Bulalo and Civet Coffee in Baguio

I almost forgot to finish my series of posts about our trip to Baguio last month! Now, to catch up with my backlog...

On our second (and last) day in Baguio, we went to Mines View Park. The place where we stayed was near The Mansion and Wright Park and we entertained the idea of walking to Mines View Park for morning exercise. It was really tiring! I mean, my friends and I are all used to walking long distances (in UP) but the terrain in Baguio was steep. Good thing, there was a small restaurant called Top Grill on our way to Mines View Park that served bulalo. It was perfect because we all wanted bulalo for brunch and some rest for our tired legs.

It was like we were in the middle of the mountains and there weren't many structures nearby so the area was really quiet except when there are vehicles passing (probably going to Mines View Park). Upon entering, the restaurant had a really relaxed vibe. It was almost like a makeshift structure (no ceiling) at the side of the road but it had a beautiful setup with nice furniture and quirky decors.

As far as I remember, the only structure around the restaurant and it looks abandoned

I ordered brewed coffee, potato wedges and spicy bulalo. The potato wedges were quite normal but the spicy bulalo was amazing and truly spicy-- perfect for the cold weather.

How coffee is served in Baguio-- with a shotglass (should I call it shotmug?) of milk

I was amazed by the character of the restaurant but this one really caught my eye! Yes, it's just a sink. Yes, I know I am weird for being interested with a sink but I think that whoever thought of this is truly creative! I mean, river rocks and cement for a sink? That's genius and resourceful. It's cheap but very unique. (Oh, don't worry, the toilet doesn't look like this! It was actually normal, clean and had a water closet. Haha!)

After filling our tummies with good food, we resumed walking to Mines View Park. 

When we got bored of the view, we went to Good Shepherd to buy pasalubong. I noticed that they sold civet coffee (also called Alamid coffee or Musang coffee). Yeah, that coffee made of cat poo. I know, it sounds disgusting but people say it tastes really good. I remember someone telling me that a cup of civet coffee in a certain coffee shop in Metro Manila costs around PhP500. I'm certainly not paying that much for coffee made of cat poo. However, Good Shepherd sells a cup of civet coffee for less than PhP100 (I forgot exactly how much) and being a person who can't live without coffee (though I'm not exactly a coffee geek), I knew I had to try it even if it's made of cat poo! It's one of those things that I'll regret if I don't give it a shot. 

Well, it tasted normal and by "normal", I mean it didn't taste anything like poo (LOL duh). It was very strong and it was good. Unfortunately, I'm no coffee expert so I cannot offer a full-blown coffee review. Anyway, my friends also tried it and we were all like "Hey guys, we just drank cat poo." It was funny.

Now writing this post makes me miss the cold Baguio weather huhu. [I know everyone's tired of hearing this but] it's so hot and humid here in Metro Manila!