Sizzling Plate, Carino St, Baguio City : INFAMOUS Steak House

 

Sizzling Plate is known for its sizzling steak menus. My friend Ron, a Baguio resident recommended this resto especially for tourists/visitors like us. It is located at Carino St. and is always fully-booked so one has to wait in line. The resto's architecture is brick & log cabin-inspired perfect for the cold weather. 

HOW TO GET THERE

From Hotel Henrico Kisad or anywhere in Baguio City

VIA Taxi

We walked down the hill and waited to get a cab

Advise the driver of Sizzling Plate, Carino

Travel time is approximately 15 minutes (antipating traffic)

click image to see full resolution

in the taxi going to Sizzling Plate

We arrived Sizzling Plate resto in 15 minutes time. Wow, I love Baguio City already.  Upon arriving, the lady crew in front, handed us over our number to wait for our turn.  I peeped inside the resto and saw a lot of customers. Indeed, the resto is famous. Couldn't wait for our turn to see how is it really.

Our turn came. We took the seats and waited for the crew to take our order.  We ordered tenderloin well-done sizzling steak for mom, sizzling pork sisig for me and sizzling boneless bangus. Our beverage was calamansi juice (hot). We also had sansrival cake for dessert which was good so far.

A hot soup was served as appetizer.  The meal came a bit late.  The smell was nice.  However, mom's steak was thick slices. When she cut it, it was still bloody so we had it re-sliced 'thinly' and re-fried. It came back but was not sliced 'thinly.' It was just sliced into pieces. The more mom got frustrated. She didn't eat it instead we took it back to the hotel.  The sizzling sisig was not that impressive to me. I didn't finish it all.  The bangus was good though.

after the lunch

 my ever supportive mom

BUDGET

Check out this menu for their range of prices depending on the meal you want.  Quite a bit pricey but it's worth it. Our experience was not just as impressive as others.

For our expense:

Tenderloin steak - 285 php

Sizzling sisig - 172 php

Sizzling boneless bangus - 179 php

Hot calamansi juice (2) - 160

sansrival cake (2) - 160 php

rice (3) - 90

TOTAL - 1,046 php

the menu

Hotel Henrico, Kisad, Baguio City: Travel Guide + Budget + FREE Breakfast

Chesca drawing on the window using the cold mist

HOTEL HENRICO is 2.5-star hotel as interpreted generously by the hotels in many countries. Has 40 rooms and popular to travelers exploring or passing by Baguio City. Located in 35 B Kisad Road, Baguio City 2600 and was opened in 2006. Only 10 minutes away from town proper. 

Contact Number (074) 442 2259 or +63744438571.

we were the first ones to eat breakfast at 6:30 am

HOW TO GO THERE
from Burnham Park

Pls CLICK to see better resolution. using my google map as Local Guide

From Victory Liner Terminal

Pls CLICK to see better resolution. using my google map as Local Guide

You may take the taxi at a flag rate of 35 php of your first 500 meters from anywhere you are in Baguio City. Only 2 php for the succeeding 400 meters. 

BUDGET

"I booked the 3D2N here for 2,100 a night (4,200 php).Was not aware that I booked for this room with 2 double sized and 1 single sized bed + free two-day breakfast. Turned out each of us had a bed. 

There are many hotel booking agencies to book at a lower price now. It was just pricey when we booked it because of the holiday season.

The breakfast stub was given when we checked-in.Just present the stub at the front desk for breakfast to served.I paid P120 for chesca's meal because my booking was for two adults only.We were starving and cold."

TWO COMPLIMENTARY BREAKFAST

1. Tocilog - Tocino + Sinagang (fried rice) + Itlog (Egg)

2. Bangsilog - Bangus (milk fish) + Sinagang + Itlog

REVIEW

 Poor Taste 3-star only
(milkfish needs to be more fresh/tocino not that fried)

SELF-SERVICE

1. Make your own hot chocolate (milo) or coffee.
"We had Milo. The table was neatly prepared with sachets of Milo, coffee of different kinds, sugar and cream."

2. Hot water already available in a pot.

3. Clean glasses or cups are neatly arranged on the tray.

IMPRESSIONS 
about Dining Area & Staff

1. It was clean and spacious. Chairs are not cramped.

2. Clean old flooring.

3. Clean table with table mats and utensils.

4. Great lighting.

5. Nice ambience.

6. Clean table cover.

7. Clean utensils. They use white plates.

8. Staff are nice and friendly.

9. Served the breakfast with a smile.

mom preparing her hot milo

breakfast selfie to power up!

We were so excited to go out and visit places in Baguio.  We took the fx taxi who's driver was kind enough to drive us to MINES VIEW PARK.  He then confirmed what the other driver told us.  He showed us the places we can visit after Mines View since they were nearby.  

Ready to roll

mom and Chesca 

Chesca sleeping on the taxi

SERVICES & AMENITIES 

* 24-hour security

* wheelchair accessible

* 24-hour front desk

* car park

* family room

* safety-deposit box

* smoking area

* wi-fi in public areas

* 24-hour room service

* luggage storage

* tours

FACILITIES

* Balcony/terrace

* desk

* cd/dvd player

* non-smoking areas

* satellite/cable tv

* shower (with hot)

* television

WHAT'S NEARBY

Burnham Park (5 minute walk)

Baguio Mountain Province Museum (8 minute walk)

Saint Louis Filigree Shop (11 minute walk)

Baguio Convention Center (11 minute walk)

Baguio Cathedral (11 minute walk)

Some well-appointed rooms have towels, closet, mirror, non-smoking rooms, wake-up service.

Canto Bogchi Joint & Starbucks: with Awesome Villegas Family, Baguio City

With the Villegas Family (Ron, Badette and Iago) at Starbucks!! Gonna miss you guys!

CANTO BOGCHI JOINT (American). Located at Ketchup Food Community, Romulo Drive, Baguio City. It's open Monday to Sunday, 7 am to 12 midnight. 

Our conversation of our ICT days was endless. hahaha.  Of course, with updates of the present now and how Iago came to be.  They also told me how they decided to move back there (Baguio as their home) after finding out Badette's pregnant with Iago.  He's so cute and intelligent. I love their family! 

Ronn also knows the people there since he provides their mineral water there. Cool business my friend!
 

Finally their dinner treat (order) arrived.  I was excited to taste it.

IMPRESSIONS

* The Lomo Rib Steak (best-seller) taste was perfect!  It's a grilled BBQ pork ribs with homemade bbq sauce. I love how the salt and pepper mixed with the sauce.

* It was also a fell-off from the bones.

* Chewy yet so tender. It was so easy to eat with my braces. haha.

* Well-done, just like how I wanted it to be.

* Serving size (whole slab) was good for 3 for P460 php. You may do so for half-slab at 240 php.

You may check this page for more
info: http://ph.phonebooky.com/canto-baguio-city

My friend Ronnie messaged me to visit us in the hotel.  He arrived there with Badette and their cute son, Iago.  Mom met them but Chesca was already sleeping.  He invited me out with them.  Mom watched over Chesca instead.  

Ronnie my friend and his wife with Iago has been based in Baguio since they had Iago.  

He drove me through some places like:

* Mansion of Joel Cruz, Aficionado which happened to be my former boss when I worked as a Brand Assistant and Trainer in Aficionado.

* The Baguio Country Club

* The famous restos with amazing christmas lights.
After dinner, we went to STARBUCKS. I had their signature hot chocolate while Badette and Ron had coffee.  There we continued reminiscing the past. How time flew by. Ron and Badette now owns their water refilling business. It's working great. When couple work and agree together nothing is impossible.

They brought me back to the hotel around past 11 pm.  I had a great time indeed!  Thanks Ron and Badette for the treat!

Santiago for IAGO who loves toy cars! 

Good Shepherd Convent, Baguio City: Travel Guide + Budget

finally arrived at Good Shepherd. road not so paved but wide and clean

GOOD SHEPHERD CONVENT

It wouldn't be Baguio City without buying some pasalubong from this awesome place.  The Mountain Maid Training Center (MMTC) is the only authorized distributor of Good Shepherd's products. Either you pay in cash, debit card, and credit cards, they can process.

FROM MINES VIEW PARK
Pls CLICK image to see full resolution. Using G-map as Local Guide

HOW TO GO THERE

From Mines View Park, just walk to the left curved road, alongside road.  It's just a few meters away from it.

You will pass by many souvenir shops so it wouldn't be boring at all.

Be careful with passing jeepneys because the road is narrow. Besides the double parked private cars made it even narrower.

It's located on the right side of the road. You won't miss it because of the huge gate with the title.

ROUTE IMPRESSIONS

* It was just a few meters away

* Lots of cars parked by the side

* Carefully walk alongside the road to avoid accident

* It was uphill but beautiful
* Road leading to GSC not-so wide (two-lane road only)

* GSC road spacious enough

BUDGET

* No FARE. Just walk from Mines View Park. A great exercise
* Bring extra 150 if you wanna buy fresh honey syrup

* Or some 200 for fresh big strawberries

SPECIAL DELICACIES & PRICES

Here are  a sneak peak of the pricelist. Now, they also have their products sold online - https://iprice.ph/good-shepherd/

Best sellers:

Strawberry jams (whole berries) 12 oz - 220 php

Strawberry jams (whole berries) 8 oz - 150 php

* Strawberry jams are made with sweet balance plus the berries are whole.

*  Ube jams tastes ube for real.

*  Lengua de Gato biscuits smells freshly baked.

*  Jars and plastic containers are clean.

*  Over-all packaging is at par.

* Prices are just a bit higher than those at a local stores but it is said to also support scholars of the convent. A way of charity, I guess.

* Look at the cabinet, neatly stacked.

There are a lot of stores you can buy the strawberry and ube jam (and others) but at this convent, it's different.

At the gate, we came across a father and son(small boy) selling honey. Mom talked to him a little and told him for us to come back but we wanted to test if the honey was pure so he had to prepare a cup in a water. What we liked about that man was his aura of being a good person. Buying from him was just a support.  

Mom and Chesca with the hanging garden 

A lot of people were buying from Good Shepherd Convent. I bought Grace's request, the ube and strawberry jams.We saw eucalyptus trees and mom took some of its fallen dried barks.

We got back to that father and son selling the honey. He had prepared a cub with water which mom used to test if the honey was pure. She poured a little and good thing it did not scatter. It was pure indeed. We bought two bottles for 150 php each. 

We didn't buy strawberries and grapes from the ladies because they were lying about the prices. hahaha.

StreAT Maginhawa Food Park at its Finest

We then drove to Maginhawa and looked for the famous StreEat Maginhawa Food Park. It's been a talk-of-the-town for food bloggers.  I am not a food blogger really but I love reviewing food I/we eat.

before the feast began

It was a lunch and dinner.  We were all hungry.  Ness and I ordered our food.  Here they are:

MENU & PRICES

599 php Baby Back Ribs @ Sticky Pig (good for 6) 
Second order:
599 php Spicy shrimp @ Sticky Pig (good for 6)

Third order:  
99 php Fresh Spring Rolls @ Me Love you Long time

Fourth Order:  250 php French Fries in gravy & bacons @ Canadian Snack Shack

Fifth order:  150 php Chocolate ice cream @ Mio Gelati

FOOD IMPRESSIONS

First order:  Baby Back Ribs - it was tender and soft.  Slicing it was easy - so fall-of-the-bone. Finger-licking good. Chewing it was perfect.  The honey-mustard sauce was perfect!  We had the sweet and spicy combination. Even the flies wanted a piece of it. It was well-done so we all loved it.

photo by Ness See

Second order:  Spicy shrimp - it tasted fresh and spicy.  The shrimp skin can easily be removed. No stench taste at all. We all loved it especially Achilles and I. And oh the siding was awesome too!

Third order:  Fresh Spring Rolls - it was not easy to chew it because of the sotanghon (felt springing in the tongue).  The dip was good. Over-all fine.

Fourth Order:  French Fries in gravy sauce with bacons - just fine. The gravy was a bit bland. Nothing like a wow.  I still like the regular version.  Kids didn't like it.   I guess, you have to eat this upon serving for better taste. Or maybe I should have chosen the cheese instead of gravy.

Fifth order:  Chocolate ice cream - Chesca and Noelle enjoyed it.  

PLACE IMPRESSIONS

* Ambience was nice.  Food carts placed by the side. In the middle was the table and chairs. It was so clean.

* Table and chairs spacious enough.
* Selection is wide.
* Price was affordable. Just choose what fits your budget.
* Flies were present. hahaha.

After the sumptuous lunch and early dinner, here we all looked so happy and full! 

Noelle and ama together

coke junkees

cousins for life

StrEat Maginhawa Food Park
91 Maginhawa Street, UP Village, Quezon City
Contact: 0939-923-2470
Open from 5 p.m. onwards (Tuesday to Sunday)

Starliner Diner: Lunch in the Future, Disneyland, Hongkong

After Orbitron, around lunchtime, we all got famished so we decided to eat.  The nearby resto was Starliner Diner - a quick service resto with a futuristic theme too.  

Here's what they offer: Prices ranges from HK$100-200. 

*  Out-of-this-world flavors 
*  An intergalactic spaceport serving American-styled fried chicken basket
*  Beef Cheeseburgers
*  Grilled chicken breasts with rice 
*  Grilled Steak
*  Big-sized beverages

Reality:

I ordered burger with fries at HK$79 and chicken wings side dish at HK$32.  I divided it into four but chesca was ok with the chicken wings and fries.  I was so excited to eat the burger but the lettuce was spoiled.  What the!  So I took the lettuce off and ate the burger without it.  Mom and I share with the burger.  

Andrei’s family had fish fillet with fries and some rice and burger.  At the back of the Starliner Resto was the First Aid Office and some benches to relax. 

Lunch like American...oh my! i wanted rice...so Pinoy!

What I can say:

*  Food resto ambiance ok. The tables and chairs are huge. There are a lot of them.

*  AC also ok.

* Chicken taste was missing with some soy or salt.  It was bland.

*  Burger patty was fine.

*  Lettuce spoiled - not so nice.

*  Fries smelled oily and tasted old.

*  Price was fine.

*  Serving size fine.

After the not-so satisfying lunch, we rested outside on a bench.  Some moments like this are meant to stay forever! Wish my late dad could have joined us.  So this was my mom (Ama) and her four grandkids. The two are in US currently.

Ama Betty with her four grandkids... a moment to cherish

5 Reasons Why Filipinos Love Hobing Korean Dessert Cafe

It's officially SUMMER in the Philippines.  What else would you expect during this season?  More swimming and eating ice cream or halo-halo is a MUST.  Speaking of halo-halo, I wanted to try the Korean version.  Do you know "BINGSU"?  

Been hearing this famous Hobing Korean Dessert Cafe from friends at work.  They said, their Bingsu is awesome. Yesterday (05.06.2017) was a time for my own dessert experience.  Finally, I get to really know for myself how good it is!  WHY Filipinos love Bingsu?

What is Bingsu?  It's the popular Korean dessert of shaved ice with topping.  It's like a Korean version of our local halo-halo.  Why Filipinos love it?

1.  MORE VARIETY of INGREDIENTS. 

a.  Freshest fruits strawberries & mangoes.  Quality and size are superb.  

b.  Syrups are well-blended and served in right amount.  You can also add condensed milk if you wish to add sweetness to the flavor.

c.  Ice Cream or Whip Cream.  You choose which one goes on top.  We chose Vanilla ice cream.

d.  Chocolates & Nuts.   Chocolates and walnuts in Bingsu makes it so yummy.  Our mango cream cheese with walnuts was fabulous.  

2.  YUMMY SNOW ICE.

The Filipino version is Razon's Halo-Halo.  The ice is as soft and fine as Snow.  It's already milk flavored.  So you don't need to mix.  All you have to do is scoop in and eat.  I love the soft touch on my palette.

3.  FRIENDLY STAFF.  As soon as you enter the resto, staff will greet you "Anyanghaseo"  hahaha. Even the greeting is in Korean.  You might forget you're in the Philippines.  After placing your order with the cashier, she'd say "Sara hamnida" Although we noticed only a few of them, still their attitude made a difference.  

4.  DESIGN & AMBIENCE.  As soon as you enter, the ambience and furniture will take you to South Korea.  Their design and architecture is so Korean-inspired.   They have a huge flat-tv on the wall with some Korean band and dancers. You can enjoy it while waiting for your order.

cute wallpaper on the bathroom

cute accents on the bathroom door

how to enjoy Hobing

cozy ambience

clean and spacious tables

the huge flat tv with Korean shows on the wall

the highlight of the interior design

5.  CLEANLINESS.  I've seen how clean the house, restos, hotels are in K-dramas.  At Hobing, you'd certainly see the same.  How cool is it to eat in a place like that right?!

We walked to BGC Stop-over to try Bingsu.  Mom, Vanessa, Noelle, Chesca and I had a chilling afternoon at Hobing.  We ordered Mango Cheese and strawberry.  According to the cashier, these two are the best-sellers.  The big bowl of Mango Cheese is 310 php. Strawberry medium is 215 php.  

After taking photos and a short quiet prayer, we dug-in curiously.  We had extra small bowl so we could divide it. The large mango cheese bowl was for mom, Vanessa and me. The medium strawberry bowl was shared by Noelle and Chesca.  

Comments are:  it's so fine, it's delicious, it's like halo-halo, it's huge. 

We all loved our new food experience.  What I can say after trying Bingsu myself?  AWESOME BRAIN-FREEZE!  

Where is it located:

Hobing Korean Dessert Cafe at 31st St., Corner 32nd Avenue, 3rd Floor, Stopover Pavilion.

What are their FLAVORS

Physically collected from restaurant / Received over email

Prices subject to change without prior notice. Please check prices with the restaurant before visiting or ordering.

Hobing opened last month at Bonifacio Stopover in BGC, makting it the latest sweet stopover in the complex. All bingsu in the cafe are available in two sizes, and currently they offer ten flavors -- from fruity variants like 

Mango Bingsu (P125/R,  P220/L) 

Strawberry Bingsu (P215/R,  P330/L) 

chocolatey toppings like 

Choco Cookie Bingsu (P165/R,  P240/L) 

and Choco Brownie Bingsu (P235/R,  P360/L)

Asian flavors like Injeolme Bingsu (P175/R,  P250/L) topped with Korean glutinous rice cake

Milk Redbean Bingsu (P175/R,  P250/L)

Aside from their specialty bingsu, the cafe offers different beverages like ice blended drinks, yogurt smoothies, hot and iced coffee, hot and iced teas. For a warm snack, choose among their toasts and breads in both savory and sweet variants.

What are you waiting for?  Taste it yourself and be amazed! 

Our Expenses:

Large Mango Cream Cheese  :  310 php

Medium Strawberry                 :  215 php

TOTAL                                     :  525 php