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!

Restaurant Love: Omakase

I absolutely love Japanese food. I cannot count how many times I mentioned that in my blog but… who cares? I love Japanese food. It never fails to make me smile (especially with a plate of salmon sashimi on the table). And those random Japanese dinner dates are loooooove~~~ <3

Hello, Omakase!

It has been a long time since I last visited Omakase. I still remember the maki platter and the super friendly prices. I think I went crazy over the platters.

This time, R ordered Spicy Tuna Salad (PHP250), Soft Shell Crab Tempura (PHP550) and Dynamite Roll (PHP250) while I got Salmon Sashimi (PHP240) and Zaru Soba (PHP195). I wanted to order one more dish but R said that I always waste food. TT_TT

After a short wait, the spicy tuna salad arrived.

It wasn’t really that spicy. I loved the salad dressing on the cubes of tuna and the crunch of the tempura crumbs.

The salmon sashimi was pretty okay too. Not the best as it was not the type that melts in your mouth (or so how my former officemate calls it—party in the mouth) but it was still delightful.

Soon, the soft shell crab tempura arrived and R noticed that the serving size seemed to be smaller than before. (Or that the serving size is still the same but is now more expensive.) It’s best to ask for an additional sauce when you order this.