#LengTanSpeaks: Baguio 2017: The Hill Station Experience

June 23, 2017

Whenever one mentions Baguio, Hill Station is never far behind. One can never have a complete Baguio experience without the great food and great ambiance that the casual fine dining restaurant offers. Hill Station prides itself for being one of the top restaurants in Baguio and was awarded as one of Asia’s Finest Restaurants by the Miele Guide in 2011-2013.

It’s my third day here in the beautiful city of Baguio and I just completed a two-day training session. One of my favorite perks of my job is having the opportunity to do what I love to do for a living and travel occasionally to experience different cultures, climate, people, view, and food. I have been requested to travel to Baguio on a business trip where I conducted an Effective Communication and Effective Presentation Skills Training program for a power generation company. Today was the last day of training and since tomorrow happens to be my birthday, The Husband decided to join me here so we can celebrate early and I wouldn’t have to wake up alone on my birthday.

The Husband and I decided to dine at Hill Station to celebrate my birthday. I have heard great stories about the food and ambiance; and The Husband and I were all too excited to get a taste of the Hill Station experience.

I made sure to call ahead and make a reservation for two at 8PM under The Husband’s name. He went in first because I was busy browsing and smelling the books displayed in Mt. Cloud Bookshop. After buying a book, I joined him at the restaurant.

When I stepped inside the restaurant, all members of the staff were busy so no one was around to receive me and point me to where my date was. I went straight into the restaurant and looked for The Husband myself. He was seated at a table in the corner of the restaurant.

Since it was our first time at the restaurant, we took our sweet time reviewing the menu before calling a waitress to place our order. We ordered Prawns Peri Peri, Steak and Salmon, and two glasses of white house wines. For dessert, we ordered their Cheesecake flan and dark chocolate ice cream.

The place

I love that the place is located in the heart of the city, a stone’s throw away from SM City Baguio. Once I stepped into the restaurant, I felt that I was transported into the time when it was built by the Americans, providing a respite away from the noise and bustle of the city that is Makati. I felt that it was a place where you could just sit by the window, stare out of its gigantic panels, and watch the day go by as you sip your wine or coffee. I wanted a romantic dinner date feel and we certainly got it. We were seated at the corner of the restaurant, right by the window. We loved that the corner provided us a romantic, private feel – an experience that a table in the middle of the restaurant surely will be unable to provide. Because it was past eight in the evening, the dark romantic ambiance and the chilly weather was just perfect setting for a romantic birthday dinner date. If there was anything that did not meet my expectations, it was the restroom. It was plain and boring, and was not as classy as the rest of the place. The restroom was a tiny cubicle that could fit one person as the wash area is located about two feet away.

The Food

Prawns Peri Peri, Php595.00

According to the menu: Broiled prawns, oozing with butter, chillies, and lemons

What we got: 3 broiled prawns on a bed of mashed potatoes with butter sauce, zucchini, lime, and spring onion. I asked them to hold the chili and paprika as I don’t eat spicy food. The prawns were nice and fresh, deliciously broiled with the right amount of saltiness. They were a bit dry for me and they definitely weren't oozing with butter. I also wished they put more than three prawns. The presentation can also be better.

Steak and Salmon Php550.00 (sorry no picture)

According to the menu: (steak and salmon with) mashed potato, seasonal vegetables

What we got: a nice piece of salmon and a piece of juicy steak on top of mashed potatoes and zucchini. According to The Husband, he loved the steak. It was nice, flavorful, and juicy. The salmon, on the other hand, tasted good too, albeit a little dry.

White house wines:

Acantus Savignon Blanc (Spain), Php195.00 by the glass

Caracter Chardonnay/Cherin (Argentina) Php195.00 by the glass

Those were the only wines they offered that go by the bottle. The Husband and I don’t drink wine often so we just opted to go with their house wine. They were good! Nice and smooth.

For dessert, we ordered:

Flan de Sevilla or Cheesecake flan, Php130.00

I’ve always loved cheesecake and leche flan so this combination was a winning pair for me. The cheesecake was nice and creamy, just the way I like it, and not clunky or grainy. I love that they drizzled some caramel sauce on the side, it just makes sugar junkies like me take one bite after another after another! If there's one thing that I can suggest, they can make the presentation better as it looks like the caramel was just dumped onto the plate without care. Here's another picture from another angle.

Dark Chocolate ice cream with Cayenne P115.00

The Husband chose this for himself and him loving this dessert is an understatement. It was a bowl with two scoops of lightly sweetened ice cream with a strong bitter dark chocolatey-taste. You can taste the real/pure cocoa unlike those sold in the supermarket. The ice cream was phenomenal, but it could have used more cayenne pepper to really spice the ice cream up.

The service

The food was great but the service could be better. Firstly, their telephone manners can be improved. There was a nice greeting but they can sound more enthusiastic. When I asked if I could make a reservation, I was put on hold without my permission and the lady didn’t speak quite clearly, I wasn’t sure what she said so I when I spoke again, I realized she had placed me on hold as no one was answering me. I then made a reservation and then when I asked if there was a dress code, she simply said, “Smart casual.” I felt that she was a bit dismissive.

Secondly, in the restaurant, I soon found out it was not just the lady at the telephone that was dismissive. The waitresses were quite dismissive as well. Being at the corner table, it was a bit difficult to catch their attention. We were thinking of what to order and this waitress just stood there waiting, not recommending anything and not even smiling.

We ordered Prawn Peri Peri and Steak and Salmon and then was thinking of what drinks to order. The waitress, seeing as we have not made up our minds yet as to what drinks to pair our food with, informed us stiffly that she’d come back once we’ve decided on our drinks. I swear that lady could use a bit of a smile!

After the main course, The Husband asked for the dessert menu not realizing it was just right on our table. When The Husband requested for the dessert menu, all the waitress did was to point to the dessert list placed on top of table, didn't say a single word, and walked away. No smile, no words. See? Dismissive.

After dinner and dessert, we decided not to stay longer, paid the bill, and left.

Final verdict:

The Place: 5 out of 5 stars

The place certainly did not disappoint. It was impeccably clean, romantic, and classy. It was as breathtaking in reality as it was in the pictures.

The Food: 4 out of 5 stars

The food was good. Was the food better than most? Definitely. But was it remarkable? Unfortunately not. The taste and presentation can be improved.

The Service: 2.5 of 5 stars

As for the service, the staff can be friendlier, can smile more, maybe strike up a conversation to personalize their customer’s Hill Station experience, and read up on service language. Sayang. (Note: Had they been not a fine dining restaurant, I would have given them at least a 3. Or maybe my expectations were set too high?)

There are hundreds of restaurants in Baguio and most of them, like Hill Station, boasts of impressive interiors, view, and food. What sets a restaurant apart from the other restaurants is the overall experience of a customer. Remember that it is the place and the food that attract customers, but it is the service and experience that will make the customers come back.

Will we come back? Definitely.

Try the Hill Station experience:

For Reservations:

(+63 74) 424 2734

(+63) 915 829 2166

info@hillstationbaguio.com

Casa Vallejo, Upper Session Rd, Baguio, 2600 Benguet

(074) 424 2734

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Wedding Blog: http://www.kelvinandleng2015.blogspot.com/

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