Baguio getaway

We hardly go out of town during the Holy Week. This year, however, Benny and I decided to go on an adventure and visit Baguio. On our way there, I tried calling to make a reservation for Mama’s Table, an estate located at 888 Ambuklao Road by chef Vicky Tinio Clemente. She serves guests — with a minimum party of six people — home-cooked meals carefully thought of and prepared with the freshest local ingredients. Unfortunately, chef Vicky informed me that she was fully booked for the night and that she usually does not cook on Good Friday in observance of the Lenten season. With that, we retreated to the Baguio Country Club.

I bumped into a good friend, Marni Ong, while having breakfast. She happened to mention that they had dinner at a place called Mama’s Table; I told her that I tried making a reservation and that I was informed that they were fully booked. I jokingly told Marni that no wonder I was not able to reserve; their group was one of those who made an earlier reservation. She told me that her family had a wonderful time at the place. The food was good and the ambience very homey. I told her that I had an open invitation from chef Vicky to drop by and have a cup of coffee at her place.

Soon after, Marni texted chef Vicky that I was with her. Chef Vicky then said to Marni, why don’t you just join us for our family dinner and I will just cook simple, home-cooked food? So off we went. I brought a cake from Baguio Country Club and Oscar, Marni’s husband, brought a bottle of wine.

We were welcomed into a beautiful home with high ceilings and warm lighting. The furnishings were elegant, with wooden furniture accentuated with either greenery or photo frames of family members. Its is no wonder that the overall ambience is so elegant because Sonny Tinio, chef Vicky’s brother and author of Philippine Ancestral Houses, did the interior design of the house. It was like we were transported into a magnificent place of love, life and family. 

Our gastronomic feast began with foie gras paté for an appetizer, Baguio greens salad with Romano dressing accompanied by cheese fondue with broccoli, cauliflower, baby potatoes, zucchini and bread. An eclectic mix of fresh oysters, beef stroganoff, roast duck and sinigang followed, finished off with turron, Michaelangelo and bars for desserts. After being treated to such a feast I could not stop but wonder, how blessed can I be?  That people would go out of their way and generously share their home and bounty without hesitation and genuine sincerity — that really made my day. Thank you so much, chef Vicky!

During our stay in Baguio, I took the chance to visit our student Ramon Aldana of Danes Cafe. He and his wife, Dolly Aldana, are the dynamic team behind the very successful Danes Café — a popular food destination for most of the locals who need a bread fix. They serve a wide variety of breads to their droves of loyal customers who eagerly come to buy their products as soon as it is baked. I am happy to know that from kilos of flour they now consume a hundred bags of flour a day just for pan de sal. Should you stop by for a visit, a must-try at Danes Cafe is their cinnamon twist — freshly baked every day — as well as their popular baked siopao. 

Our visit would not have been complete if we did not get to pay homage to National Artist BenCab’s Museum located on Asin Road off Naguilian; it is a personal retreat that he has made available to the public. The museum does not merely offer an unmatched cultural experience but also Cafe Sabel, the in-house restaurant of the BenCab Museum named after BenCab’s famous muse in his paintings. One can have a gastronomic feast of local offerings as well, from products such as BenCab Farm’s popular strawberry jam, a variety of marmalade flavors, ponkan orange marmalade, dalandan marmalade, and lemon marmalade. Locally sourced and organically made, these products help support the community as well as give us a taste of real mountain living in a bottle.

We were fortunate enough to witness the “Imperfections” exhibit by Pam Yan Santos that was on display at the BenCab Museum.  It showcased a wide variety of artwork, from paintings on canvas to aged wooden artifacts such as the birthing chair, a foot massage chair which my husband gamely posed on, perhaps hoping for an impromptu foot massage, as well as a poem written by Marika Constantino alongside other ethnographic pieces that were historically inspiring and culturally educational.

At the tail-end of our Lenten getaway, I made it a point to visit the Baguio Country Club kitchen, where pastry chef Art was busy making their famous raisin bread. I wanted to bring home some for my staff, but they couldn’t give me anything because, as per policy, the bread must be pre-ordered. There was an order slip inside our room but I did not bother to fill it up. I was able to try it, though, at Baguio Country Club’s breakfast buffet.

For our next Baguio trip, I’ll be looking forward to familiar places and warm friendships to make beautiful memories through the years.

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Mama’s Table, located at 888 Ambuklao Rd., Baguio City, is only available by reservation and caters to a minimum of six people. Call (074) 442-1794 or mobile (0915) 643-8775.

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