Baguio Eats : Old and New

Baguio will always be close to my heart because of the many memorable moments I spent here with both family and friends. We spent a lot of Holy Weeks/Summers there as we were growing up primarily because it is a condusive place to reflect and spent quiet time with yourself and with Him which is what the the Lenten Season is all about. At the same time, Baguio is a fun place to be in during the hot summer days. The place offers a lot of activities especially for kids from horseback riding at Wright Park to rowing/biking/skating in Burnham Park... we did all that! And for a person like me who loves to eat, Baguio has a lot to offer as well. I actually have a standard list of what and where to eat when I'm there. Let me run through my top picks:

STREETFOOD/PASALUBONGS

1. Strawberries - Baguio market at the end of Session Road
2. Sliced Manggang Hilaw (Green Mangoes) with vinegar and chili salt placed in a small ice plastic bag and eaten with a bbq stick- they sell this on the streets

3. Inihaw na Mais/ Grilled Corn painted with margarine and salt - Mines View
4. Grilled Dried Squid with vinegar- also inside Mines View

5. Good Shepherd Ube Jam which is a classic (also try their peanut adobo, strawberry jam and snowballs)

RESTOS
1. Cafe by the Ruins near Burnham for their Ruins salad, camote bread with butter and fishroe and slow-cooked beef Sinigang

2. Dessert and Drinks ( and fine dining al fresco dinner if you wish) at the Manor Lobby inside John Hay for its enchanting ambiance

3. Star Cafe along Session Road for their cinnamon raisin bread

4. Carlos Pizza inside John Hay (this is the same one in Tagaytay)

5. Healthy Shabu-Shabu inside SM

6. Brod Pitt if you want grill and bbq ( also along Leonard Wood Rd)
7. Cafe near the grotto - owned by a certain artist (painter) but I'm not sure if this is still open

8. Sizzling Plate - not so much for their steak but for their sansrival cake

NEW FINDS

Here are some of my new discoveries when I was there about a month ago:

BLISS Cafe

I actually read about it in a blog and was intrigued. BLISS is a small vegetarian cafe and art space inside Munsayac Inn. It's a cozy little nook where you can rest your soul and enjoy a healthy meal. The place is surrounded with colorful walls and decorative paintings given to the owners by friends. There were also a lot of unique trinkets and books which the couple collected from their many travels around the globe (many were actually from India). As for the food, I'm not too familiar with vegan cuisine but we sampled their veggie chicharon which was actually a good appetizer (it was close enough to the real thing but ofcourse was way healthier except that is was also deep fried!). And for the main course, we tried the vegetable curry and the tofu with chicharo which were both served with plain rice. Well, it was..er...healthy and filling but nothing stellar. However the ambiance of the place and the friendliness of the owners made up for it. As I ended the evening there, one thing was on my head, "I still love being a omnivore!". Hahahahaha!

Bliss Cafe is at Munsayac Inn, 21 Leonard Wood Road, Baguio City

074-4422451

http://www.blissbaguio.com/

HALFMOON Bibingcrepe

We actually found this be chance as we were driving back to our place from Mines View. They had an extremely huge and distracting signage by the road which patently got our attention. And since we wanted to have merienda, it looked like a good place to stop. We ordered the Bibingcrepe with cheese and chocolate. The bibingcrepe (literally bibingka mixtured turned into a thick crepe) reminded me of the small japanese pancakes they used to sell in our Highschool with 2 choices of filling; cheese or chocolate. Anyway, the combination of chocolate and cheese with the bibingka dough blended well. The sweetness and saltiness was a good combination.

They also have a branch in Timog Ave. so no need to go to Bagiuo just to try this unique Filipino treat.

Strawberries and Ice Cream

This place is inside the Filling Station (food court) inside Camp John Hay where Brothers Burger, etc. can be found. They have a mouth-watering menu of ice creams paired with strawberries and other fruit combinations. We ordered the classic "Very Strawberry" which was heavenly. A large and generous scoop of strawberry ice cream on a bed of cream and neatly surrounded by sliced fresh strawberries. One order is good for two!




...until my next Baguio trip! :)