Baguio, the nippy, tourist-friendly, mountain attraction of the Philippines, where strawberry-themed everything is all a flutter accompanied by whipping pine trees and hilly golf courses. To cut things short (not exactly Anthony Bourdain here), was excitedly invited to visit during the weekend and ended sampling the local produce of what this city in the skies had to offer. We started our lunch in the famed 100-year old Baguio Country Club. The place had a fantastic scenic view of the golf course, but in terms of the food – simple no-fuss Filipino comfort food. Below is a duo of astonishing dishes that I would gladly go back for.

I had been craving for a good Lechon Kawali (literally means pork in a pan) and Baguio Country Club offered a perfect fried pork-stuff that literally made me want more. The very crispy crackling of its skin, the almost ethereal and almost liquid gelatin of its fat underneath and the crispy, but tender pork meat was a perfect combination with a soy-lime dipping sauce (or even without it). After getting my fair share, I was placed in a state of inner peace.

The meal was served with Sinigang na Baboy (Pork with vegetables simmered in a sour tamarind broth) that had a good sour-note and crisp vegetables, Fried Chicken which was a downer as it was crisp but very dry, Bulalo (Beef Shank with vegetables simmered in broth) had a comforting but very light approach to its broth, Chopsuey (Stir-fried assorted local vegetables) which were crisp and deliciously showcased how this mountain region’s climate provided the best snap peas and broccoli in the country, but again – pork reigns supreme!

The meal ended with a Meringue cake with Buttercream and Almonds, served with a fresh strawberry, whipped cream and a mango coulis garnished with a chocolate butterfly. The cake was the main attraction and the wisps of the temporary pleasure coming from the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of the meringue provided a good sweet counterpoint to the somewhat sour note from the mango sauce.

Overall, the meal was fairly comforting given the nippy weather. The vegetables evoked a certain freshness where only at Baguio you could get and the pork made me deliriously happy. Baguio Country Club gets 3 stars out of 5.

The Verandah at the Baguio Country Club

http://www.baguiocountryclub.com.ph/

Daily 6:00 AM to 11:00PM.

Photo courtesy of Ms. Anna Dimerin