A Foray Into The Non-Gourmet - Good Eats in Baguio's Slaughterhouse

Bulalo - bone marrow, beef and beef tendons, boiled for hours on end

While last week's Foodie adventure revolved around international street food, this week was all about exploring what's in our backyard.

For this week's The Mediocre Wanderer, we brought our youngest, MAX and ourselves to the Baguio Slaughterhouse.

While one may have bloody visions of the city's abattoir, the area to go to for sumptuous grilled meats, soups and authentic Filipino dishes is here, minus seeing an actual meat processing zone.

grilled pork belly

There are two "zones" in the Sto Nino (aka Slaughterhouse) Compound. If you get to park near the basketball court, you could check out the various food stalls on the other side of the court. The food is good, however, one must be prepared to encounter cats, dogs, dirt floors, makeshift tables and chairs as you eat your meal.

condiments L-R fermented fish paste (for the eggplant ensalada), Philippine lemon (calamansi) with bird's eye chilies (for the bulalo) and blood sauce (fresh blood coked in a little vinegar) for the grilled pork belly

We weren't that ready to introduce MAX to that version of the compound, so we headed to the tiny parking lot, a little past the basketball court and parked conveniently at the front of the Balajadia Kitchenette.

bulalo soup for starters

The Balajadia Kichenette is one of the 10 or so stalls that look like your standard Filipino canteen or karinderya.

grilled eggplant with tomato and green mango slices, like an ice cold glass of Coke, goes well with everything we've ordered

Teaching our autistic son to not always rely on fast food while we're out has been one of the driving forces behind this foray into the non-gourmet.

The place is spotless, service is quick and pleasant and most of your basic creature comforts to enjoy a good meal, is there (lots of ice for your drinks, various condiments for all the basic Pinoy sauces you'd want to use on your viand..etc.). Prices are reasonable, and the food,  fresh off the grill or hot from the kitchen, is sure to delight.

the pictures on the wall are of local celebrities who have visited the kitchenette

Here's a look at their menu:

if you think Butt and Balls is an odd entry in the menu, ask what Soup #5 is all about

burp!

MAX loved his meal and so did we. From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!!