(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
************************************************
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment