Baguio in a storm

The heavens poured as Typhoon Labuyo was relentless, making us fear the climb up Kennon Road to Baguio. Signal no. 1 was up, but that did not dampen the spirit of participants in the 2nd Annual Hotel & Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB). It was an encouraging show of emerging talents, with young aspiring chefs in the student division from various parts of the country. Professionals were there as well, acquitting themselves in the events spread out over three days of cooking, judging and awarding.

Chef Myrna and her Raul teamed the judges into threes, fives and sixes, evenly distributed among the extensive line-up of events with Baguio Country Club manager and BRAB president Anthony de Leon and his staff working in close coordination. The Market Basket Competitions (Pro and Students) plus the New Asia Cuisine were where we were assigned. Not surprisingly, Le Chef got the gold for New Asia while a real discovery was the team from the University of the Cordilleras which got our collective nod for the Market Basket Filipino for the silver. University of Baguio collected the most medals, while Baguio Country Club came in second.

There were some very innovative dishes combining many flavors. There were innovations, some going overboard. But what also impressed us was the encouraging attitude of most of judges in our team, Executive Chef Thomas of Mandarin, heir to the Milky Way chain Jay, private caterer Rolando, food writer Mickey and Swiss Inn lady Katrina. They were a generous lot, giving counsel to the participating students. They were more like teachers as they were meticulous about every single detail of a preparation, from the mise-en-place to the taste, giving the participants pointers on how to put their kitchens in order. They actually turned de-briefing sessions into seminar-type lectures, no doubt something the young ones would benefit from in the future.

We managed between judging to go to the market. The ‘kulit hatid’ boys are still there. Omay ended up commissioning three of them to carry her bags of fruits, jams, etc. The bigger boys are given P50 while the young ones accept P20. Omay also introduced us to the new brand of the popular ube jam (with more bits), Tamtanco, costing less than the almost institutionalized Good Shepherd’s. It is better to schedule a market visit at about 10 a.m., when fresh delivery is made. The jam is still hot. Be careful to check their lids, since the vendors keep them loose to avoid spoilage. Tighten them once they get completely cold. Apparently a lot of Baguio people are producing the jam, as we noted more brands like Annie’s. Prices vary as well as their consistency. Among the new items we found were Choc’o Flakes which are actually thin bars and Choc’o Pinipig (soft biscuit type) from Mika’San Sweet Shop. They come in two sizes. Strawberries were not in season, so were not a good buy at more than P300 a kilo. We should have resisted the come on of the lady selling cherries, which were sour and soggy. Sagada oranges, however, are bigger than the usual California and sold at P100 a kilo.

Baguio market never seems to be rid of sidewalk vendors, from fresh roses to daing na bangus (P50 a pack of six, small size). Inside, vegetables and fruits are laid out on the floor, the former in packs of two (like broccoli and pechay at P60 per). We did not bother to look at the famous longganisa but got the info that pork sells for P135 and beef at P160.

Our penchant for trying out different cuisine brought us to a quaint little place called Iggy’s on South Drive. All 15 of us had the whole restaurant to ourselves. Claude brought out his chicharon and special suka, which became our starter. Amid beautiful artwork we enjoyed fish soup, bagnet and daing na bangus, and Mickey and Claude started singing nostalgic pieces. But Jessie, on her first night, had to have a Japanese dinner so we went on the second night to the club’s Hamada restaurant where the sushi boat is gigantic.

One evening we drove to Tomay (Sitio) Farms, where the small red structure leads to a beautiful terraced garden and vegetable patches. We settled ourselves on one of the outdoor tables and ordered hot cocoa, a welcome drink on a cold afternoon. They serve (three hours’ notice required) a set meal of soup, salad, grilled chicken or pork and herbed rice for P250. They sell Mountain Brew (Montarosa) and some native souvenirs.

On our last night we had the juiciest, perfectly pink roast beef on the Verandah of the Baguio Country club. On the morning of our trip back home, the sun shone, finally! But it was good-bye to beautiful company and fun culinary experience.

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