Baguio City

It's been quite sometime since I wrote anything in here--ok it wass a very long time. So this would have to be quite some time to make up for all the time that I missed updating anything in here and basically write down anything I've been up to for the last six months.

So let us go back to February to our Baguio trip for the Panagbenga festival. It seeems to be my first trip with my new colleagues well at that time I still felt pretty shiny and new.

We arrived early morning in Baguio at 13 degrees celsius and never thought will ba that cold. We had a taste of what to expect for the weekend when we saw some of the participants for the street dancing. And with that attire, I don't even know how they can survive the cold temperature!

We had a nice breakfast at the Manor in Camp John Hay courtesy of Janice our boss. Camp John Hay reminded me of my first and last real trip to Baguio back in 1993. Fine I know it may be quite loser-ish for staying in Manila this long and neer ever thought about going back.Anyway back to the breakfast buffet, it was pretty good but I wa expecting more selections at that time.

After breakfast we tried getting into Baguio Country club pretending to try and buy their famous raisin bread but honestly I was just there to meet the Azkals as some of my friends were with them at that time. So much for raisin bread they won't let us in.

We briefly dropped by to see the president's summer vaction house and posed for a few pictures.

And of course we stoped by Mines view and good Shepherd to get our Baguio goodies like ube jam, choco flakes and peanut brittle.

We went to Cafe by the ruins for dinner. It seems to be a very long night since the wait for dinner was pretty long too.

Up to this day, I would still swear by that camote bread and the liver pate. The soft warm bread with the subtle taste of camote just melts in your mouth but the taste of the liver pate would just burst in your pallate.

Their salads were pretty good too where every vegetable from the country most likely came from Baguio or just nearby. The Baguio Bountu offered different tastes of fruits in your mouth with delicious strawberry vinaigrette. The fern salad with shitake was simple but the mushrooms were just impossible to resist. They were very meaty and was the life of the salad.

Our main courses arrived and had a good variety of everything we ordered like Bagnet, Daing na Bangus, Palawan Chicken. However I was pretty disappointed with my grilled chicken with lemon ricotta tagliatelle. Chicken was served raw to me. Good thing I still have that camote bread in my head.

We got to see the parade of the floats the next day. Too bad we couldn't get that close to get pictures. some of the floats were pretty with a nice veriety of flowers used. I was weirded out with one of the floats though which was inspired by avatar but suddenly shoots up the santo nino. I couldn't connet with it honestly.

Before heading home we had lunch at Forest House. This restaurant is quite known in the city for their steaks. Unfortunately no one has the appetite to have one. The view from the restaurant's balcony was beautiful and a fine meal with that view was good enough to cap a weekend in Baguio.

I liked the touches that the put on the soup on a bread bowl with the nice little qoutes. The soup itself was hot and tasty, pretty good for a nice cool weather.

I had their sausage with mashed potatoes and it was pretty good. Same as the others that we have ordered like their House salad, Kare Kare, Spicy squid, Shrimp with broccolli, salpicao and mini burgers.

Over all I felt that there was still more of Baguio that I haven't seen or tried yet. I have yet to try out strawberry picking though. I would want to go back to this place again but maybe not during Panagbenga so at least the traffric wouldn't be that bad and there's more to do.

Kuala Lumpur

Last January, we had a surprise when Marlon was suddenly informed that he will be sent back to Kuala Lumpur. So being on a crazy state of mind at that time, I followed.

Air Asia has one of the cheapest fares to Malaysia, one thing I liked about them too is beeing able to pre-book your meals at a cheaper price. The airports at KL were about one hour away from the city and it's a good thing that Air Asia has their very own Sky Bus that can take you from LCCT to KL Sentral for only 9 MYR.

Transport in Malaysia is quite easy. There's a lot of taxis (teksi) and the rail system is organized. With taxis though, we noticed that the ones who are on the sidewalk and out of their cabs will ask you for an overpriced fixed rate depending on your destination. Better flag the taxis that are on the go. The nicer taxis are premium ones and charge higher too.

What is Kuala Lumpur without checking out the Petronas Towers? Go to KLCC and have a picture with this magnificent structure.

For shopping malls and food, go to Bukit Bintang. I was glad I found Cotton On (for Rubi flats), and Uniqlo in this area. There's a lot of food in the area as well. We ate at a Chinese place called Dragon View. Note that some of the best places to eat in this area are quite hidden.

We also checked out Batu Caves, an Indian temple in Kuala Lumpur. You can take a bus or the KCR to get here.

Food may be too spicy for the Filipino Palatte. I had the Yellow Curry Laksa at a Food Court in Midvalley Megamall. I was good with very soft noodles, crunch bean sprouts and shrimp but it was too spicy for me. If you can manage, maybe try to ask them if they can make it not spicy for you. But then again, they can barely understand me.

There's a lot of Indian food in KL as well. We tried the Prata at one of the stalls in Batu Caves. It was a very thin pancake which you can dip in 3 different kinds of sauces.

I think Kuala Lumpur has better places to visit. Problem is, I don't really know where. Best if you know a local you can teach you where to find the best food in the area. I wasn't too lucky going on my own.

Melaka was also recommended to be visited for Malaysian culture and food. It is about 2 hours away from Kuala Lumpur. For a gastronimic feast, best to spend a day in Penang, about 4 hours away.

Uno Restaurant

My friend Anj has been raving non-stop about her favorite restaurant in Tomas Morato. Ever since I got close to her, she always comes to a point to recommend that we should try Uno Restaurant.

Finally after more than a year, we finally had the chance to go to Uno.

Walking in, I felt a bit conscious because its looks classy and elegant even if the furnishings were simple because I was in shorts and flip flops. Turns out you can come as you are to this place. Its nice to dress up but at the same time you can be laid back.

Uno looks like a house that was converted into a simple yet elegant restaurant. The second floor can be reserved for functions.

After getting our orders, we were served warm bread and all the butter we want. The sourdough was very soft with a crunch crust.

Im at a loss for words with the blended iced tea (70 PHP). It was that good. It was one of the rare chances I can drink iced tea (because it was brewed) since the instant ones make me puke after being diagnosed with ulcer (ironic right?). And did I mention that this was refillable?

We got the Fish sticks with Red Chili Honey Sauce (160 PHP) for our appetizer. The hito sticks was very tender and flavorful inside with a soft crunch on the outside. I liked the the blend of the sweet and spicy sauce on this fish. It was seasoned well with just the right amount of kick to it. The fish melts in your mouth and the sauce just blends with it with every bite.

Shai and Anj shared the Shrimp with Olives and Pepperoncino Pasta (290 PHP). The pasta was al dente and the shrimp very succulent. What's nice about Uno is that they allow for some special requests with the dish you order. Anj requested to have this a a little bit spicy and they granted her request.

I got the Fresh shitake mushrooms, bacon in Basil Cream Pasta (280 PHP). I'm a sucker for basil cream pasta and this met my expectations. Basil was not too overpowering and very rich because of the cream. I loved the smokiness of the bacon in this dish. The contrasting textures of bacon, shitake and al dente pasta was wonderful with every bite.

We had two orders of Baked Pork Country Style Ribs with Paprika and Garlic (320 PHP), one for Marlon and another for Anj and Shai to Share. The pork was very tender and the taste similar to adobo. I found this one just ok.

We ordered the cheesecake (65 PHP) and the Fallen Cake (59 PHP) for dessert. The cheesecake was very light and quite uniqur from the usual cheesecakes I've had. The Fallen Cake was very moist and not irritatingly sweet.

I liked how the servers at Uno are very attentive. the grant small requests and very friendly with the customers. They greeted Anj when we arrived since she was a frequent customer.

I think I should bring my mom here.

Uno is located at Tomas Morato. Coming from the Rotanda and going towards E. Rodriguez, make a right turn at the street right before Amici. Uno is located a few doors from the corner.