The Baguio Food Trip

"Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity."     ~Voltaire

Project: Eat.

I headed up to Baguio alone last May 11 in the evening for a 2-day audit. Alone and starving, I called my younger sister up for dinner at Session Road.

   Vizco's is a pizza, pasta, specialty dishes and cakes restaurant located along Session Road. I have known it through it's popular not-too-sweet Strawberry Shortcake.

   Kris had a plate of Mixed Seafood in Saffron Cream Sauce (top-left photo) - Fettucine with mixed shrimps, squid and fish sauteed on garlic, onions, pepper, parsley and mushrooms in a fragrant Saffron cream sauce flavored with white wine. I on the other hand had a Parmesan Crusted Fish Fillet meal (top-right photo) - Parmesan-coated, pan-fried Creme Dori alongside roasted tomatoes with pesto and cabbage salad on vinaigrette served with garlic mayonnaise. I have also tried their Chicken Cordonbleau with Caesar's Salad before, which is a classic breaded chicken breast meal stuffed with ham and cheese. All of them were really tasty.


   I was not contented with no dessert on hand, so while walking down session road with my sweet tooth uneasy, we passed by Yellow Cab and bought myself half a pint of Pistachio Ice Cream... to which I devoured late at night in my hotel room. Lol.




   Lunch for May 12 with an office mate, I had a Mixed Seafood Tempura on the menu.



 
     I love, love pasta inasmuch as I like cooking a variety of them, so I'm never afraid to try any pasta dish on the menu. For dinner, I had Puttanesca - spaghetti with tomato-based sauce with olives, garlic, capers and herbs. The pasta dish was too sour due to the lack of anchovies which should have made it a little salty. I did try their Golden-crusted Chicken, Ham and Cheese Crepe with Angel Hair Pomodoro, and no doubt this is their bestseller.

  • Everything Nice
 
     Lunch on May 13 was set at this quaint little cafe in Mile-Hi Center at the Camp John Hay Commissary. I had a Creamy Baked Penne (top left photo) pasta, a baked macaroni version of the cafe that's baked in Bolognaise sauce topped with extra creamy Bechamel Sauce and cheese 'til golden brown, served with toasted french bread. I am a sucker to creamy white sauces, which is why I ordered this in the first place. True enough, it was yummy-creamy. My office mates had Spaghetti Bolognaise and Chicken Cordon Bleu, also a bestseller. For dessert, they had slices of Creamy Cassava Cake and Italian Cheesecake (top right photo). The cassava cake was heaven, a must-try in this cafe! The cheesecake, however tasty too, was a bit to dry to the palate. Later did I know after "googling" it that Italian version of cheesecakes are indeed drier than the American version because of the different type of cheese used.


     
      Dinner time. I decided to stay for the weekend and checked in at a hotel in Legarda Road. Nearest to this was Giligan's Island Restaurant. Commonly known for catering large groups of people, this serves mostly seafood and other dishes served on big portions. Kris and I had to try the Sizzling Bulalo Steak, curiously because most restaurants in Baguio have this in the menu. We had it with servings of mashed potatoes and Grilled Chicken Salad - a mixture of lettuce greens and grilled chicken topped with croutons and vinaigrette. The steak, obviously, tasted like bulalo sans the fatty soup and replaced with a very creamy gravy. It was a little chewy and dry though. Further, we prefer KFC's mashed potatoes as compared to this with regards to its smoothness. Glasses of Shirley Temples quenched our thirst.

  • Cafe Will


     Baguio retreats won't be complete without late night outs. Me and my sister both dig music, cozy chairs and chic eats - and Cafe Will's the perfect place. This Korean-owned Cafe served us Mozarella Cheese Sticks, Piña Colada and Mai Tai. A little alcohol won't hurt.


     Brunch time, May 14.  I was itching to go shopping at CJH Commissary. I dragged Kris for a little stroll, bought myself a pair of slippers, and dug in at this little outpost along the commissary. I had me a Chicken Tikka (top right photo) - an Indian/Pakistani dish chicken marinated in spices and yogurt, and Kris had Fish Steak (bottom right photo). We killed time in doodling/drawing. This restaurant features artworks from customers and displays them on their walls.
 
   Ah, Baguio... the cold weather invites every food that comes your way. No wonder this city above the clouds is a haven of a myriad of ingenious cuisine creations yet to be discovered.

Comments

Post a Comment