Midnight Express: Where the hungry should dine in Baguio

Summer is nigh, and that only means one thing: some roads go to the beach, while others lead to cool Baguio City. The Summer Capital of the Philippines does not only offer sweater weather during warmer-than-usual days; it also offers dishes that will excite every palate any time of the year. 

Pinikpikan, a controversial version of tinola



Pinikpikan is a traditional Cordilleran dish. According to "Midnight Express" host Mikael Daez, it might be considered the region's version of tinola.

The dish used to be served only during thanksgiving and other special events since preparing it involves performing a ritual: a live chicken is lightly beaten underneath its wings to make sure it forms coagulated blood.

None of the bones should be broken during beating or slicing. If the chicken is beaten properly, it won't be bloody when sliced. This method also makes the dish more flavorful.

Get a taste of this controversial delicacy at Cafe Yagam ((074) 423-0839).

Chocolate de batirol, a drink that's perfect with any dish



If Baguio's temperature gets too chilly, head to Igorot Cafe (0916 3756510) to warm your insides.

The cafe serves chocolate de batirol, a drink that can be paired with Filipino kakanin like bibingka and suman and even with meat dishes like tocinong kalabaw.

This chocolate drink is made from cacao beans from the Cordillera region. After the chocolate paste is melted in a small stock pot, it is tranferred to a batirol, which is the Visayan term for the specific clay pot used to perfect the drink. The molinillo, a wooden stirrer, mixes the chocolate to the desired texture.

Sinigang na bagnet with a special ingredient



Many people love sinigang and bagnet separately. But this small cafe located inside a food community in Baguio updated a classic Filipino soup combining these two dishes together.

Aside from using bagnet instead of the usual meat, this version of sinigang also changed another important ingredient: its souring agent. Instead of using sampaloc, the cafe uses strawberry to give the soup that flavorful kick.

"Hindi siya 'yung normal na asim [tulad] 'yung sa sampaloc, hindi eh. Iba siya! Very subdued ang pagkaasim niya," Daez noted after tasting the dish.

Visit Rancho Norte at Ketchup Food Community along Romulo Drive, Baguio City to get a taste of its take on sinigang.

Lomo baby back ribs



For meat lovers going up to Baguio, make sure you won't leave the highland without getting a taste of the lomo baby back ribs of Canto, also in Ketchup Food Community.

Owner Carlo Blanco explained that the dish's name was derived from one of his hobbies, a style of photography known as lomography. But in Spanish, lomo is also a term for tenderloin—a perfect coincidence. — Trisha Macas/BM, GMA News

Explore more dishes this week on Saksi's Midnight Express.