Restaurant Love: Chaya

A trip to Chaya is always one of the things that excite me whenever R and I visit Baguio. Discovering this hidden gem along Legarda Road has been one of our fondest Baguio memories. Just thinking about its superb sashimi and sukiyaki make me drool for hours. And a few months back, we decided to escape the scorching Manila heat and headed to Baguio one rainy Friday late afternoon. As we reached Baguio with grumbling tummies, we couldn’t think of anything else but Chaya. 

Hello again, Chaya! 

Unlike our first visit, the place was packed with locals and tourists alike. As we were expecting to hear the dreaded phrase, “we’re full and could not accommodate you”, we were ushered to the back part of the restaurant which happens to be a dining area as well. 

We quickly ordered Sukiyaki (PHP390), Chirashi Sushi (PHP380), Salmon Seafood Salad (PHP260, small | PHP380, full) and a glass of Green Tea Shake (PHP120).

The beautiful Salmon Seafood Salad was served first and we couldn’t help feel disappointed upon giving it a closer look. 

This order should have had other seafood bits but it was just salmon chunks, a few shrimps and less than 5 slices of squid. I guess we were hoping too much for PHP260. Nonetheless, it was pretty good and I enjoyed munching on the alfalfa sprouts.

Our bowl of Chirashi Sushi was served next and I liked that there were enough sashimi to be shared by two. The sushi rice had a bit of sweet taste which was complemented by the fresh seafood cuts such as tuna, squid and salmon. I loved the salmon and squid cuts the best. R on the other hand didn’t fancy this as much as I did as he only liked the salmon cuts which we already had from the salmon seafood salad. 

A piping hot bowl of sukiyaki was served last and just like last time, it was scrumptious! 

I loved the sweet and salty broth which went very well with the thin slices of meat, mushroom and other greens. 

We also poured an egg in the bowl to make the soup thicker. 

Last served was our favorite Green Tea Shake which we slurped down to half in less than 2 minutes. Its rich flavor sure make it one of the best green tea shakes I’ve had so far. It would have been a lot better though if they served it before the dishes. It took several follow ups before we got this. 

And of course, a trip to Chaya won’t be complete without its complementary matcha ice cream. 

It may be just a teaspoonful of matcha ice cream but its rich flavor was enough to cap our meal on a good note. 

It was another lovely dining experience in Chaya. The only problem we encountered was calling the servers as there are times when there were no waiters to wave at for water and bill. 

Chaya is located at 72 Legarda Road, 2600 Baguio City. You may contact them at (074) 424 4726, 0915 905 4820 or visit www.chayabaguio.com for details or reservation.

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