Food Diary : Canto
Wednesday, April 08, 2015
Baguio has always been my safe haven. It may be popular to a lot of people nowadays because, duh, it's the summer capital of the Philippines. Add to that the growing number of tourists who visits it to have a view of La Presa, which, for fuck's sake, is made-up name for the place. I'm mad at these people because just like Sagada, tourists lately seem to visit such places due to their association to movies or TV shows, not because they want to be immersed in the culture. I'm not saying everyone does that as there are still a lot of tourists who go to such places to appreciate and experience the culture, and for them, I'm very thankful.
I love Baguio to bits. If I were to put it in a song, it would be All of Me by John Legend. Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections. I admit, Baguio is not perfect because it's now too crowded with people and filled with high-rise buildings, but it is perfect for me. Cold or not, it will always be my safe place. One of the things that made me fall in love with Baguio is the cost of living. I can live there for a week with only a thousand bucks, and I'll still have money left for drinks. In comparison to Manila, which is a hell hole when we talk about cost of living, you do get your money's worth. Especially when it comes to food. Again, I'm not saying this goes for all the restaurants in Baguio because there are some that aren't worthwhile. Which is why I'll be sharing one of my favorites, which will be worth your time and money. Guise, say hello to Canto. One of the restaurants from the amazing Ketchup Food Community.
I'm pretty sure it's not the first time you've heard of Canto as its famous Lomo Ribs has been out and about the foodie blogosphere. They also have awesome side salads which until now, I can't seem to get enough of! You also can't dismiss their simple but awesome desserts. The place is very straight-forward. Awesome food, mediocre service and great ambiance. I'll give you a quick rundown of the things I've tried so far.
Lomo Ribs
As I've said, this awesome motherf*cker is a must try. At P190 for half a slab, and P350 for the whole thing, you get your money's worth. It's tender, it's delicious, it falls right off the bones and it has an awesome side salad. The side salad has rough, sugary texture bits to it that I can't quite put my finger on. The size of the slab is also humongous! Don't be fooled into thinking you can take on a full slab alone! You can also choose to have it with rice or mashed potato. And knowing me, you know which one I'd go for, lol.
Beef Kalbi
The last time I went there with my family, everyone wanted Ribs. To break the monotony, my Dad decided to order this dish instead. The salad was okay, boring compared to the one partnered with the ribs. The beef was tender but nothing awesome there. At P130, given the serving size, I can still say it's worth your money.
Lychee-Almond Gulaman
This one tasted like bland cough syrup with bits of hell. Lol, just kidding with the bits of hell part. But seriously, what did I expect at P20? This is a total downer, I tell ya. The color didn't seem too enticing either.
Awesome Unknown Dessert
I've been scouring the interwebs to find the name of this awesome dessert but I just can't seem to find it! It's a layer of moist chocolate cake crumbs with some sort of cream in between each layer, corn flakes, whipped cream, ice cream, roasted marshmallow and a cherry on top. Ugh, divine!
Can I just say I also love the fact that lighting at this place is awesome? I did minor color edits for the photos but that's it! Even if I didn't, they'd still look awesome. I have yet to try other restaurants around Ketchup. Based on reviews, I might try Happy Tummy next. I will probably take a little trip to Baguio this April or May to take on some of the new watering holes around the city. Let's?
For now, hope you're all having an awesome hump day!
9 comments