Whenever I do my daily commute to and from work, I am usually engrossed watching or reading something on my phone, I am barely aware of what’s happening. Well, except for lifting my head from time to time to check where I am, and making mental calculations how many more minutes I’d need to be on the road before I make it on time for work. So I was not aware at first about the existence of this restobar at Km. 5. It wasn’t until several months ago that I heard of it, and just a couple of months ago that I finally got to personally check it out. It’s called The LOFT Restobar.
Apparently, originally, it was called J’s Loft Restobar, which explains the several signs inside indicating such. Then they adapted it simply as The Loft.
The Location
Starting from Km. 3, coffee shops and restaurants dot both sides of the national highway, with heavier concentration of the more interesting ones found along Km. 4 and Km. 5. If you’re a regular at places like Half-Cup Cafe (blogged about it several times, by the way, here and here) and The Cabin, and you haven’t heard of The Loft, I suggest you make that short walk further towards Km. 5. It’s just a short walk.
If you’re coming from Baguio City, The Loft is located about two blocks after BDO and about one block after Mercury Drug. And right before the East West Bank.
Anyway, there is that huge sign, so if you keep your eyes peeled, you won’t miss it.
Or you could simply just look up. Because, yes, it is located on the top floor of the TG Building at Km. 5. The entrance is the stairs on the side of the building, right before you go inside the alley.
The Interior
It’s on the 4th floor, the top floor. And be warned: there is no elevator. Which means you’d have to walk up several flights of steps. You’d pass by another cafe on the 3rd floor, Cafe Lukto, which I’ve been meaning to check out probably one of these days, before you arrive.
And there are TripAdvisor stickers, adding more credence to the place.
They’ve already started decorating for the holidays (this was on September, by the way, if you’re following my monthly Foodventures post), so they have this tree right at the entrance. But other than that, I didn’t see other Christmas-y stuff around.
As you can tell by the name, this is a restobar. So when you enter, you’d spot a long counter, perfect for those sharing a bottle of beer or something. Enter through another door to get to the actual resto hall.
Glass windows all around, guys… which means verry good lighting whether it’s at midday or the evening. The pic below was taken after around 6 in the evening, when dusk was just setting in.
The next pic was during the middle of the day, which means natural lighting yasssss~~!!
Let me just say I like how the tables looked and how they were arranged. Granted, if the place is packed, then it is bound to be really packed. But the tables and chairs. I think, were very space-efficient. And look at all that wood-and-adobe aesthetic!!
And all right, maybe a busy street is not exactly the most relaxing view, but if you keep your line of sight elevated and not look down at the street below, then there is definitely something exhilarating knowing you’re having a meal somewhere high up, unobstructed by other taller buildings.
The Offerings & Price
If I should rate the price, at first glance you’d think it’s a bit on the midrange, but if you consider later on (when you’re served) the generous servings, then it’s definitely on the affordable side. No wonder we saw many students and families here during the couple of times I paid a visit to the Resto Bar.
Click on the thumbnails below to view larger images of the menu.
Now let’s talk about the food, shall we?
First of all, The Loft Restobar is NOT a cafe or a coffeeshop. Let’s get that out of the way. So do not look for your shot of fancy caffeine here. It’s either you get their straight up brewed coffee, some iced tea or soda in can.
And since this is a bar, there’s bound to be liquor. But I think they serve mostly beers, none of the harder drinks.
Second, two words. GENEROUS SERVINGS.
The first time I went there, I was with a friend, and we ordered like one pasta each, and their 8-inch pizza. And their Buffalo Wings.
Needless to say, we weren’t able to finish it, so we did takeaway for what remained.
This is their Vegetarian Pesto (Php160.00) which, in my opinion, can easily serve four people. Their pesto is on the milder side, not exactly what I’d call my ideal pesto, but it’s very filling, it’s flavorful, and you kinda get that feeling that you’re eating something… healthy, ya noe? *wink*
I did try their Chicken Pesto (Php160.00) which, yes, tasted more like the usual pesto salad. Personally, I prefer this than the vegetarian one.
(And let me just put this out there: I’m a sucker for well-toasted, non-oily garlic bread. Just sayin’.)
This, I loved. Their Buffalo Wings (Php200)
It’s pegged as appetizer, but again, I can have this straight up as my complete meal, to be honest. It’s got a lotta zing, which you can probably mask by going generous on the dip. But I love me some zing on some good sauce on my buffalo wings, know what I’m sayin’?
There were, like, 6-7 pieces of it. So imagine the dilemma when there were only two of us. Haha!
This is their Fish and Chips (Php160), another appetizer.
I kinda came to the conclusion that I am not a fan of fish fillet. Like, it doesn’t even matter what type of fish it is, I don’t like it breaded.
I liked the fries and the dip, though. What is that dip….?
I wanna taste their other pizzas!!
Personally, I am lukewarm when it comes to pizza, but I wouldn’t say no to it either.
I really really liked this one. This is their 8-inch Combination Pizza (Php200), which can easily be shared by 4 people. Well, depending how hungry you are. But the toppings are aplenty and the dough is crisp on the edges but soft in the middle… yum!
This combination pizza has got marinara, ground pork, ham, sausage, mushroom, bell pepper, onions, black olives and mozzarella. It basically has everything.
Oh, we ordered one bottle of their Peach Makgeolli. And no, we weren’t able to finish it in one sitting. I think we consumed just less than half, then I brought the rest home with me.
I tried the plain makgeolli back in Seoul, and I also tried the Peanut Makgeolli back in Udo, Jeju Island last August. I loved those two. I liked this one. Fruit + ricewine is a good combo for me, but not as great as the plain or peanut one. 🙂
Overall, I think The Loft is a very good place, ideal for couples, groups, and even those who want to have their meal solo.
Loved the ambience, and even the fact that it’d make me work my legs off walking up the stairs to the fourth floor does not faze me. The staff were all accommodating and very helpful, so that’s a definite plus.
I’m not into frothy drinks or frappe, but it would be interesting to see a wider selection of beverages. But if they are sticking to what they are good at, then I’m all for it, too. Besides, I find that having too many options is overwhelming, so being presented with a very short list of drinks choices was, in an odd way, refreshing.
I’d definitely come back to The Loft, and the location is perfect for someone like me, who lives in La Trinidad and works in Baguio City. Getting the best of both worlds, you see.
Check out their Facebook page here.
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