When in Baguio, eat local: Everything Nice Cake Shop & Cafe

Camp John Hay was the nearest place of interest near the bossing's house where we stayed in Baguio. We had her driver drop us off at the R.O.X. store on Loakan Road and we walked uphill to check out the restaurants by Pitstop before hoarding raisin breads at The Manor.

I found this cute organic kiosk at the back of Pitstop while we were waiting for our campfire. The place, called Little Soapmakers, lets you buy organic soaps by the pound ala Lush. They were reasonably priced and offered a wide variety of scents and ingredients.

I was a bit disappointed when I saw our bonfire. I had envisioned a campfire-like bonfire where we can sit around and tell ghost stories. There was hardly any room to sit so we ended up ditching the fire to eat dinner back at the Ayala Technohub.

We decided to eat at Everything Nice mainly because the place looked cozy and inviting on a freezing night. Everything was warmly lit inside and we were in a hurry to eat so we can head to Batirol for some hot choco. 

Food-wise, we were not all that impressed. The quality was so-so for the prices. For instance, my boss hated her callos upon tasting it and ordered a different meal right away. There were some stand-outs, though. I think the trick is to know which dishes to order for a worthwhile experience.

My boss had the spinach soup which we split into two. I loved this creamy version with spinach bits. It was piping hot and perfect for a 15 degree Baguio night.

Ms. Remy, our assistant, ordered the pork spareribs (P195) which was a huge slab of tender ribs in barbecue sauce served with balatinao rice. She seemed to enjoy her meal and had no complaints, taste-wise.

I was in a breakfast food kind of mood so I went with the "renowned" Baguio longganisa (P165) served with balatinao rice and two eggs. While I liked their version of the healthy brown rice, I was underwhelmed with the teeny pieces of longganisa. Taste-wise, I would still prefer Vigan longganisa but this wasn't too bad. It was a bit bland and could use more garlic.

I mistakenly told the girls not to buy desserts there, thinking that Batirol would surely have pastries to go with our hot choco. It was drizzling outside when we were done with dinner and these signs from the kitsch shop outside amused me while we waited for the car. I'd love to buy one and put it outside my room for the benefit of my inspector grandma. Ha!

Everything Nice Cake Shop and Cafe
Baguio AyalaLand Techno Hub
Camp John Hay

All things yummy and whimsy at Cafe 1771!

Cafe 1771 will always be one of my happy places for dates and celebrations. I'm a sucker for French architecture, whimsical furniture, and themed rooms. Aside from the dainty interiors, the food never disappoints.

When we last went there, we chose to sit in The Whimsy part where I requested for my favorite spot by the French windows. I always get a kick out of sitting on the hot pink suede chairs contrasting the robin's egg blue walls. 

Topshop blouse and shorts, Aerosoles wedge

For starters we had the fried squash flowers. I can munch on these all day! It sounds like a boring dish but these babies are stuffed with anchovies and kesong puti and did I mention it's deep-fried? You can't go wrong with that!

I also called ahead to reserve our ever-reliable organic chicken in potato crust. We didn't want to risk not being able to order it, as they are prone to running out of chickens by 1pm due to the popularity of this dish. I have never been able to find a close competitor for this juicy slow-baked chicken.

Since we are prone to over-ordering, we also had the Salbacho pizza with Napolitaine sauce, salami, bacon and chorizo. As usual, it was perfectly done in thin crust.

We settled for the chorizo pasta when they ran out of our favorite vegetable lasagna. I must really reserve ahead of time for our perennial faves. Jake's a chorizo lover so this was a nice alternative.

See the happy boy?

For desserts, I was hankering for their Valrhona chocolate caramel mousse cake but they only had a few cakes on the dessert menu of the day. We order the chewy lemon tart for Jake. I used to hate lemon-based desserts, but almost seven years with a lemon-squares-loving boyfriend has acquainted my taste buds to all things lemony for sweets. I loved that it wasn't too tart nor too sweet--anything more would have ruined it for me.

I decided to have the coffee pie which looked too pretty to eat. I loved the chocolate-cashew crust even though normally I have an aversion to coffee fillings. They balanced it well with the toffee and cashew tart. 

Lately, I've noticed that all my Cafe 1771 posts all feature more or less the same food. We hardly deviate from our tried and tested dishes and that's what makes it a fail-proof date place. I'd eat here everyday if I had the moolah!

Cafe 1771

El Pueblo, J. Vargas Avenue

Ortigas

Turning twenty-three at Cafe 1771

Any excuse to eat at Cafe 1771 is always a valid excuse for me. It's such a happy place, full of trinkets and bright things that I'm always in a good mood when I'm there. I don't mind turning twenty-three if it means I get to pig out on organic chickens and vegetable lasagnas and whatnot.

I just love the cozy interiors of The Lounge. Meet my mom, Dina, my sister, Bernice, and my Lola Mely. Nice thug face, Jake.

So we pigged out on these: sardines and capers pasta

Squash flowers with anchovies

Salbacho pizza

Our favorite cheesy vegetable lasagna

Two organic chickens!

After lunch, I was too full to just sit there so I went upstairs to check out The Winebar where Jake and I had dinner for our fourth anniversary. I can't get over how elegant the place looks every single time.

See you soon, for brunch, maybe? I'm craving Eggs Benedict. :-)

The Whimsy at Cafe 1771

The boyfriend had a brilliant plan over the week, he was craving Cafe 1771's organic chicken and proposed to eat dinner there last Friday. I'm not a fool so I said yes and made dinner reservations right away. Cafe 1771 has three areas, the Winebar, the Lounge, and the Whimsy. We already ate at the Winebar and the Lounge so I was thrilled when they told me that the secluded, cozy area of the Whimsy was available. Typically, the Whimsy's the busiest area of Cafe 1771 but I've been eyeing the quiet corner by the huge French windows beside the stairs leading up to the Winebar for a while now. It's the perfect spot for a romantic dinner.

Anyway, just to compare, here's the Winebar. It's the perfect place for a quiet dinner with a hushed and secluded ambiance. 

This was taken last year. Ever since I saw that perfect spot at the landing I just knew we had to eat there.

And here's The Lounge, with its pretty bookshelves and giant couches. 

My favorite area's still The Lounge. But the little girl in me will always love The Whimsy with its blue and fuchsia interiors and wild whimisical patterns. I especially love the studded giant chairs. Since we were in a pretty secluded corner, Jake and I had a blast (well, I did) taking pictures and pretending to fall asleep in the giant chairs.

Our secluded corner:

So comfy you can sleep:

Pretty, pretty, pretty.

I am totally having French windows for my future house.

And studded giant chairs.

I won't elaborate on the food since as always, it was perfect and totally worth every penny. We ordered the organic chicken, vegetable lasagna, squash soup, and caramel Vahlrona chocolate mousse. 

Years 1-4

We became a couple at Laiya. I thought Jake drowned the night before, he was preparing pala. Haha.

Celebrated our first year with a scrumptious meal at Cantinetta. I remember the flowers, cookies, and rain.

On our second year, we had a lovely dinner out on my balcony. Spent the whole day together and ordered from all our favorite restaurants. Slow dancing, twinkling lights, just us.

We went back to where it all started on our third year. Laughing and splashing.

After our countdown celebration at the beach, we opted for dinner at Cafe 1771 for our fourth. No longer college kids, we've changed a lot but we've grown together. Cheers.