Pasalubong finds in Baguio City

You definitely have something to take home when you've been someplace, that is a big Filipino character. And during our tour in Baguio City, two places should not be missed: Tartland Baguio Pasarabo and Good Shepherd Convent.

We stopped over at a place where a common delicacy is made: lengua. There's no other place in Baguio that creates a crispy, milky and delicious lengua than in Tartland. We almost got lost driving to Tartland but the journey was worth it because we are about to meticulous review how their famous lengua is made and reaches to our palate.

The working area is very sanitized and the workers are well equipped and neat. From a simple mixer turned into massive machines for big production now displayed at the developed facility just a meter from the owner's home.

The mixer and syringe pioneering the Tartland business

Workers and baking oven

After a few talks and a visit inside the factory, we are so lucky that the owner let us taste the product fresh from the oven. There are a few overcooked lengua and I prefer them than the lighter ones. But every jar of lengua you buy from the market or pasalubong store, they are guaranteed fresh from the oven and tastes so good.

Another pasalubong find from Baguio is the Good Shepherd Convent that produces the famous ube. Most people want this from any tourist who goes to Baguio. Overseeing the Mines View from the convent, (by the way, the place is also managed by nuns) you can stroll along while some of your companions may be queuing for jars and jars of ube which costs Php200 each. Enjoy the view or buy, you will be satisfied. Also for every purchase, you help Cordillera youth with their studies.

I really have to bring something home because I wanted to.

While the dark seeps in and it's nighttime in Baguio City, we are about to get scared. Follow the #aftersummer trail.

What to eat in Baguio City's "Slaughterhouse?"

Find comfort in Baguio City's slaughterhouse. Though the  name has an uneasy feeling but the meals are perfect for beer-moments even. If  you want to have a dive on warm soup with a lot of memories as your pasalubong, Balajadia Restaurant is the place to be.

The entrance welcomes you with a smoking grill and boiling large pot of papaitan luring you into this humble restaurant.

Just beside a public market, the place is forgivable to be clean and efficient. They serve barbecue, warm soup dishes and the price is very affordable. But note of these dishes for your next Baguio City visit: liempo, bulalo, papaitan and BnB.

The liempo has a special blood sauce, just like the sauce from the local dinuguan. I cannot imagine the combination at first but it tastes great. While the bulalo and papaitan are regular inuman session dishes, we are greatly curious of what BnB is.

Liempo with blood sauce

Standing for Butt and Balls, yes this dish is made of pork butt and balls that are somehow awkward to eat. Cooked like asado but more tender than meat. Try it soon.

Continue my Baguio City adventure here.

authentic Igorot dishes in Cafe Yagam

Travel is not complete without food. And for every place you visit, you'll learn more of the culture. During our #aftersummer #groupgetaway in Baguio City, courtesy of Azalea Residences, we get more acquainted with the locals by trying their own dishes. These dishes are served fresh warm in Cafe Yagam.

We are totally feeling the cold weather in Baguio and it was raining outside. Cafe Yagam, was just a humble 2-storey house converted to a restaurant. The fireplace warms down the cooling climate and even made cozier by the owner of the place, Miss Poleen Carla Rosito, that welcomed us cheerfully.

Then the food is served. They taught us how natives prepare these food and why they are made. Mostly these dishes are served in big tribe gatherings or offered in rituals and later consumed.

Kinwar

Blood Sausage

Pinikpikan

You'd better be careful of what you put in your mouth. If you can't tolerate exotic dishes like these, Cafe Yagam also serve normal food in the menu. But the experience trying these are priceless. They also come best with rice wine, also called tapuy, to draw heat to your esophagus down.

Cafe Yagam is located at 25 J. Felipe St., Gibraltar, Baguio City. You can also call them at these numbers: +63 948 9585 157 or +63 946 4550 364.

Cafe Yagam was our last stop for the first day in the Baguio City group getaway. Click here to continue the tour.

Casa Vallejo's HILL STATION

After we are done with the short photo session at Mt. Cloud, I got a bit hungry and I don't have to trod longer because Casa Vallejo offers another surprise within its doors. The Hill Station serves more than just the ambiance of Baguio City, it also provides delectable desserts that we have to try.

Stepping into the cafe gives a very homey feeling. The shiny wooden floors reminds you that you are in a great country getaway. Welcoming us at the counter is a shelf of yummy desserts and I said to myself that I have to stay and try one of those.

Exit Mt Cloud to the right and enter Hill Station's Cafe Area

The dining area is a great ballroom overlooking Session Road and when you turn around is a huge staircase leading to the quarters also available for tourists. Its walls are decorated by old photos by which if they can talk, you will learn more of the history of the place and appreciate the heritage it offers.

We stopped in Hill Station longer and ordered yummy desserts. It is not too pricey and I was really satisfied with my Chocolate Lemon Tart. The citrus kick at every bite is very interesting and smooth. Perfect to match with a steaming Cordillera Coffee.

Clockwise from top right: Chocolate Lemon Tart, Lemon Meringue, Cordillera Coffee and Chocolate Cake

After this break, we went back to Azalea Residences and we formally started our itinerary for the next 2 days. Please click here.

PLANET GRAPES serves HUGEL wines

It is such a pleasure to drink wine with one of the makers of the world's best wines, the owner and considered the royalty to winemaking, Mr. Etienne Hugel. He is the winemaker for Hugel & Fils, a 100 percent family-owned and fully self-financed winery with winegrowing roots that date back to 1639. The Hugel family comes close to royalty in the wine world, with wine cellars under 16th century buildings and barrels that are more than a century old. Hugel works with the famous S. Caterine cask (dated 1715), which is the oldest working cask according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

At a wine tasting event at Planet Grapes Shangri-La Plaza, guests were able to take a sip of his products -- all of which were made in Alsace, Italy, where the wines are just like made by the gods because the Italian region has a good balance of temperatuer, soil drainage and good sun exposure. These Alsatian wines are served only at Planet Grapes and Etienne Hugel is graceful to personally introduce to Filipino palate his world-class wine samples.

Each wine has a perfect pair, in my belief, that is not just for stakes and salads. But even our humble street food are also a perfect pair with the Hugel wines. There's so much to love about them and I'm going to give you some of their characteristics:

Hugel Gentil 2013
Bright, silvery sheen, pale green colour, fresh, lively and youthful with an elegant aspect. Attractive, flattering bouquet, open and forthcoming, quite aromatic, scented, floral and fruit-driven: cardamom, lemon balm, rose, lime blossom, cherry blossom and sweet almond. Harmonious and well-rounded, with a nicely ripe - yet not over-ripe - grape character.

On the palate, the wine is dry, generous, soft and supple, almost juicy, filling the mouth, showing good structure but also a nice, fruity, aromatic finish.

A wine with all the hallmarks of a fine, sunny vintage, yet with no loss of finesse.

Hugel Guwerztraminer 2012
Promisingly attractive colour, intense, young and lively with hints of pale green and straw yellow, it is bright and clear with unctuous tears that indicate a full body.

Soft, aromatic, scented bouquet, showing opulence and body, flowers and fruit: rose, mignonette, jasmine, mango, litchi, passion fruit, and some spice : cardamom, saffron, liquorice stick.

Dry on the palate, but round, soft, nicely harmonious and mouth-filling, with a long, rich agreeably aromatic finish. A food wine that will match a wide variety of dishes.

Hugel Pinot Gris Tradition 2011
Very attractive to the eye, a generously intense colour, star bright, concentrated straw and lemon yellow, with a hint of pistachio green.

The bouquet is a treat, a well-balanced range of aromas, acacia honey, apricot, zan, liquorice, fresh almond, greengage and lightly smoked brioche.

Perfectly dry, yet soft, fleshy, juicy and full-bodied. A long, tasty finish, with depth and texture.

Hugel Riesling 2012
True to Hugel family tradition, this is a fine, thirst-quenching Riesling, dry, lively, fresh and easy to enjoy, with great elegance and drive.

Beautiful pale green colour, bright and youthful. Fresh, clean lively aromatic expression.

Attractive fruit-driven taste of green apple, gooseberry, citrus, grapefruit, lime, with spring blossom, elderflower and primrose.

Riesling Jubilee 2008
Deep pale straw gold colour enhanced by some green hints, attractively bright and lively, it clings to the glass. Its subtle fruit bouquet of yellow peach and apricot is already nicely open and expressive with a characteristic mineral touch that leaves no doubt that this is a Riesling from a fine terroir, a nice rocky minerality with a whiff of terpene and white truffles.

An elegant, agreeably dry wine of character that is well structured and complex, with good aromatic persistence.

You can find these wines at Planet Grapes and they can also come from a vending machine. That's what I really liked about it. Planet Grapes also serve good food that you can perfectly pair with Hugel wines.

For more information about Planet Grapes, you can visit their brances at Tuscany (BGC Taguig), Cebu, Shangri-La Plaza and River Park (Festival Mall, Alabang). Or follow their social media pages in Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Earthlingorgeous' Clara Ole Potluck Foodfest

Glad to know that my one of my blogger friends Earth of Earthlingorgeous.com hosts her party with fellow bloggers. And it's also made possible with Clara Ole.

She is one of the Clara Ole ambassadors making food extra special with Clara Ole products. We are served with different dishes all made with fresh ingredients, and even made more delicious with Clara Ole. Earth did 2 of them and we almost didn't notice because they looked like they're made by a pro chef.

Hickory Pork BBQ

Tuna Potato Salad

Summer Tomato Pasta

Orange Glazed Chicken

Blueberry Muffins

Everything was yummy and the best thing is that I can go back to the buffet and get more.

We also got to learn some plating techniques from Chef DJ and food photography by Mike which I can now apply on future gatherings.

It was not just an feast but everybody got well acquainted with each other. I didn't realize that it was supposed to be a singles event but I had a lot of fun. Way to go Earth! Congratulations and thank you for the invitation and the loot that I was able to bring home.