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| Café Sabel |
In my humble view, one of the best and hardest expression of art is through food. Presentation and plating is just the cherry at the top but, the taste, history, and the perfect amount of creativity poured into every dish gives it more flavor and interest. That was why I've eagerly included dining at BenCab Museum's Café Sabel to our Baguio itinerary.
Café Sabel is an in-house café of BenCab Museum located at its ground floor. You won't be able to enter the café without having to enter the museum first.
The café is named after Ben Cab's constantly occurring muse in his artworks. At first, I thought "Sabel" refers to Ben Cab's mother (Isabel Reyes). But I saw a pamphlet on the museum shop featuring an article about Sabel. It turns out that "Sabel" is actually a vagabond he usually sees wandering around the streets of Manila.
When we arrived at the museum, the fog around the area was heavy and thick. Tourists were flocking around the gorgeous garden and duck pond at the back of the café so it was a bit noisy and the place was packed. I just have to say, though, the café was gorgeous. Everything was colorful and artworks cover the walls. (I didn't take pictures, sorry! I wasn't sure if taking pictures of them is allowed.) There are colorful block chairs and colorful wrought iron chairs. There was a long table beside the kitchen for bigger gatherings. There were also a space outside the café for those who prefer the cold Baguio breeze and fog while in front of this majestic view. Did I mention that you can clearly see the mountains and forest from the cafe windows, as well? Well, you can. And in that foggy afternoon, it was a sight to behold. :)
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| Cafe Sabel Al fresco area and garden |
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| Cafe Sabel Al fresco area and garden |
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| BenCab Museum's Garden and Duck Pond |
After getting a seat, we browsed their surprisingly impressive menu. I ordered Potato Fries (P80) and Grilled Pork Chop with Rice (P150) and Borgy ordered the Taal Rice (P50) which, according to the servers, is their best seller. For our drinks, I wanted to order the avocado shake but it was not available so we settled for the Guyabano Shake instead.
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| Guyabano Shake |
The guyabano shake was viscous and syrupy, just like how guyabano shakes should be. It's not overly sweet or milky and you can clearly taste the flavor.
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| Taal Rice |
The Taal Rice was very good. It tasted a lot like tinapa. I'm not sure why it's called the "Taal" rice but whatever, for me, it tasted awesome. The only problem is it was very unsatisfying in terms of amount. :( Borgy said it would've been awesome for him if they served it plentiful in a bowl.
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| Grilled Pork Chop |
I was actually a bit wary ordering the Grilled Pork Chop. Mostly because I'm not a big fan of "pork chop" but this is what stood out from the menu. And I was not disappointed. When they served it, it looked like it could use a little more cookin' since I am a big fan of burnt food (unhealthy, I know!) But when I tasted it, it was the perfect charcoal-grilled flavor. It was also served with atchara and rice. Again, I was a bit disappointed with the amount of rice. :( Bitin!
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| Potato Fries |
The potato fries is nothing special though. It tasted like the ordinary potato fries you buy at Potato Corner. The arrangement was very simple and basic as well. Tam-awan Café's fries is actually better.
The presentation of the food didn't really jump out. It didn't make much of an impression to me considering the place is inside a museum filled with amazing artworks and the meager serving disappointed me, too. But for the taste, I couldn't be more satisfied. It was fresh, rich and flavorful (except for the fries). So, amazing food; gorgeous artworks around the place; a gorgeous garden and; a beautiful scenery from the cafe, yep! It's worth a visit. :)
Café Sabel
BenCab Museum, Km. 6 Asin Rd.,
Tadiangan, Tuba, Philippines
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