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Desserts and more at Café Sabel (BenCab Museum, Baguio)

sinch — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:43:25 +0000

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

Mario’s Restaurant (Baguio)

sinch — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:47 +0000

Despite having a branch in Manila, Mario's Restaurant Baguio still commanded our time and attention during our recent trip up north.

Setting. The place looked and felt like a comfortable lounge with eclectic interiors. The lighting was dim-to-warm, getting the natural Baguio breeze to feel snugly chilly. The place gets packed with well-heeled diners during peak hours, so advanced reservation is recommended.

Complimentary bread basket

A glass of house red wine to go with the meal

Sopa de Ajo (P120) — Garlic soup done the traditional way

Mario's Caesar Salad (P240) — classic salad done the inimitable Mario's way. Our server graciously divided our portions for us (2 orders split evenly for the 4 of us)

Salpicon De Mar Y Tierra (P440) — Shrimps and tenderloin cubes sauteed in olive oil, garlic and chilies on bed of garlic rice.

Their new house specialty: Pot Roast Beef (P360) — braised to tender perfection, served with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables

Shepherd's Pie (P335) — savory English meat pie with a crust made from mashed potato and beef

Chunky Apple Pie (P110) served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

The beautiful and delicious Toffee Sans Rival (P115)

Service was great, consistent with the best that Baguio has to offer. Our server was very attentive and considerate, making sure all our needs were met — from plate changes, water refills, and checking back on our food orders. Price: ~P700-800 per head.

Overall verdict. I don't know if the Mario's in QC offers as good service and food as their original Baguio branch; but in case they do, I'd surely want to pay a visit. Mario's is a homey gourmet establishment that no Baguio tourist or foodie should miss.

Mario's Restaurant
16 Upper Session Rd., Extension
near Nevada, and the rd going to North Drive
Baguio City, Benguet
Tel. #: +63 74 442-4554

Forest House Bistro & Cafe (Baguio)

sinch — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:00:56 +0000

Third in our continuing series featuring Baguio is the cozy Forest House Bistro & Cafe along Loakan Road.

Setting. The place looks and feels like a homey log cabin with crisp fresh air, woodsy interiors, and live music.

A live (and very impressive) ensemble performs for the crowd on the night we visited.

We started off with a plate of the sinfully delightful Forest House Homemade Bagnet (P170) — crispy fried pork belly with papaya chutney.

Assorted Grilled Homemade Sausages (P230) — Bratwurst, breakfast, Hungarian, and smoked sausages sauteed in butter with onion rings. Very aromatic and juicy!

Dips for the sausages

A bread bowl with a message

Potato Cheese Chowder (P90) — creamy potato with melted cheese

Another house specialty: Forest House Wine Sauced Chicken (P245)

It is essentially grilled chicken breast with rich white sauce, mushrooms and white wine

Forest House Salmon (P385) — grilled salmon with honey mustard sauce

Smokehouse Charbroiled Porterhouse Steak (P460) — unreasonably cheap, but there's a catch:

The steak was well done through and through — despite our specific direction to have it medium rare. As such, it was dry and a bit tough to chew.

For dessert, we had a slice of Chocolate Decadence (P110), which was rich and sweet…

..and an order of Strawberry Peanut Brittle Ice Cream (P105), which was simple but served as a fitting all-Baguio end to our dinner.

Service was one for the books. We had such a pleasant time being attended to by the wait staff, that we explicitly asked to write our commendations of how great our experience was. Everything from our menu questions, table needs, and special requests have been more than satisfactorily fulfilled. Price: ~P600-700 per head.

Overall verdict. Barely 10 years in existence, Forest House is already a Baguio dining institution, and it is no surprise why. Despite a minor mishap with our steak's doneness, I wholeheartedly recommend this place for its good food, low prices, and delightful service.

Forest House Bistro and Cafe
16 Loakan Road, Baguio City
Benguet, Philippines
Tel. #: +63 74 304-4553
Official website

Breakfast at Café by the Ruins (Baguio)

sinch — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:00:12 +0000

Our next restaurant stop in Baguio is what is probably its most unique. Café by the Ruins‘ distinctive name is matched by a quirky-artistic vibe and a delicious menu featuring locally-grown ingredients.

Setting. Built upon the war ‘ruins’ of a former governor’s house, Café by the Ruins has a rustic and native feel. Wooden furniture, art pieces, and lush greenery adorn the place. Like most restaurants in the city, the dining area is open-air.

Their many-layered, flaky and buttery croissant (P80), served with butter and jam

I really loved the chocolate croissant (P80), oozing with rich chocolatey goodness!

A complimentary fruit cup

Filipino Lon-Si-Log (P245) — Longganisang Hubad (marinated pork cubes), Sinangag (garlic fried rice), and itlog (fried egg).

A loaf of Basil Bread (P80)

Carabao Dairy Breakfast (P245) — fried kesong puti with hot pan de sal and butter and jam

Kamote bread (P80) — incorporating bread flour with Cordillera kamote, milk, and honey

The Whole in One (P245) — buttered whole wheat bread with a fried egg in the middle, served with home-cured bacon and grilled tomatoes. A complete and yummy meal!

Champorado (P155) — rice porridge with pure chocolate tablea, milk, and sugar, served with tinapa flakes. Pure comfort for the traveler’s soul!

The Mushroom Omelet (P230) — sauteed button or shiitake mushrooms in an egg roll — was the winning dish everybody loved. Very appetizing, perfect with rice or just by itself.

The fragrant Ruins Herb Tea (P100) by the pot, served with a lemon slice and wild honey — the perfect ending to an overwhelmingly filling breakfast.

It’s a breakfeast!

Service from the server staff was pretty standard at best, but mostly bland and uninspired. It is quite underwhelming, to say the least, as we’d come to expect a lot more from an establishment like this. That said, we did appreciate the amiable owner chatting us up from behind the cashier while purchasing their take-home goodies. Price is approximately P400-500 per head on a shared bill.

Overall verdict. Café by the Ruins has had its fair share of reviews online. Some swear by it, while some swear never to return. I’m sort of somewhere in the middle. The food we had was great, and I give props to the creative ambiance, but service has to be outstanding for me to consider a restaurant to be outstanding — and in my opinion this is where they lag behind the other Baguio places we’ve tried. Nonetheless, I’m sure it’d still come up as one of the places I’d name when asked about Baguio restaurants.

Café by the Ruins
23 Chuntug St.
Baguio City, Benguet
Tel. #: +63 74 442-4010
Official website and Facebook page

Café by the Ruins served as a relief center for the victims of typhoon Pepeng in Baguio and its surrounding areas.>>

Le Chef at the Manor (Camp John Hay, Baguio)

sinch — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:00:29 +0000

We were fortunate enough to have been able to experience the best of Baguio City right before the recent typhoon onslaughts. I hope this series of Baguio restaurant reviews somehow help the city’s economy and tourism recover faster.

Under the helm of celebrated chef Billy King (formerly of Le Souffle), Le Chef at the Manor in Camp John Hay has been one of those places outside of Manila that I have always wanted to visit. With an abundance of what could be the freshest whiffs of air we’ve had in a long time, Le Chef’s enchanting wood cabin themed interiors set upon the lush nature backdrop make up a uniquely pleasant fine dining ambiance. The cool Baguio breeze graces us all throughout, calming our travel-weary minds as we get ready for a sumptuous meal.

The complimentary bread basket.

The Manor Salad (P425)

The prawns were succulent, but the fresh fruits (grapes, mango, watermelon) brought it to life.

Broccoli Cream Soup (P313.60), with a dash of fresh pepper

The Chilean Sea Bass (P1120) was well worth its price — rich and velvety, just looking at the picture makes me relive the sheer entrancement of every bite!

Ricky Pesto Pasta (P460)

The US Prime Rib-eye Steak (P1232), done medium rare, was delectably juicy. The meat was so tender we didn’t need to ’saw’ through it with the knife.

Sides: mashed potatoes; sauteed onions and peppers

The dessert was equally divine: Chocolate Lava Cake (P210). Moist and decadent, pure chocolate bliss!

Service was fantastic — we even had to ask for the comments sheet just so we could rave about how good and attentive our server was. Suffice it to say that the staff has been trained to mindfully treat guests as royalty. Price range: ~P1000 per head.

Overall verdict. Pleasant is a gross understatement of how our dinner was: Le Chef has the winning triumvirate of service, ambiance, and food all done exceedingly well. It’s easily not just one of Baguio’s finest, but of the country as well.

Le Chef at the Manor
The Manor, Camp John Hay
Loakan Road, Baguio City
Philippines
Tel. #: +63 74 424-0931 loc. 1058