STONE AND SPOON CAFE - No Forks Needed!

I think I've said it once before, but I believe that Baguio City is on it's "Food Renaissance". Lots of food establishments offering various cuisines and themed dining have been popping up that it's so hard to keep up and try everything.

A clear example of a place I should've tried a long time ago, or two years, if one had to be specific, is Stone and Spoon Cafe. Here's why:

1. LOCATION: located right in between Kisad and Legarda Road, Stone and Spoon is a 5 minute drive from downtown Baguio. It's accessible in that road beside the Crown Plaza hotel. Go straight up that road and turn left once you go past Zone Ville.
 

The resto is in a compound along with a bed and breakfast called De Javu (that's how they spelled it) and is the structure right before the other Hotel Henrico Kisad. Sounds complicated, but seriously near. Lots of places to park as well. SCORE: 3/5

2. AMBIANCE: the place is quite tranquil and breezy, as it sits at the top of the hill, surrounded by some remaining greenery. It's a tiny resto with Al fresco dining options.

The decor is quaint with Japanese accents, old furnishings, wooden tables and chairs and local art. It does feel like home somehow. Ambient sounds were soothing, as our MAX's sensitive hearing wasn't an issue.
 

There were, however, bugs that were endemic in the area (thanks to the natural surroundings). The place was clean, but I would suggest the procurement of a good bug lamp. SCORE: 3.5/5

3. MENU: We loved the interesting options in the menu. It was so hard to just pick one, as they served both known comfort food and trendier choices.

I would classify their dishes as Asian Fusion, with a good assortment of Japanese dishes. Prices were reasonable and portions were good for big appetites. SCORE: 5/5

4. FOOD: Phil was super happy with the presentation and the food receptacles used. The stoneware bowls used for our meals were the bomb in retaining the heat, up until every grain of rice and morsel of food was consumed. By the way, rice bowls come with iced tea and hot soup. We scored the food as 4/5. Here's what we ordered and our impressions of the items-

a. GYUDON - despite the heat of the bowl that it came in, our MAX attacked his gyudon bowl with gusto!

He's a gyudon connoisseur so I'm gonna go out there and say that it was a good beef bowl. He was even looking for more after he finished his meal.

b. SNOWY BEEF RAMEN - think rice noodles, mushrooms, bean sprouts, an egg and beef slices in a creamy yet surprisingly light broth. Kix enjoyed his bowl down to the last drop.

c. CURRY KATSUDON - crunchy breaded pork chop in regular curry, topped with shredded nori and julienned carrots. I thought they'd be making it with Japanese curry, but the regular one works just fine.

d. SAMBAL SOTONG -  squid rings cooked in sambal (chili) sauce, and garnished with bean sprouts and nori. Here's wishing there was more squid than rice in the ratio. Spicy and flavorful though.

e. TINAPA MUSTARD ROLL - here's dying to try and replicate the tinapa mustard at home!! The maki was stuffed with cucumber, with the smoked fish mustard adding a wonderful flavorful in every bite. Reminds me of smoked salmon with some ground mustard, albeit a bit milder. Eat it without the soy and wasabi combo first to get a taste of what I'm talking about.

f. TAKOYAKI - no tako to speak of, however, they did use Japanese mayo, tonkatsu sauce and bonito fish flakes to garnish these wonderful balls of happy thoughts And yes, for the record, MAX and I are takoyaki fiends.

g. MANGO SHAKE - Third son, Kix loved his shake that was a good balance of sweetness and creaminess. I on the other hand, enjoyed my

h. GREEN APPLE YAKULT SHAKE - they did not skimp out on the Yakult! I loved this creamy, sweet and tart shake. Getting this again, the next time we go back!

5. SERVICE: Service was quite fast and our server was efficient enough (except for the part where we reminded her about the inclusions of the rice meals. In this case, the soup). No biggie though as food was served fast, hot and delicious. SCORE: 4/5

It's a nice place to bring friends and family over, for quick, filling, delicious and not so pricey meals. I wish they had more signage leading up to the place and a bug lamp or two.

despite having to wear a holter monitor on, good food and my family's love takes all the worries away

Other than that, we enjoyed STONE and SPOON , rated it a 3.9/5 and would probably come back in the near future, just to try out the other items on the menu that we missed out on.

From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!