Baguio Eats II: Volante, Cafe Sabel

VOLANTE

During a late dinner out with Rob, we were able to try VOLANTE and their signature pizzas. There was free music, and apparently, they were open 24 hours. We tried the small-sized pizzas in 4 different flavors :) Of the four, I liked Pizza Hanna and Kenny George. Worth trying, especially since the prices are fair. Not on my 'must' list though...

Lemonade (P24) and Calamansi Juice (P20)

Pizza Hanna (all meat), P75

Veggie Pizza (basil, broccoli, mushroom, onions), P89

Kenny George (Hanna sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, onion, bell peppers), P87

Pesto Pizza, P79

CAFE SABEL
We also visited the BenCab Museum, which is definitely a must-see when in Baguio. After touring the museum, you can drop by Cafe Sabel for some light food and drinks. The view is incredible :)  Food was okay; we tried native snacks Camote Fries, Suman with Latik, and Turon ala Mode -- my favorite was the turon :)

Inside the Museum

View from the Cafe

View of the mountains, with very low clouds

Strawberry Shake (P120) and Lemongrass Iced Tea (P100)

Suman with Latik, P100

Camote Fries, P80

Turon ala Mode, P100

Baguio Eats I : Batirol, Forest House, Ketchup

First family trip with our new baby Tala! It's been quite some time since I've last been to Baguio and I was glad for the opportunity to bring the kids :)  It's really quite a handful but we managed beautifully, I must say. Even had the time for a pizza dinner date with Rob :) 

There are three restos I try to visit when in Baguio: Forest House, Café by the Ruins, and Chocolate de Batirol. This time around, just got to visit Forest House and Batirol. I always love Batirol's chocolate and this time it was no different. Had their chocolate with strawberry -- perfect for the cool weather :)

CHOCOLATE DE BATIROL

Chocolate de Batirol

Hot Chocolate with Strawberry

We were pretty disappointed with Forest House this time though. Although my Salpicao was flavorful and soft to the bite, Rob's Pork Chops was not well-seasoned. Fish fillet was just okay too. To top it off, although we knew that the resto was quite pricey, we kinda felt that the food we had wasn't worth it.

FOREST HOUSE

Salpicao

Fish Fillet

Pork Chop with Maple Glazed Sauce

One of the new places we tried was Canto at the Ketchup Food Community. Ketchup houses around 5 food establishments with different offerings -- Filipino, Indo-Malay, Thai, and American cuisines. It's quite a cool concept.

KETCHUP FOOD COMMUNITY

Happy Tummy

Rancho Norte

Green Pepper

Rumah Sate

CANTO AT KETCHUP FOOD COMMUNITY

We really enjoyed Canto. Very laid-back, value-for-money, and yummy! I really enjoyed everything we ordered; pizza, burgers, and the beef meal just hit the spot :) Next time, will definitely go for Ribs!

Canto

Almond Lychee Gulaman, P20 

Veggy Pizza, P150

Canto Burger, P130

Beef Kalbi, P130

Pan de Amerikana

I've always been interested in the upside-down Pan de Amerikana branch along White Plains, but never got around to trying it out. I found myself visiting Pan de Amerikana's Marikina branch instead. The Marikina branch was huge and densely decorated. You will find a lot of interesting pieces here and there :)

Here is the store facade:

Restaurant Facade

They had a huge windmill at the front too. So you probably won't miss the place!

Windmill

This is the order counter, the restaurant is self-service and they don't do service charge; but you do have to line up a bit (especially when there are a lot of buyers at the time -- not only those who're dining in). At the time of our visit, their system seemed to be down, so they only accepted cash. Good thing we had enough cash to cover the bill! It was all good :)

Order Counter

Here's the main dining area; see the upper wall with a lot of frames? Those are photos of showbiz personalities when they were younger! Imagine Herbert Bautista, Vic Sotto, Bella Flores, Dolphy, and a whole lot more. Those who're fond of the Philippine movie and TV industry will definitely be intrigued :)

 

Main Dining Area

Showbiz personalities in their younger years

Dining

Other dining areas also had different design details. But in general, they worked with a lot of wood, antiques, old photos, bringing it all together in a quaint/quirky fashion.

 

A more outdoor dining ambiance

 

Chess tables and windmills

 

 I really loved this area where there was a huge chess board and chess pieces! Very interesting and very Alice-in-Wonderlandish, especially for Saia :)  We had a good time playing in this area :)

Huge chess board and pieces

Family chess

Now, on to the food. Definitely, this restaurant is value-for-money. They serve Filipino dishes, or lutong bahay delights. They have a Family Platter, which is only served Saturdays and Sundays. The platter includes Shrimps, Mussels, Eggplant, Pork BBQ, Bicol Express, liempo, inihaw na bangus, okra, and kangkong for P650. Because the Bicol Express is a supposed best seller, we added 2 orders, plus a Pork Sisig.

We enjoyed the Bicol Express and Pork Sisig the most -- The Bicol Express was perfectly spiced, not too oily, and the meat didn't have much fat. Pork Sisig was crunchy and oily, but really yummy nevertheless :)

Dessert included Turon with Langka, Saba con Hielo, and Halo-Halo. They were all okay, but not super extraordinary.

Drinks!
Red Iced Tea - P20
Calamansi Juice - P30
Shakes - P35 to P45

Family Platter - P650

Bicol Express - P60

Pork Sisig - P160

Saba con Hielo - P35

Turon Langka - P25

Halo Halo - P50

Here's a copy of their menu:

Menu

If you want to enjoy affordable Filipino lutong-bahay food in a quaint setting and with good ambiance, Pan de Amerikana is definitely a good option :)