat itch. 

First Bite: Camping Date

It is always fun to go to Baguio. I love the cold and fresh wind, peaceful ambiance and the fact that I could disconnect from everything (due to the poor satellite signal). And since R and I were getting a bit too stressed with Manila, we decided to head to the land of ube jam and strawberries for a short getaway. Though we buy supplies to keep us from starving, we still try to visit at least one restaurant in the city and this time, we visited... Camping Date.

Hello, Camping Date!

We had a hard time finding this Korean place! We followed the location pin on several food apps and it led us to different places. But since our option #2 is a bit far from Legarda, we decided to spend a bit more time to look for this place. After two failed location pins, we finally made it to the right place—Lighthouse—which is right across Prince Hotel.

The place was packed when we arrived and all tents were occupied. We ended up with the uncomfortable camping chairs with tables which makes it your usual dining experience with back ache. R was giggling to see me so disappointed and pout like I’m about to kiss the ground.

Determined to have the Camping Date experience, I was like a hawk eying its prey when checking which tent will be done soon. When I spotted the middle tent’s “occupants” finishing up, I immediately asked the friendly server to move us and she obliged.

Yay! Tent! TENT! TEEEEENT!

I was super excited to be inside the tent for 5 minutes before the not so pleasant smell hit me. The drawback of dining inside the tent is that the smell of the different dishes remains. Also, since it’s harder to clean the floor of the tent, the servers do not get to thoroughly clean it before the next diners sit down. Oh well...

We got to order Garlic Chicken (PHP350), Combination Pizza (PHP250, small; PHP450, medium; PHP680, large; P950, family size), and a mug of Milk Tea (PHP60).  

Food was served after 15 minutes or so and first served was Garlic Chicken.

The nicely glazed chicken was served with tongs for us to use and I find it more environment friendly than handing us with plastic gloves. 

I loved every bite of the garlic chicken. It was well cooked and generously seasoned and glazed. It was flavorful without it being too overpowering or overwhelming. I also loved that each bite guarantees delightful crunch. The chicken parts were just a bit too small but it was okay and definitely delivered when it said it was good for two. 

It took a bit before the Combination Pizza was served but we didn't mind as we were too preoccupied eating chicken. 

The pizza was small but pleasant to the eyes with its vibrant colors. I liked how the sweet potato was placed on the pizza to make it stand out. (It's the yellow circle in the middle.) 

Love at First Bite: Chaya

It has been over one decade since I last visited Baguio and that’s why I was so giddy when R suggested that we visit the land of Ube Halaya last long weekend. I was thinking of all sorts of places to visit but I was warned by R that the traffic in Baguio’s as crazy as Manila’s. And he’s right.

After visiting the crowded Ben Cab Museum (and failed attempt to eat at Café Sabel) and the not in season Strawberry Farm, we were famished. R suggested that we pass by Legarda as he knows this Japanese place that serves good food. I also read about this restaurant called Chaya and it looks promising based on reviews. Long story short, we ended up in Chaya.

We were greeted by a quaint house with warm furniture. We got a table for two and ordered the following: Salmon Sashimi (PHP350), Spicy Tuna (PHP390), Sukiyaki (PHP390) and Isobeyaki (PHP150). We also ordered Iced Green Tea (PHP90) and Green Tea Shake (PHP120).

While waiting, we were given some complimentary appetizers—sautéed veggies and tuna. It was small but really tasty.

My Iced Green Tea was served next and it had that lovely real green tea taste. 

R’ s Green Tea Shake was better though as it tasted like green tea ice cream!

The salmon sashimi was divine! It was fresh and the melts-in-your-mouth type. This is a must order dish!

Second Bite: K&L Café

Summer is here and the intense heat is driving me crazy. I want to walk around especially during food trips but the sun wants to fry an egg on my head. So when J and I went on a White Plains food trip, we try to escape the heat by having saba con yelo (hielo) at Pan de Amerikana (and brewed coffee and pandesal for a sasaw sa kape afternoon treat). And after a bit of cooling down, we were game to visit our last stop… K&L Café.

Hello again, K&L Café.

It has been quite a while since I last visited the adorable K&L Café.

They were busy setting up for a mini gathering when we arrived so we were requested to dine at the second floor.

The second floor is pretty cute too. The wall ornaments and the frosted window with the logo of the shop made the place homey.

After checking the menu, we went with the following: Longganisa Locale (PHP219), Mozz-Ham-rella Sticks (PHP195), and Ultimate Red Velvet Pancakes (PHP295). We also got Strawberry Calamansi (PHP95) and one of their new drinks that I forgot to take note of.

First served were our drinks. I loved J’s drink as it was sweet yet citrusy. Mine, on the other hand, was a bit too sweet and wasn’t much of a thirst quencher.

The mozzarella (with ham) sticks were served next. Served warm, the stretchy mozzarella with bits of ham was a great appetizer. I’m sure cheese-loving kids would love this dish.