While I was going through my albums for this FoodVentures post, I realized one thing: I kinda ate out too much this last month of September. And went to a couple of places more than twice. Tee-hee. No regrets, though.
So here I am again, to talk about the dining places I had a chance to drop in on and have a bite. I also hope this’ll give some help if you’re wondering where to eat in Baguio City and La Trinidad. Nothing fancy here, though, cuz I rarely go that route, haha!
La Brent Tea and Cafe
I’m always amazed at how much the dining options have grown in Baguio City and La Trinidad over the past decade. Had this happened when I was still in university, I think I’d have been a broke student. (Well, I was stil broke, but I’d have been broke-r, if there is such a word.)
But it’s nice to see that there are a large number of coffee shops and similar dining places that cater specifically to students. Or, to be more precise, students on a tight budget. Or, to be more blunt, broke students. Because, you see, not everyone can afford to have a filling meal (or snack) at a Starbucks or any one of those Starbucks-wannabe places.
La Brent Tea & Cafe is one of those student-friendly places.
La Brent Tea & Cafe is located at the 2nd floor of the Echo Building, at Assumption Road, Baguio City. Right beside Cedar Peak, and right across UB Square. Check out their Facebook page here.
There are two main reasons why I said it’s a student-friendly place.
One: the prices are reasonable, quite affordable for students.
And two: the menu is quite extensive, with the options definitely catering to the palates of the younger demographic. Click on the following thumbnails to see what I’m talking about.
The place is small, with just a handful of tables. But there are some tables outside, on the veranda, if dining al fresco is your thing. We were there on a Saturday morning, right after they opened, which means there weren’t other customers besides a young lady who came in later on with her laptop and notes.
The food (at least the one I tried) was not spectacular, to say the least, but it was perfect for someone who hasn’t had a filling breakfast and in need of a quick fix hours before a proper meal at lunch.
And lately, I had started to develop an affection for waffles at breakfast. This is probably a good way to put Spam to better use; you know, other than having it on its own.
Patch Cafe, Bloomfield Hotel
Patch Cafe is the in-house dining area of Bloomfield Hotel, located at Leonard Wood Road, Baguio City, across SM Baguio. (Check out their official website here.)
If you though only hotel guests can dine in this cafe, you’d be wrong. It’s open to everyone, and as we were contemplating where to get breakfast, we made that short walk up Session Road to check this place out.
The place is relatively wide, with many tables, presumably to accommodate the hotel guests during peak season. But there are parts that are quite cozy, where you’d no doubt enjoy having a cuppa joe early in the morning.
I also liked the little details, like the wall hangings, some paintings on the walls, and even the patterns of some seat upholstery. It screams comfy and homey at the same time.
To be fair, I had not tried their main menu offerings, which seems to be a hit among many. It appears that most breakfast places in Baguio have a dish featuring the Baguio longanisa. They got it here, too.
And I love how these places are increasingly becoming more “proactive” when using red or brown rice in their menus.
As for me… well, flame me for this mismatch, but I just had to try their green tea latte with the Patch Benedict (the cafe’s eggs benedict). Too much dairy, eh? My stomach complained, too, but hey, what did I say earlier? No. Regrets.
Pine Country Steaks & Waffles Bed and Breakfast
This is a bit out of the way, but I’ve been eyeing this place for a long time now, whenever I happened to pass this place. It’s just that the opportunity never presented itself.
Until one Sunday ago, when we had our weekend Zumba at Wright Park. We walked from the Horseback Riding area, to the St. Joseph the Worker Parish for a church visit, then walked a bit more to this cozy nook.
The Pine Country Steaks & Waffles Bed and Breakfast is located at Leonard Wood Road, across the entrance to the Botanical Gardens. It’s right by the road, so you can’t miss the sign if you’re driving by at a decent clip. Check them out on Facebook here.
First and foremost, it is a bed and breakfast. For about 2,000 per night (average), you can stay here, which I think is quite reasonable, considering the location, accessibility, and how the place looks. Now I’d probably have a more definitive conclusion on that matter if we had a chance to take a peek at the rooms, but… yeah. I’m making my judgments based only on what I saw when I went there for this brunch.
I’d have to say that their menu prices are somewhere on the lower mid-range level. Check out their menu by clicking on the thumbnails below.
My weekend-breakfast-buddy got the Breakfast Waffle, which came with bacon strips. Personally, I thought it was pricey at Php168 (single waffle) as compared to what I ordered, but then again I don’t know their costing firsthand, so….
This was what I got, their Waffle Medley, which had slices of apple and strawberry, and a scoop of ice cream. Priced at Php128. Maybe the bacon was pricey…? I dunno, but there were like, only two strips in there.
But then again, I dunno about their costing, so.
But this was heavenly, guysssssss~
I was never much of a juice drinker (I prefer to eat the fruits rather than drink them in liquid form), but if there is one type of juice I’d readily say yes to, it’s the cucumber-lemon combo.
Recess Resto/Cafe, Session Road
You discover things, only if you lift your eyes and look up once in a while. This was spotted during one of those walks down Session Road, then we decided to check it out. Then went back a couple of times more.
This place wins at accessibility, coz it’s just at Lower Session Road. For more info, check them out on Facebook here.
I have a separate review post dedicated to this place in the coming days, so I’ll only share a couple of photos for now.
Let me just say, though, that I thoroughly enjoyed their Omelette Rice, or omuraisu, as I’m used to calling it.
Let’s move on to La Trinidad, shall we?
Sinner or Saint Cafe, La Trinidad
I met up with friends for Sunday dinner at this relatively newly opened coffee shop restaurant in La Trinidad. I actually just heard about it first through Facebook, but it was only this month that I got to check it out.
I will also have another dedicated review about it in the coming days, so just sharing some photos. Check them out on Facebook if you haven’t already.
It is located smack dab on the boundary of Baguio City and La Trinidad, which makes it accessible to residents of both areas. Win-win, eh?
The Loft Cafe and RestoBar, La Trinidad
This place, on the other hand, has been around quite longer than Sinner or Saint. I just never got around to dining at it.
When I did, I was like, “WHY DID I WAIT ONLY NOW TO COME HERE.”
This, too, deserves its own post, which is what I’m going to do. But I have to say this is definitely a place I’d love to go back to again and again, just like its neighbor, the Half-Cup Cafe, which is just less than 5 minutes’ walk away.
Check them out on Facebook. Pictures right here! This early, let me just declare my newfound devotion to their spicy buffalo wings~ LOVE.
So there you have it~ My September FoodVentures. Hopefully I’d be able to find more new places (new to me, at least). See you in next month’s rundown!
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