Baguio City has always been a must-visit place for foodies, thanks to the many culinary offerings from the Cordillera region (think pinikpikan, etag and binaod, among others). But – whether you agree with us or not, particularly since you may know some venues we don’t – one of the biggest challenges we encountered was looking for good kape.

The search for a good cup of coffee is what led us to Foam Coffee, which – it must be pointed out – is more of a resto than a café.

So, how was our visit to Foam Coffee?

@outragemag Looking for #kape in #FoamCoffee in #Baguio, only to end up eating not-cheap #ricemeals ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, this is easy to locate, as it’s right across the city hall of Baguio.

Ikalawa, the place itself is sterile-looking. Yep, maaliwalas siya (it’s airy), newly-furnished, is clean, and so on. But when we were there, it also felt quite impersonal, and didn’t feel like a community café or something.

Ikatlo, this is a self-service and CLAYGO (clean as you go) venue. Meaning, you won’t really engage with the staff as they’re there just to take and then give you your order, and then clean up after you if you failed to follow the CLAYGO policy. This adds to the making of this place as impersonal.

And ika-apat, how were the offerings?

So… the original intent was to grab coffee since this was repeatedly highly ranked by reviewers. Alas, the ₱120 Americano was, to start, not even that warm anymore when served. And taste-wise, it was almost like it was watered down.

The rice meals that we ended up also trying were actually not bad. The ₱230 Orange Chicken (orange-glazed chicken with rice) tasted… orangey, sweetish and yet citrusy. The ₱270 Bulgogi Tapa (thinly sliced Korean beef that’s marinated in sweet and salty soy in garlic butter, with rice and eggs), meanwhile, was sweet and savory. The rice in both dishes was good, too; flavorful so that even sans the toppings, already a meal.

For us, if there’s one issue with the rice meals, it’s the size of the servings. Particularly the ulam (viand). You will not get a lot. Which, for us, makes this place a somewhat pricey silog-like venue.

Foam Coffee has a market – e.g. check those who study while there. This is understandable even with the place’s limits. But we’re off elsewhere… perhaps in search of good coffee, as businesses should have if they use the word in their business name.

So off we go in search of more lafangan venues…

Foam Coffee is located at Upper G/F Travelite Hotel, Shuntug St., Baguio City. For more information, contact 0977 602 3750.

Here’s an interesting thing with Baguio City: the city approved the cutting of actual trees to allow the building of a car park (we remember, SM), but too many of its local restaurants now build forests within its venues. Oh My Gulay! comes to mind, though also Café by the Ruins, this famed restaurant that occupies the lot containing the ruins of the Garden Theater outdoor cinema that was built in 1912 by Hubert Phelps Whitmarsh.

We dropped by for a quick meal… and here are some observations from us.

@outragemag Why is #CafebytheRuins in #Baguio still popular (even if it can be pricey)? We #LGBT ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, this place is easy to find. Yeah, you can take a taxi and tell the driver the place’s name; everyone knows where it is, so your driver could not possibly get lost. But you can also just choose to walk there. It is not too far from Burnham Park, and right beside the city hall of Baguio.

Ikalawa, not much has changed design-wise for the restaurant; meaning, if you’ve been there before, it looks – basically – the same now. You enter a wooden gate, traverse those hanging plants, and then enter a largely wooden two-floor venue. Welcoming you would be the famed breadshop, and then there are tables and seats for those who’d want to dine.

Ikatlo, slight slow ang service. Though that may just be because this place is always busy. But at least our servers did know their products. And they’re honest, too (e.g. “The Thai Beef Salad you want can be offered without some of the key ingredients, so I won’t recommend it.”).

Ika-apat, how was their food?

1. We wanted to “wash away” the taste of the steaks we had at Sizzling Plate, so we ordered the Filet Mignon (thick slice of beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon, and then served with salad and marble potatoes, ₱520). Properly cooked so it remained juicy, this one didn’t disappoint.
2. The Creole Pasta (pasta with shrimp and mushroom cream sauce with paprika, ₱380) was okay naman, though they didn’t have chili flakes (only Tabasco sauce), thus limiting our desire to make this spicier. It was filling… even if the portion was on the smaller side.

This restaurant is one of those with too many items in the menu, so – yeah – you’re bound to find something you’d like. Note that some of the goods here are costly – e.g. Breads sell from ₱60-₱180, Banana Turon for ₱120, Suman at Tsokolate for ₱210, and Dinuguan with Puto for ₱240. But these are among those that helped make this restaurant known.

Googling eating venues in Baguio City will give you a lot of must-check places. And among those that, consistently, enter lists of recommended restaurants is Café by the Ruins. This is not surprising, really, because this place can be described as largely consistent. So, yeah, while the breads there remain too expensive, everything else is… generally… okay, considering they taste better-than-okay anyway.

Go check… or just join us, as we look for more lafangan venues…

Café by the Ruins is located at 25 Shuntug Rd., Baguio City. For more information, contact 0966 528 9072 or email cafebytheruins@gmail.com.

We were looking for breakfast in Baguio City, and, while Googling, among the most recommended was Tsokolateria Artisanal Café… which we decided to check since too many of the other options were still closed (some opened from 9.00AM onwards, which was entering brunch hours already).

Now… how was this place for us?

@outragemag #LGBT checking the artsy but pricey #artisanal food of #tsokolateriabaguio Tsokolateria Artisanal Café in #Baguio ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place isn’t hard to find naman. Coming from the marketplace in Baguio, you – basically – just walk along Session Road, lampas ng SM Baguio and The Baguio Cathedral of Our Lady of the Atonement. It could be tedious particularly for the non-fans of walking (reminds you of the hilly roads of San Francisco), but… you can just consider this as your exercise, too.

Ikalawa, the actual place is okay naman. The place, which combines two venues – Tsokolateria and Pamana – is non-airconditioned yet well-ventilated, with lots of seating available. There are elements that may not be to everyone’s liking – e.g. those scary statues in front of the restaurant (particularly the ones seating on the stairs, which could be mistaken for real people), as well as those cheap-looking plastic plants hanging on the ceiling of the venue.

Ikatlo, the workers were okay naman. They were able to explain what’s on the menus (and how Tsokolateria differed from Pamana), and they weren’t intrusive at all (they let you be, as needed).

Ika-apat, how was the food?

1. The Adobo Overload (chicken adobo topped with roasted cacao garlic and crispy adobo flakes, ₱535) was not maalat/salty, and so okay. But – even with the add-on well-seasoned veggies as side dish, as well as the black rice – you really don’t get much. So you’re basically paying for a deconstructed version of adobosilog for over ₱500.
2. The House Waffle, Bacon Belly Arugula & Eggs (₱485) was interesting – e.g. the waffles were fried (this one’s yummy); those cherry tomatoes were fresh (another plus); the eggs, although small, were well done; and that meat was… bagnet-like.

Don’t get us wrong: This place is not bad at all. But – considering its asking prices – it’s not great, either. This is an okay-to-consider venue if you’re willing to cough up more than you should, more than is deserved so you can try food repackaged to be artsy.

Try lang… or discover others… as we do as we search for more lafangan venues.

Tsokolateria Artisanal Café is located at Igorot Stairs, Upper Session Rd., Baguio City. For more information, contact 0927 323 6513 or email inquiry@happyconceptgroup.com.