G.U.S. NITPICKS!! (v. 22): CALDERON COCINA TAPAS Y BESIDAS

 

 I had heard some buzz of late regarding the newly-opened CALDERON Spanish tapas resto in San Juan, and was keen to check it out. Subsequently, i made dinner plans with immensely likeable JNY, and we decided to go here. 

The signage outside is bright, attractive, and you absolutely can't miss the place. The interiors were subdued, yet quite tastefully decorated; and i felt comfortable immediately inside.

 The menu of Calderon isn't as extensive as expected, and the two of us were unsure if we could finish the Paella Negra or Paella Valenciana, so we decided to stick to the small-sized dishes. 

First up was the Bacalao ala Vizcaina (PHP280.00). Being busy with our conversation, JNY and i temporarily forgot what we had ordered, and were rather unsure what it was.



Eventually, we figured out it was the bacalao. Mixed reviews for this dish - the flavor was good (for me), but we agreed the fish was rather "mushy" instead of being firm; and you had to sort of poke around with your fork to find the fish bits.

Next up were the Gambas al Ajillo (PHP280.00), which proved to be quite tasty and nicely cooked. The sauce was a bit spicy, but it was the type of spicy that we liked :D  

 I would suggest, though, that they consider having fewer pieces, but bigger-sized, shrimps for this dish. That would make it perfect!

Last up was the Bandeja de Jamon, Chorizo y Quezo (Assorted Ham, Chorizo & Cheese Platter) for PHP800.00, which they are having a promo on right now. Paired with a carafe of Red Sangria for only PHP999.00, not a bad deal at all.

   (Photo credit: Between Bites)

UPDATE (3/1/13): I've taken the liberty of grabbing the photo above from JNY's blog, which is much more popular and better than mine. The original photo i posted was off-center and pasty-white, and didn't do justice to how yummy the bandeja looked.

JNY and i loved the manchego and goat cheeses, and the Jamon Serrano, and ate it all. However, we didn't finish the round-shaped meat in the middle - it wasn't bad, but the texture seemed "crumbly".

Overall, for me, the good food + fun conversation made for one of my best nights out in a long while. And i'd definitely be interested to come back to Calderon with a larger group, so we can try out their paellas and Iberian Chicken (which has to be ordered one day in advance). And more tapas, of course!

 Calderon Cocina Tapas y Bebidas
403 F. Calderon St., Little Baguio, San Juan
Tel. No. 238-22-64
Open from 11a.m. to 11p.m., Tuesdays to Sundays

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Calderon/523587167668639

BELLY HUNGRY IN BAGUIO (V): LAST HURRAH IN CHAYA & MAYBE LAST TIME EVER IN FOREST HOUSE

(This is the last post of this series. Why? Because i can't button my pants anymore with all this eating, and my belt buckle is. . .well, buckling under the weight of my belly :D)

Alas, all good things must come to an end. We decided to have lunch at Chaya, which bills itself as "Contemporary Japanese Cuisine". S. had raved about the presentation of their food, as well as the food itself, so off we went to have our last meal in Baguio before driving back to Manila.

Chaya can be a bit difficult to spot for first-time visitors, so look for a plain RED gate along Legarda Road and watch out for the sign above. There is sufficient parking space inside their compound. 

Interiors were quite charming, and made for a relaxed setting. There was a karaoke system at one side of the room, so we surmised there was an after-dinner crowd that sang to their hearts' content here at Chaya.

Onwards to the food! Amongst the stuff we ordered were:

Chirashi Sushi (Sushi rice topped with fresh variety of sashimi). This was essentially "roll your own sushi", which we proved to be rather UN-adept at! :D (Yes, that black thing on the lower portion of the photo is the dried seaweed)

Looked like a small portion, but believe me, we could hardly finish it. The sashimi (salmon, tuna and mackerel) was very fresh and tasty, and the rice was just the right degree of sticky. Thumbs up!!

I ordered the Salmon Sashimi, and got this plate. Whoa! It was (again) very fresh, and subtly sweet, and very delicately sliced. The portion was quite generous, too. (9 pieces). Really delicious! And healthy! I could feel my HDL cholesterol levels soaring already!

 

 Next up was the Nizakana (Fresh fish of the day, simmered in Sake and traditional Japanese ingredients). The meat of the fish was tender, and the sauce was on the rather sweetish side, not what you'd expect something from sake to taste like. Still good.

 

Then came the Ebi Fry (2 pieces Prawn Tempura with side dish of salad). The prawns were of a good size. It was a pity, though, that Chaya doesn't serve the typical 5 or 6 pieces Ebi Tempura that we are so familiar with in other Japanese restos. 

Those onion rings were pretty good, too!

Last up was the dessert - Green Tea ice cream with red beans. Nice way to finish our last meal (boo!).

 

  I heartily recommend this place!


 

 CHAYA
72 Legarda Road
Tel: 074 424-4726
Website: www.chayabaguio.com



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Ayy, wait! I realized i'm not quite finished yet. When this series started, i mentioned something about being "disappointed in one of our old favorites"; and i'd be remiss if i didn't mention it. 
 

I have fond memories of this place, having eaten here in my last 3 previous  trips to Baguio. For me, their food has always been good, above-average, but not really spectacular. Instead, it has been really their ambiance (oh, to sit in front of the fireplace!) which was their strong point.

So, on our first night here, we eagerly went to Forest House. Suffice to say that the food was not good, not average; it was sub-par, and in the case of R.T.'s main course (lamb ribs, if my memory serves me right), flat out terrible. 

Totally disappointing.  Sayang.

BELLY HUNGRY IN BAGUIO (IV): CLIMBING UP HILL STATION

 Hill Station is located at the Casa Vallejo, a restored hotel complex that also houses Mt. Cloud Bookshop (selling mainly Filipiniana books) and North Haven Spa (try their Strawberry body scrub!). This place is right in the middle of things, being literally below that monolith everyone loves to hate, SM Baguio.

It was a Friday night; and around 10:00 PM, we were looking for a place to have a very late dinner. S. made some calls (dear reader, by now you must have realized she is the tour guide par excellence in this neck of the woods ;-D). Pretty soon, we were ushering ourselves at the doorstep of Hill Station.

At first glance of the interiors, i inwardly mused that this place was rather intimidating. It gave off an Old World, fine dining vibe, where one had to be properly dressed (no slippers! no shorts! no headphones!) and be knowledgeable about which piece of cutlery to use for each course.

Turns out the owner of Hill Station is a relative of the iconic Mario's restaurant. S. whispered that this resto was where Baguio's creme de la creme gathered for special social occasions (where they're presumably dressed to the nines).

As we were famished, onwards to the food:

 

 The free bread was quite soft and chewy, and i ate a lot! The dips were flavorful. 

For the Beef Carpaccio (above), we all agreed it was top-rate: Good portion sizes for the beef, fresh crunchy lettuce, and the dressing was not heavy nor cloying. 

 

I liked that the Sizzling Sisig wasn't overly dry (like Gerry's Grill) nor wet/goopy. The consistency was just right, and it was a nice appetizer for all of us. 

R.T. particularly liked his Lamb Spareribs, pronouncing it "very tender".

 

My dish was rather grandiosely called the "Fish Fillet with Five Spice Chile Tea Rub" in Hoisin Lime Sauce. I had high expectations, which unfortunately were not met. Don't get me wrong, the fish wasn't bad - it was just rather average. And the so-called five spices were overpowered by the hoisin sauce. 

Ah, desserts. Here we come to the most interesting part: 

Clockwise (from top left:) 
Dark Chocolate ice cream with Cayenne (the one with orange-colored bits on top); Death by Chocolate cake (brownies with vanilla ice cream, similar to what is served at Chili's/TGIFridays/Italianni's); Flan de Sevilla (leche flan with ground orange rind bits); and Chocolate Lemon Tart (with whipped cream).


The cayenne provided a real jolt, but the dark chocolate ice cream, while tasting of real dark chocolate, had a rather "ice-y" mouth feel. It was just okay. 

Meanwhile, W.T. felt the dark chocolate and lemon didn't quite mesh, so thumbs down for this dish. 

On the plus side, Death by Chocolate was a winner! So gooey and rich! Perfectly fattening! :D

Flan de Sevilla was not just a winner, it was the BOMB!!! Molto fantastico! The texture of the flan was firm, the caramel sauce with just the right amount of sweetness, counterbalanced by the citrus tang of the orange rinds. I'd be willing to get on a bus to Baguio just to eat this dessert again. Right on top of my list for best leche flan!
 

Hill Station Tapas Bar & Restaurant
Casa Vallejo
Upper Session Road
Mobile : 0927 667-8553