Baguio city, the summer capital of the Philippines where the smell of pine trees and burnt clutch greet you in your morning jog. Traffic here is terrible but if you're in for a staycation, it's definitely the place to be.
My family always spends Christmas in Baguio. We have an ancestral house to lodge in and it has been a tradition ever since.
This time, Joan (our ever-reliable house helper) joined us for Christmas. It was her first time in Baguio so even if we don't usually go out to avoid the heavy traffic, we still wanted to show her around the beautiful city of pines.
On our last day before leaving for Manila, we toured Joan in the city. Our first stop was the Mansion. We didn't stay long because there were so many people. We just took a picture and left. Haha!
Next up was Mine's View. Since traffic was bad and the waiting game for a parking space was getting more intense by the minute, we walked up to Mine's View instead. It took us around 30 minutes to reach the heavily crowded tourist spot. I never liked crowded places so the walk was a torture. It were the cold weather and the cup of strawberry taho that kept me sane.
The place was becoming more crowded so we quickly left after letting Joan see the view at the top. My head started to hurt because of the heat (body heat of people) and the exchanges in different dialects of tourists from everywhere.
My mild, inner claustrophobic self whimpers.
We raised our flags in defeat and decided to just eat out before returning home. The place was just too packed. My mom spotted a hotel, and without any other nearby option, it was where we decided to eat.
After that lengthy intro, this is the real deal you guys. Haha!
I'm getting straight to the point. The food's good, the price was unexpectedly cheap considering how much we've ordered, the place was chill, and the natural light that comes in makes your pictures extra HD! I love it!
The calamari was tender and I wasn't sure if I was just hungry but it melted in my mouth! I didn't enjoy the breading that much though. I'm guessing it was made out of crushed cornflakes. Nonetheless, it was still a good starter!
Just to be clear, that's truffle right there. Not a big fan of truffle but the flavor was surely because of that generous amount of on top. I also appreciate the gesture that it can easily be removed in case others (me) didn't want much of it.
Racks' baby back ribs stuttered a bit but I assured that it's still them I would choose. The ribs were cooked just right. As for the sauce, not a drizzle-that-ketchuppy-sauce type of person but I did love the corn. It won me over. It was buttery and peppery and everything that I love. Thanks, corn.
I judged this one at first. 'Why would they serve the Beef Salpicao in a container for Leche Flan?' I jokingly remarked. Took a piece and eventually finished more than half of it. It was good! The garlicky beef paired well with the mashed potato and I am in tears. The gravy was a bonus but the mashed potatoes can standalone, strong and independently, like the woman that I am. Haha!
We almost forgot about the Southern fried chicken because we were enjoying the other dishes too much. It was juicy and well-seasoned but I was already too full to take another bite. Simply marvel at its crunchy and tasty golden skin.
We were fat full and satisfied, especially after seeing the bill. It appeared as if we spent only less than PhP500 each for a meal that seemed to cost much more.
Dear Baguio, I know you would always expect me to be back during Christmas season. But as for you my darling, Outlook, I will return and witness your beauty during a chilly night with a draft beer on hand. I hope you won't disappoint!
End!
