The fifth and last featured establishment in the Baguio series is Café Sabel, a themed coffee shop right inside national artist BenCab's famous museum.

The menu features somee of the same items offered in the earlier-featured Cafe by the Ruins (which shares their staff and management), but the manages to exude its own unique charm and feel, thanks to a majestic view of mountains and BenCab's sprawling property.

I recall we were only supposed to be here for desserts after a post-lunch museum tour; but upon seeing the menu we couldn't resist indulging ourselves and hence, dessert came first.

A pot of their special Bali Jammu tea (P180), an infusion of ginger, cloves, cardamom, star anise, cinnamon stick, milk, and moscovado sugar or honey.

Tasty and has a delectably comforting fragrance!

Lemon Curd and Mango Crepe (P150), filled with lemon custard and garnished with fresh mango slices; topped with vanilla ice cream

Roberto V's Bibingcakes (P110) — Crepes with salted duck egg slivers and white carabao cheese; served with grated coconut and moscovado sugar

My favorite was definitely the Bunuelos with Chocolate Fondue (P200) — fried cream puffs to dip in melted dark chocolate. I must have eaten up to 5 of these little devils!

The impulse ordered Bagoong Rice (verdict: so-so, I still prefer the more flavorful ones at Thai restaurants)..

..and this platter of fish with mountain rice (forgot the name, sorry).

Service was just alright, not a socks-knocking memorable experience. The staff was a tad too uptight and listless, lacking that extra touch that makes you feel at home and comfortable. Price: ~ P300-400 per head.

Overall Verdict. Like Cafe by the Ruins, Café Sabel at the BenCab Museum stands out as one of the highlights of our Baguio trip, if only for the grand ambiance and good food. I hope they work on improving their service to a level that's becoming of the brilliant BenCab Museum experience.

Café Sabel at the BenCab Museum
Km. 6 Asin Road, Tadiangan,
Tuba, Benguet, Philippines
Tel. #: +63 74 442 7165
Official Website and Facebook Page

<<BenCab Museum hours: Tuesdays to Sundays 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last entry at 4:30 pm). Closed on Mondays. Admission to the Museum: General: PHP 100.00. Students and senior citizens with valid ID: PHP 80.00>>

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