Baguio City's Hidden Restaurant Gems

Legendary Mango Cheescake

Baguio City through the years have developed into a modern city. This could be attributed with the fact that Baguio now caters not only to people of North Luzon but the entire Philippines and sometimes the whole world as well, being one of the Philippines premier tourist destination.
As a result of course many "corporate" businesses have penetrated the City. This can be seen from the different restaurants that are opening in Baguio City. Of course who wouldn't want to taste what these restaurants can offer and sometimes people like me would definitely like to taste food from these newly opened franchise restaurants.

However, we sometimes would like to taste something different. Have you tried eating fastfood too much that they already taste the same though the food came from different fastfood brands? And sometimes we prefer food that is prepared according to how it was supposed to be prepared, home-cooked.

Trying to rediscover Baguio my family wandered around the central business district and found two hidden food establishments in the City.

Red Cherries - this place is really difficult to locate if you do not know where to look, located in the building where laser marketing and victorias supermart is located. Just to give you a quick direction, go through the entrance in between laser marketing and victorias supermart, you know where the baggage counter is, there is also a magazine stand beyond that. Just go straight then look to your right, that is where red cherries is. Do not be intimidated by the empty showcase stand there is a door to the left where you can enter and you will see the cakes on display. Now the space is not too big, in fact the chairs are the size of what they use in elementary or kindergarten school but of course you do not go there for the chairs but for the food. Red Cherries serve one of the best cakes in Baguio City. They also serve the best lasagna and baked macaroni. Their blueberry cheescake and mango cheesecake are to die for, their lasagna is better than any of its fastfood counterparts and the baked macaroni so cheesy! According to my teachers when i was in High School they frequent this place now that i am married and 30 years old the place still exists, what does that tell you? A thriving business of course! Sometimes you do not need extravagant tables, designs and spacious dining area, let the food speak for itself and customers will definitely return for more.

Fruit Jelly Cake

The Entrance to Red Cherries

Scrumptious Baked Macaroni

Double Chocolate Cake

Call Them For Orders

Rose Cafe / Mami Rose - so after eating at red cherries i remembered one of my friend inviting me to eat at mami rose, my family doesn't really know the place and what they actually serve. But from what i can remember it is located within the area where the PNR jeepney station is. So after a quick search we found rose cafe. We were excited to learn that they serve noodles or pancit canton with soup. Yep, the manner on how it was cooked was pancit canton style meaning, the noodles and other ingredients were simmered in soy and once the noodles takes in the liquid sauce it is done, but not for Mami Rose, after that the noodles are mixed with chicken/pork broth. When we arrived at mami rose there were lots of people eating and all dining tables as occupied so we decided to take the noodles home. Good thing they separated the soup from the noodles and by the way the noodles are not the same as what you have in a pancit canton the noodles are actually flat noodles and from the texture of it i think it was the wet noodles kind or the kind that are freshly made.

The Rose Cafe

It's A Full House

Flat Noodles

Three Orders

Yummy Noodles

Combining three Orders

The Soup

Eating Time

Before we decided to rush home i saw Dane's bakeshop its just near Mami rose, noodles and pandesal would make a good combination i thought so i stopped by and bought twenty pieces of hot pandesal. Upon reaching home we goobled up the scrumptious noodle soup and the combination works especially that they gave us free chili soy sauce and some calamansi.

Danes Bakeshop Pandesal Anyone?

The Price?
Both of these food gem establishments do not rank with the fastfood restaurant in terms of prices. We only spent around two hundred pesos at red cherries that is three slices of cake(chocolate, ube and mango cheesecake), two soda, one bottled water a portion of lasagna and baked macaroni and they give generous portions. As for mami Rose we paid less than one hundred for three orders of their noodle soup which was more than enough to feed four to five persons.

These two establishments are Baguio City's example of quality food for a cheap price, traveller's going to Baguio City cannot truly say they have been in the City of Pines if they have not tried these food establishments, yes Baguio restaurants may be scattered all over the city but there are only a few restaurant "gems" and mind you they are not located at any fancy mall but rather hidden just like diamonds it takes work to find them.