Dining out was never really my thing, but I suppose being adventurous about food comes with age, at least in my case. And it helps that I am surrounded by people who are willing to try new things and new places. And it helps that there seems to be no shortage of places to eat in Baguio City and La Trinidad. So here are my May 2017 foodventures.
Treehouse Experience at Balbacua
Have you ever heard of Balbacua Bellychon and Breakfast? No?
What about Ililikha Artist Village? Or some call it Cafe Cueva.
It’s basically a treehouse restaurant at Assumption Road, just about a block from the main thoroughfare of Session Road. It is an artists’ space, which also houses several food places. It’s like a food court, only healthier, and in a creative environment.
We stopped there one Saturday morning, and decided to try it, and ordered from the first store that you’d come across once you enter the treehouse area.
Click the images below for a larger image of the menu.
Of course I wanted to try the dish that they derived their name from.
“Balbacua” is a soup specialty from Cotabato in Southern Mindanao, and it’s basically beef skin and meat slow cooked in herbs for more than a couple of hours. The result is meat and skin that is so tender it literally melts in your mouth.
The soup is also flavorful and not as salty as I’d expected. A bit on the greasy side, but how do you expect beef skin and meat to turn out if cooked over the fire for literally hours?! They claim to cook it all natural, with no MSG and artificial colors added.
You have the option to have the soup with rice or with noodles. I went with rice. And let me just confess my love for red rice. There. Done.
They also have a selection of desserts and beverages that will definitely suit the tastebuds and preferences of those who would like to enjoy sweets but still maintain a semblance of healthy eating. I got curious about their Flourless Chocolate Cake (Php 105.00) so I ordered it, and the texture was a bit like those ricecakes or kakanin. The dark chocolate used was clearly the organic tablea ones, though, so it’s a bit on the bitter side. Which is actually how I like my chocolate.
Oh, and for the drink, I tried their Iced Coffee Jelly, (Php 75.00) because the menu indicated it as a bestseller. The one on the lower right corner of the photo below is their Pork Tapa Meal (Php 89.00) ordered by Ate Raquel. At first I thought the meat looked tough, but when I tried it, it was actually tender.
Breakfast at Vizco’s
In Baguio City, Vizco’s Restaurant and Cafe (located at Upper Session Road) is probably best known for its strawberry shortcake and other pastries. And for good reason, too.
Personally, this was one of my favorite haunts several years back when I had to stick to mostly greens and avoid carbs for migraine-alleviation purposes. I loved their Garden Salads and pasta dishes with lots of greens because of the freshness of the vegetables they used. Of course, when that phase passed, I kinda stopped going there, so I don’t know how their greens are now.
While Ate Raquel and I were thinking about a breakfast place after our regular Saturday morning round at Burnham Park, we were reminded of our boss’ recommendation of Vizco’s.
Until that day, I had no idea the place has a breakfast menu. Their breakfast menu has the usual fare offered in other cafes and restos: a mix of Filipino and Western breakfast. Last May, we were visiting the place for the second time, so I thought I’d try their Baked Rice.
It was sooooooo rich.
No regrets.
I wish I could say the same for their coffee. I’m not much of a coffee lover or a coffee drinker, even. But for some reason, when they said they have brewed coffee, I ordered that one. Before, I stuck to their teas (they use Steuart’s teabags). I wish I did the same.
See, I found their coffee much too strong that it was too bitter, and no matter how many times I diluted it with hot water or poured cream on, it still made me grimace. I even had to add a dollop of sugar just to ease it, but it was still much too strong for my taste.
If you wanna wake up, though, and you’re counting on a cuppa joe to do that for you, then this one will certainly do the trick.
Brunch at Cafe Veniz
Back when I was (semi)actively taking swimming lessons during the weekends last June-September last year, I’ve always felt especially ravenous after 2-hours being pushed by my Coach. So after every session, my first order of business is to GO EAT SOMETHING.
But it is usually still too early for lunch and definitely too late for breakfast. During those times, I always found myself making a beeline for Cafe Veniz, located at the 2nd floor of Hotel Veniz in Abanao Street.
I always ordered one dish that is guaranteed to fill me up and bring me back the energy that the water sapped from me. To this day, it’s a favorite of mine on their non-breakfast menu.
I’m talking about their quesadillas. You could go basic and order the Cheese, Ham, or Mushroom. Or Mushroom and Cheese. Or, like me after a particularly difficult class, the Quesadillas Valeria, which contains pesto sauce. YUM.
This is their Ham & Mushroom one, though, and it costs Php 109.00.
Aside from local coffee brews (Benguet, Sagada, or Kalinga – take your pick), they also offer a selection of flavored coffees, ranging from tiramisu to hazelnut and the like. But I find them a tad too sweet at time, so I often stick to their cafe latte… sans whipped cream, of course.
Cafe Veniz happens to be that one place I go to for breakfast if I’m alone on weekend mornings and I do not feel like walking anywhere far to eat. Usually, I go for their Spanish Omelette or their French Toast set. Again, VERY RICH. But no regrets.
Italian (and Ice Cream on Pizza!) at Amare
I wrote about Amare La Cucina before (and so did numerous other bloggers that came to experience Baguio’s growing foodie culture. Last May, my co-workers and I found ourselves going back for some of their pasta and pizza.
Pesto on my pasta has always been a hit-or-miss for me. Either I love it or I hate it, and it mostly depends on how it was prepared. Some I found too pesto-ey or salty. Others were practically soaked in oil, and no matter how hard you convince me that it’s olive oil and it’s extra-virgin, too much oil just does things to my tastebuds and they’re not exactly good things.
But Amare’s Pesto Alla Genovese…. three thumbs up!
Of course, we couldn’t pass up their Nutella Pizza. Propz to Amare for combining two of some of our favorite sweet stuff to munch on: Nutella and ice cream, on top of fresh and crisp dough!
Go Nippon at Yasuragi
I plan on making a separate post entirely about Yasuragi in the future, so sharing only my first impressions for now.
I’ve heard of Yasuragi Japanese Cuisine several months back, when they first opened, and I was amazed at the idea of a Japanese restaurant right in the very same town I live in. It was only last May when my family and I were thinking of a place to dine out at that we decided to give it a try.
Also partly because we thought it a shame that peeps from Baguio and even from farther places have already dined there, except for us, who’s just a stone’s throw away.
For the price, I’d definitely be able to gorge myself with all the Japanese food that I want right here! Also, I like how small the place is. Cozy and homey, and if you discount the fact that the place will probably have a long queue on other days (it was raining when we went there, and it became full after we arrived), then it’s a great dining place to visit.
Here are a couple of photos, for your viewing pleasure (naks!)
And yes, that’s a strawberry atop the maki. Because Yasuragi also happens to be located close to the Strawberry Fields of La Trinidad.
Yasuragi Japanese Cuisine is located at Swamp View, Betag, La Trinidad, Benguet, very close to the oft-visited strawberry farms.
UPDATE AS OF AUGUST 2017: Yasuragi Japanese Cuisine in La Trinidad has now been renamed to “Ayatori Japanese Cuisine”. Meanwhile, a Yasuragi Japanese Cuisine resto has opened at Upper Bonifacio St., Baguio City.
That’s it for my May 2017 Foodventures! I’ll be following this up with June 2017 compilation, so look out for that! 🙂
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