Mouth-watering hot sinanglaw at Mines View Park. - Baguio City

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

The fog was creeping thick enveloping the whole mountain village down below at Mines View Park, and then it rained really intense that lasted for almost an hour which was a blessing as it drove most of the knots of fog providing a nice misty view of the mountain range.

But the cold weather turned unbearable as we walked through the sloping road few meters from the park’s souvenir shops market to the direction of the Mines View Hotel along Outlook Drive.

Walking down, there is this bamboo house on the left side just after the hotel, inevitably the place is called “Kainan Sa Bamboo”. I heard the lady standing beyond the window says “Sinanglaw” and instantly it reminded me of that not-so-good soup dish in Vigan couple of months ago. This is Baguio, perhaps they do it differently here, I feel cold and I’m craving for hot soup.

It was comfortable inside the bamboo house, pebbles on the ground, it’s like a patch of garden inside with a grotto and the owner is an endearing guy who started talking in that unfamiliar “we’re long-time friends” tone. He said, you should’ve been here a while ago, we have a special dish (which I forgot the name). He’s so genuinely friendly, a real people person.

We were served with a hot “Sinanglaw” (beef innards stew) and rice. One spoonful of the broth and it really is quite different from the one that failed my palate’s approval in Vigan. Bit and pieces of chewy but soft beef innards in a flavorsome, just the right spice broth. Good tasting and it gave me the warmth I desperately need from the cold weather.