Secret Baguio

My officemate, who was also an alumni of UP Baguio, shared this article from Inquirer to me and asked what have I tried in this little list of unexplored places in Baguio. I felt a bit confident while scanning the list because I’m totally familiar with most of the restaurants listed.

However, when I got my pen to mark the places I’ve been and the food I’ve eaten, it turned out that I simply passed by most of the restaurants listed and went inside as a customer. There are also some listed restaurants that I’ve been to but haven’t tasted their best-eat food.

Here’s the list from the article and I've highlighted the restaurants I’ve dined in, food and coffee I’ve tried, and the places I’ve been:

THE BEST EATS

6) Pepperoni and mushroom pizza at Pizza Volante (the old Session Theater)

Out of the 10 items, I’ve only tried one - the pizza from Volante, which is actually good. I’ve been to the other restos such as Cafe by the Ruins and Bruno’s but haven’t tried their best-eat.

THE BEST RESTAURANTS

1) Café by the Ruins

2) Oh My Gulay (Vocas, La Azotea Building, Session Road)

4) Forest House (Loakan Road)

5) The Gang of Six (Rose Bowl, Mandarin Restaurant, Luisa’s Café, Session Delights, Sunshine Lunch and Star Café)

8) The Backpacker’s Delight (cheap but filling): Cathy’s on Carantes Street; Jack’s in four locations in Baguio and nearby La Trinidad, Benguet; Good Taste near Dangwa Bus station (Magsaysay Road); Tabligan’s (Scout Barrio); and Balajadia Restaurant at Slaughterhouse Compound (Magsaysay Ave.)

THE BEST COFFEE

1) Session Delights. Many were disappointed that the favorite media haunt, Dainty’s, closed at the end of the millennium because they served coffee that kept your head buzzing for hours. But the son of Ah Kong was wise enough to retain the coffeemaker.

2) Vocas. Artist Kigao Rosimo says this is the only French-press-your-own-coffee shop in town

3) Café by the Ruins. Served with cardamom and tira-tira stick

5) Cordillera Coffee at SM City Baguio

6) Zola (Session Road)

7) Pizza Volante (Session Road)

BEST HANGOUTS AND SIGHTS TO SEE

5) The Laperal House (Leonard Wood). People passing by there, especially on foggy nights, are reminded of the house of the Addams Family but the interiors are a masterpiece of pre-war interior design and artistry.

7) Asin Village holds many secrets. Look for the houses of Peter Pinder, National Artist BenCab, Ifugao woodcarver and environmentalist Lopez Nauyac. We go to Asin for the Ifugao Woodcarvers’ Village where we see saluting Indians, Igorots and many wooden delights. Although this is worth the half-hour trip, if you stray farther, you will see the soon-to-be museum of BenCab and the house of Peter Pinder where you see his fiberglass creations like that political chess set as well as the paintings of his twin daughters and the Viking dolls of his son. The Asin Sulfur Spring is also there to ease away your weariness.

10) The Baguio fog. “You can’t bottle it,” says Baguio writer Joy Muller.

I probably should make a separate entry discussing each items on the list. I’m really missing Baguio. It has been my second home ever since I started college and it will be forever close to my heart.