Cuore Korean Restaurant in Session Road

After the trip to Mines View Park, my friends and I went back to the place where we stayed to put down our heavy pasalubong bags, bought bus tickets for our trip back to Manila and then looked for a place to eat late lunch.

We went to Session Road and found this Korean restaurant, Cuore. It's a cute restaurant with lots of colorful decors and natural light. It was around 3 or 4pm already that's why there weren't a lot of people in the restaurant.

We ordered samgyeopsal (I think I've gotten hooked to samgyeopsal ever since my friend brought me to eat unlimited samgyeopsal in Kalayaan.) and kimbap.

My friends ordered cheese ramyun and I ordered kimchi fried rice. Yes, I love kimchi a lot.

The food doesn't seem like much but we felt super full after eating! I think I'm starting to seriously fall in love with Korean food.

Seriously, Baguio was such a gastronomic experience. I think I gained two kilos in just two days. Haha.

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!

Berry Much

When my family went to Baguio ten years ago, we were not able to go to the strawberry farm because it was raining (and strawberries go bad when they get wet). During my recent trip there with my friends, however, we were lucky because it's the season for strawberries and the weather was great.

The strawberry farm is actually not in Baguio City-- it's in La Trinidad, the capital of Benguet. After eating breakfast at 50's Diner, we took the cab to the jeepney terminal where we rode a jeep to the strawberry farm. After getting off the jeep, we walked a little before finally arriving at there.

Other than strawberries, they also have flowers and crops

Strawberry picking, during that time, cost PhP350 per kilo. It's not required that each person picks at least one kilo of strawberries. There were four of us but we decided to just pick 1/4 kilo each because it's expensive and besides, we were only there for the sake of experience.

Our "harvest"

Right outside the farm, there were rows of baskets and boxes full of strawberries for sale. The bigger strawberries cost PhP150 per kilo while the smaller ones were PhP100 per kilo. My friends and I bought a lot of strawberries and it was really awesome because our room smelled of strawberries.

I bought 1.5 kilos of strawberries. One kilo was for eating and here's what happened to the 1/2 kilo:

Strawberry cheesecake. I made sure to stock up on cream cheese before I went to Baguio.

Volante Restaurant in Baguio

This restaurant is quite a common sight in Baguio. I saw branches in Camp John Hay, in Session Road and near where we stayed (somewhere on the way to Wright Park). Needless to say, it made us wonder what's with this restaurant so when we visited Camp John Hay, we decided to have [super late] lunch there. 

The place is cozy.

I ordered a strawberry milkshake.

They also have milk tea in their menu but I skipped it because I'm on milk tea abstinence this Lenten season.

My friend and I ordered a Pasta Puttanesca (around PhP200, good for two people).

Finally, we ordered a 10" smoked salmon pizza (PhP313).

I had a good tummy fill in Volante. If and when I go back to Baguio, I'd love to eat there again. The food is not too expensive for its worth and they have a lot of food in their menu that I really want to try. 

50's Diner in Baguio: Breakfast in a Time Capsule

We left Manila at 11pm and arrived in Baguio at 5am. After resting a bit and waiting for the sun to come up, we headed out to have breakfast because my friends and I were already hungry. I insisted my friends that we should try 50's Diner. I've read about diners in Baguio a few months ago so when I got there, I immediately wanted to try eating at one!

Cool ride in front of 50's Diner

Upon entering, I immediately felt like I was in a time capsule (if only the diners also wore clothes from the 50's)!

I ordered a burger (yes, very typical) and brewed coffee (because I cannot be without coffee). I was surprised by the size of their burger. It's probably two times my normal consumption! However, because I don't like leaving food on my plate, I did my best to finish everything. I wished, though, that I had ordered cheeseburger because cheese would have complimented the taste of of the burger well.

PhP95 for a burger around 5 or 6 inches in diameter with fries (my hand for comparison)

My friend also ordered an Irish cream coffee. I tasted some and it was good but let's just say it's not fit for breakfast haha.

Eating breakfast at 50's Diner was a good experience! The food is good and not too expensive. If and when I go back to Baguio, I'll make sure to try the other stuff on their menu!

After Ten Years

Instead of going to Malasimbo in Puerto Galera, my friends and I ended up in Baguio City last weekend. It wasn't bad at all because the last time I was in Baguio was ten years ago! It has also been a while since I went somewhere up north.

wrapped in front of The Mansion

I've been terribly busy the past week but I promise to write about Baguio when I get some time (maybe next weekend). Baguio aside, I have a lot of backlogs to catch!